Let’s start with a confession.
I like Ted Nugent’s music.
UGH. He’s an AWFUL person, and the lyrics aren’t exactly winning awards, either. (Well, “Fred Bear” is unproblematic, right?)
Can you separate the art from the artist? It’s a question I see coming up a lot, lately.
A thing of beauty is recognizable. There is something in a human that recognizes quality in a song or a story or a painting. That delights in a clever rhythm or well-created highway overpass. There is art in many things.
And yes, I think it is separate from the artist.
Supporting the artist, now, financially… that’s a toughie. You don’t want to be giving money to those who would use that money to oppress others, say. Fortunately for me, I don’t really worry about that because I’m one of those awful people who gets most of their books from the library or second-hand shops and listens to radio so I’m not paying for music. I know, I’m part of the systemic failure of our culture to reward art… I’m trying to buy things more now that I’m in a good financial situation, but a lifetime of penny-pinching is hard to let go of.
I digress. The point is, I’ll rock out to the Motor City madman, but I won’t buy his merch or go to his concerts.
There’s a limit to “Consumer consciousness.” We leave so much up to consumer choice as though it were all completely free. My tastes are shaped by the music my parents played before I knew there was anything in the world outside of our family. They are shaped by my socio-economic class, the gatekeepers choosing what makes it onto the radio waves and into the stores. It’s why I have something of a problem with the idea of “good taste” – as if there was a quality component to what you like. You like what you like, purple leopard print coats with pink faux fur trim included.
(Damn, that sounds awesome, honesly.)
Is it “bad taste” to like the artistic output of a horrible person? No. However, it is “in poor taste” to support their ability to be horrible, or elevate horrible messages.
How’s that?
