Today I spent time getting some of the shows on my DVR watched so my box would stop reminding me that it was slowly running out of room for new shows. (I hate falling behind on shows but at least I have things to watch!) As I was watching an episode of glee I found myself very intrigued when many of the characters flipped out on a guy who was planning to sing a Chris Brown song for the week. (For those who don't watch, usually each week they have a theme for the songs they are going to sing at practice like guilty pleasures or diva songs.) Most of the group is telling this one guy that he can't sing a Chris Brown song because he had an abusive relationship with Rhianna and if he sings Chris Brown it makes the statement that he thinks it's ok. This character decides that the group is right and decides to sing a Brown song, but instead of singing a Chris song...he sings a Bobby Brown song instead. Of course the group is still upset and informs this character that Bobby Brown was no better than Chris.
This is after he sang My Prerogative (I think)
All this got me thinking, when it comes to music or any form of art can we forget the terrible things he/she/they do in private if the art is wonderful? Are some bad choices easier to overlook than others? Does a person's private life affect how his/her art is perceived? Think of a song that you absolutely love, a song that you know all the words to, something you can't help but feel happy when it comes on. Now imagine that the person who sings this amazing song is a puppy killer.
Look at how adorable!
Are you going to stop listening to that song? If you bought the cd, are you going to throw it away? Odds are, you won't buy any more concert tickets or posters of this artist. Now if the artist is a tax evader or heavy on drugs, does that chance your stance? Michael Jackson was accused of messing with little boys...but you never hear people say anything negative about his music. Whitney Houston was on drugs and people talk about how horrible a loss it is for the music industry now that she's passed on. Am I trying to hint that I think either of the Browns are better than MJ or Whitney? No, of course not. My ears work fine but my point is that while they both had faults that were often the headline for the tabloid section at your local grocery store, it seems that the general public can overlook these bad choices and focus on musical talents and catchy songs.
If we turn from music to movies you can see that it's close to the same deal. Most of us have heard about Mel Gibson's slurs. If you haven't noticed...the offers don't seem to be pouring in for him anymore. Do we stop watching the good movies though? Braveheart may be one of his best know movies. AMC plays it very often. Do we stop watching it? Has anyone actually seen Gibson's latest movie that went straight to dvd? (Unless it's a movie for kids...this is usually a bad sign) How about David Hasselhoff who lost custody of his daughters when that video of him on the floor with the cheeseburger surfaced? Do we stop letting kids watch the Spongebob movie?
This is a real scene from the movie
So here's my opinion on the matter. If it's a simple mistake and they make great music...it's easy for us to forget and move on but some of the heavier things (like hitting women or having an addiction) are harder to overlook and while we won't talk badly about previous work...it will stop us from liking anything new. In my opinion, I don't really care for the music of Chris or Bobby Brown so I haven't ever supported either of them. Honestly, I'd much rather be listening to Blink 182 any given day!
Blink 182
Ok readers, I want to know what you think! Is there a line you hope your favorite artist never crosses so you don't have to burn all that merch you bought at the last show? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about MJ, Whitney, Mel, ect... Feel free to tell me what you think about Blink (just know that I might have a comeback already lined up...hehehe)! Thanks for reading and have a great day!
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