Specifically Marilyn Manson and Kanye West. Am I overthinking this?
Yup. It’s very easy indeed.
Pirate the fuck out of their stuff, enjoy, repeat.
Edit: the exception is when the the fuckery is in the music/art.
Very curious how old-time Kanye fans feel haha
I find it depends on how they get compensated.
Dont support them by buying their stuff. Just pirate their music. For me personally, i dont follow artist in anyway shape or form. I have bigger problem to worry about. I just listen to songs i like and go on with my day.
I’d say it depends on WHY you like the art. Does it tie into the toxic or reprehensible traits of the artist? Was the artist trying to send a toxic or reprehensible message with this art?
If not, then it’s just a matter of ensuring that your enjoyment of the art doesn’t translate into support for the artist. Or, at least, that it doesn’t cross your personal line of support for the artist.
So, for example, does the Kanye music you like have nazi themes or messaging? Far as I’m aware, no, the nazi-ism is just his newest shit, so you’re probably fine as long as you’re not streaming from Spotify or YouTube, or otherwise giving him revenue.
Yes. It’s called seperating the artist from the art.
Yes, but there is a line at which point the art can no longer be seen.
For example, I can’t listen to the lost prophets any more.
Of course, just don’t give them money. Unless you’re listening to the musical equivalent of “The Eternal Jew”/“American Sniper”, in which the content was not only made by hateful, possibly hellbound people but is also actively trying to morph your ideology to be more like theirs, what’s the danger?
That’s how I view it too. If you can consume something without financing further harm then the author doesn’t matter. Already own a Niel Gaiman book? Feel free to keep reading it. Pirated some metal music from a band that turned out to be neo-nazis? Go for it. Want to read Lovecraft? He’s long dead and his estate doesn’t seem to be supporting racism, so buy as much as you want. Want to check out Mein Kampf from the library? I will have questions when you return it, but you aren’t hurting anyone by reading it. Just understand the mindset that made them bad people and don’t let them sway your outlook to match.
My mom got me a copy of Mein Kampf when I was little (I asked, I was curious about what this Hitler guy used to yap about) and she never even questioned it, lol. She really had faith in little ol’ me. 😅
Explain Manson pls
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YMMV. There is no universal answer to this question. None of us separate the artist entirely from the work and thus our enjoyment of it. I think of it in video game terms. Every artist has a power bar. They can get hit a couple of times and can still be tolerated when they’re in the yellow. But once we’re in the red zone and the character starts getting translucent or is flashing I’m out. This is all very subjective though.
Marylin Manson went red for me and I scrubbed the songs I liked from my playlists. Michael Jackson also. But I continue to listen to The Smiths/Morrissey in spite of Morrissey’s politics. I still enjoy Pink Floyd although Walters and Gilmore are profoundly unlikable characters and Walter’s politics rub me the wrong way a lot of the time.
In the age of streaming, there isn’t a lot of money going to the artist. You’re not really supporting them financially if you enjoy their music in spite of any a-holery, moral or criminal, they may have committed. If you get something out of it, continue to do so. If it feels yucky then I’m gonna guess one more hit is putting the character in the red. And if you paid for the music/album, the “damage” is already done.
I’m glad I was never a big fan of Kanye’s œuvre so I don’t have to wrestle with this question about him. I think he would have done enough to drain his power bar thrice over and thus it’s game over for me. I wish he had more well meaning people around him who could help him to protect himself from himself.
When you said video game you brought to mind a broader context for me. We often associate “a name” (musician, CEO, comedian, etc.) with a brand. But when you truly think of the number of people and entire industry involved in producing said art, it becomes a somewhat different question. Not necessarily easier to answer, and I really like your health bar analogy. I think to some extent it depends on what you personally are getting out of your interaction with the product.
Always a fascinating philosophical question to ponder.
Sure. Just don’t pay. I listen to some very questionable or morally disgusting songs because I like the music. And I personally never care for the author’s life story. I don’t ask who builds my car either.
If they get even a cent from you, then you are funding their crap. Also whatever you don’t like about them will certainly be part of their art. If that doesn’t bother you, then sure, enjoy what you want.
I’ve never felt guilty for consuming media of people who have done bad things; it’s not that it’s not important to have integrity, I just assume everyone I could consume media from has and does, and the difference is that I’ll either never know, or don’t know yet.
We can’t just throw away historical and culturally significant works because the creator(s) are terrible, in part because broken, complicated, terrible people make these works because that’s where the creative energy is.
What’s wrong with Marilyn Manson that wasn’t 20 years ago?
I don’t think it bad to still enjoy their music. If the music is good then its good regardless if the author is good or not. I understand not wanting to support them however. So though I don’t think its bad to still listen to them I understand how others fell differently
