Can You Separate Art from Artist?

A few months ago, I posted this question on all of my social media accounts: “Do you still listen to artists/bands after a scandal has come to light related to them? (e.g. Brand New). Can you separate art from artist?” I wanted to hear people’s thoughts, mainly because I was in a personal dilemma over Brand New, as they were my favourite band before all of the horrible things came to light about Jesse Lacey. But also because I wanted to write this article. I got twenty-eight, very interesting and very mixed responses. There was one response that stood out as being the general consensus, but I’ll talk about that later.

Music is a very personal and emotional thing, for both the listeners and the musicians (perhaps, with the exception of singers that don’t write their own songs, but that’s an article for another day). Musicians are very different to actors in this way. One response I got: “I find it harder [to separate art from artist] with musicians as their art is more personal i.e. you can view characters separately from their actors” sums this point up quite nicely. Obviously, it isn’t as black and white as that. For me, and for a lot of my friends, music is a lot closer to our hearts than films, so I wanted to get to the bottom of this moral dilemma.

Some people said that they would outright stop listening to the artists and would not be able to separate them from their art. “I can’t separate the art from the artist, if an artist has done something awful, it taints their art for me 100%.” “Once a scandal comes to light and becomes truth then you lost respect for the artist, and in losing respect, the credibility behind the meaning of their songs falls with it.” “Brand New were one of my favourite bands…but I haven’t listened to them since…because I feel so uncomfortable about them now.” “I can’t listen to artists who are revealed to be shitty people…if feels like you’re excusing their actions, especially if you’re listening to them on a platform that could benefit them.”

I got three or four responses alluding to the fact that people would still listen to a “scandalised” artist or band, but the experience would be somewhat tarnished for them. “I can appreciate the music but I always think of the scandal when I hear it…I feel like I can’t enjoy it the same way I used to, because the (abuse) scandal casted a sinister shadow on everything produced.” “I find that when Michael Jackson comes on in work that I bop along to it subconsciously, but then I remember his numerous controversies…Doesn’t quite ruin it, but I can’t help but remember.”

Others said they can separate the art from the artist: “For me, there’s a definite line between appreciating art, and worshipping the artist.” “[I don’t] really care…I don’t follow bands so I’m all about the song.” “I can separate them, in my head, but I’ve just found myself…not listening to bands like this…Not purposeful, just haven’t…” “Robin Thicke is a d**k and Blurred Lines celebrates misogyny, but it’s a complete jam…I might hate that I like something, but I can get past my values and still enjoy/consume it.” “I think judging someone’s art…is different to judging them as a person.” “Yes I can, usually for the sake of the other members of the band. If it is an individual who has done wrong then no.” This last response raises a very valid point. Should we put the other four or five people in a band at risk of losing their livelihood just because one member did something awful? This is often something that people overlook.

It seems that these things mostly work on a case-by-case basis. One of the responses I got really echoed this: “Certain things are just flaws in someone’s character that can shed new light on their music, depending on how integral their person is to their artistic persona. However, I draw the line at racism/homophobia/transphobia and sexual abuse.” Another interesting response was to take into account the artists reaction to the scandal, “It depends on the scandal and the artists reaction…for example, when tweets are uncovered from years previous that use homophobic wording but the artist makes a sincere apology and genuinely seems to have learned from it and changed. It’s important to sometimes try to understand that it could simply have been young naivety and not genuine hate.”

I think most people lie somewhere in between “yes” and “no.” Sometimes the way we respond to things like this is actually out of our control. Possibly one of those most interesting responses stated: “I think the closest I’ve come [to a decision on this] is accepting that it’s a subconscious decision on my part…some artists seem to pass through. I think it is less of a case of separating art from artist, but more a case of separating ourselves from that art.”

Here, we have to raise the question of emotional attachment – this was a huge factor in people’s responses. Here are some peoples’ thoughts: “If it was an artist who hadn’t affected me so much…and they just make nice songs to listen to, then yeah I can just stop listening.” “I’m interested in their music not their personal lives.” “I separate the art from the artist, because by doing so I can enjoy the art…without feeling guilty.” “I can always separate the two…at the end of the day those songs are effectively mine, they may have some huge sentimental meaning to me and I’ll continue to enjoy them somewhat.” “It’s hard to detach yourself from something you hold so dear.” My response would fall into this category too. If a song or an album has meaning to me, I don’t want to feel guilty for still enjoying it. However, I think the level of emotional attachment does influence people’s decisions here, and understandably so. The more attached we are to something the more we are inclined to be blindsided by that and possibly ignore our morals. Does that make us bad people?

No, and my reasoning for this lies in that general consensus I was talking about earlier…most people come to a sort of compromise. “Brand New were my favourite band until the scandal broke. From then on, I decided I would not support them monetarily. However, I do still listen to the CDs I’ve owned for years and I do feel I cannot help but enjoy the music that I loved for so long.” “I feel bad, so I listen to their music on a video someone else uploaded so I don’t support them financially.” “As a rule, I wouldn’t stream them legally, but if their music is something I’m emotionally attached to, I’ll download it off some sketchy site.” “I feel like if I don’t support an artist’s behaviour but still enjoy their music, I’ll try do it in a way that doesn’t benefit them financially, to somehow justify it in my own mind.”

Could it be that we’ve found an answer to this age-old and famously impossible question? It’s hard to say really. It’s different for everyone but the general consensus seems to say “If you enjoy something, you should still be able to enjoy it even if the creator of said thing turns out to be a nasty piece of work…but…maybe don’t give them your money…” At the end of the day, we could take this back to the basics of supply and demand. It’s important to be informed and consider the consequences of what we consume.

**This article was originally published in Volume 22, Issue Five of the University Express, UCC on Tuesday November 13th 2018** ​​

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