My favorite band is The Who. I love their energy, their live performances, and their unique blend of raucous energy and thoughtful storytelling. I also love Keith Moon’s drumming.
But if you read enough about Keith Moon, you’ll find he wasn’t always the nicest guy. He was a constant drunk who caused thousands of dollars of property damage throughout his life. His wild behavior even led to the accidental death of a friend, an act which would haunt him the rest of his life.
That’s not all. Pete Townshend and John Entwistle, the guitarist and bassist of the band, both regularly cheated on their wives, much like many musicians during that era.
So then. What if I like the art, yet don’t support the behavior of the artist? Is it still okay for me to listen to their music?
That’s the question we’ll address today. As fans and consumers of art, can we enjoy art without supporting the behavior of the artists who make it?
The Financial Aspect
Sticking with the rock music theme, AC/DC understood the value of money to artists. In fact, they immortalized it by taking the phrase “Money Talks” and turning it into a song. (Theirs is stylized as “Moneytalks,” but you get the idea.)
For artists, money does talk. It says, “I came from a fan who likes your work and wants you to make more.” Money is the best way to support the things you care about. Word of mouth is good, tweeting is fine, but the almighty dollar ensures artists make more art.
The Problem Grows
Art is never made in isolation. Even solitary authors have alpha and beta readers, editors, sometimes publishers or agents. And then there are films, which sometimes have thousands of people working on them. Have you ever sat through the credits for The Lord of the Rings trilogy? It’s like another movie in and of itself.
It takes a team to turn art into reality. Which expands the scope of the topic we’re examining. When we support art financially, we’re supporting not just one person, but many.
So what if the second unit director on the latest Marvel film is a psychopathic cannibal, ala Hannibal Lector? (I’m sure she or he is not, but bear with me here.) I’m guessing you don’t support cannibalism. Yet your opening night movie ticket supports the film that the second unit director made. So, in a way, you’re supporting a cannibal. (Again, I’m sure the second unit director for Captain Marvel or whatever doesn’t really eat people.) Now we see the conundrum. It’s not just one person you’ve got to worry about—it’s possibly thousands!
There’s No Simple Answer
There really isn’t. I’ve thought about this constantly, especially in regards to my favorite genre of music, classic rock. The more you read about male rock musicians of the 60s and 70s, the more you realize they were on the whole not very nice people. Many of them were drunks, adulterers, and misogynists. Not all, but many.
Now one might argue the solution is to only pay for art made by artists whose morals align with yours. And hey, that’s your prerogative. The thing is, you might miss out on some great work. Furthermore, we’ve seen this tactic backfire before.
Though it’s not quite a perfect comparison, take Lance Armstrong and his Livestrong Foundation as an example. When I was growing up, I saw those yellow bracelets every day. Yet in 2012 and onward, when Armstrong’s doping scandal went public, the bracelets vanished. People stopped their donations to the Livestrong Foundation, all because of its founder’s actions.
When we frame this example in the art/artist mold, we clearly see the problem. The art (in this case, cancer research) is clearly deserving of support. Yet it doesn’t get that support because people disapprove of the artist (who is in this case, Lance Armstrong).
Maybe the you-can’t-support-the-art-without-supporting-the-artist argument doesn’t always work. By the way, I’m working on a trademark for that name, since it rolls off the tongue so well.
Can Anyone Separate the Art from the Artist?
Based on the argument I’ve made, you might be wondering if you can ever appreciate art again. What if you really love a book but really detest its author?
I’m not in the business of telling people what they should and shouldn’t like or spend money on. The purpose of this article is not to dissuade you from any art. Rather, it’s just to explore a topic I and others have thought about at length.
Furthermore, I don’t mean to make it sound like all artists are jerks. Artists are just like anyone else—some are jerks, but the vast majority are good people you’d be happy to support.
Anyway, I believe the answer is both yes and no. It all depends on the fan.
That’s Us!
As a fan, we absolutely have the right to spend where we want to. If you choose not to listen to the music of The Who because Keith Moon was kinda nuts, it’s your right to do so. You can donate to Livestrong because you like what they do—never mind the association with Lance Armstrong.
I think this common axiom about art applies well: When you release it into the world, it’s no longer yours. If fans treat art this way, that might allow us to be more okay with artists who aren’t necessarily people we want to emulate. We can at least feel like the work is separate from the artist. For some fans, this might be an important skill to develop. Many artists are good people who we would probably be friends with if we met them. Some might not be. And if we can separate the artists from the art, we’ll have a much easier time being fans.
So for all the Who fans out there, keep on loving Keith Moon’s drumming. I know I will.
Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife and their two cats. His stories have appeared in numerous online magazines, including Allegory, Chantwood, and Dark Fire Fiction.
