I had started to write something about cancel culture. It was inspired by finding a very inexpensive copy of Eric Clapton's Reprise Collection on vinyl. I was somewhat excited about hearing Bob Ludwig's mastering on "Money & Cigarettes" and "Journeyman," two records I really like, and then remembered that I stopped listening to Eric Clapton after his tone deaf remarks regarding COVID, vaccines, masks and lockdowns. I also stopped listening to Van Morrison. And I stopped listening to my beloved Posies after the sexual allegations against Ken Stringfellow came out this year. Every power chord on my Raspberries records reminds me that Eric Carmen is a Trump supporter. I didn't listen to a lot of Ryan Adams, but I stopped reaching for the records I do love.
What am I doing? Am I helping matters by these feeble, private protests?
I got as far as where I am now, and then the essay started to get a bit more complicated.
I am a diehard Woody Allen fan.
I trashed what I had written and realized, I had nothing else prepared. So, I tried again.
Again, I am hesistant to continue. But I do have questions. Someday, I might ask them right on these pages. It is not yet someday.
I do have a solid Instagram dump for tomorrow, which I will again couple with your Songs Of The Week. But I imagine, it will take a few days, maybe a few weeks into 2023 for music news to pick up. Rest assured, I am not going anywhere. I imagine something will inspire me. Something always does, especially since I am always finding something in the bottomless well of music past.
As for cancel culture, well, I have my feelings just as you do. We all like to have a clean slate on January 1st. I have no resolutions. When I do, I usually toss'em on January 4th. But I do wish good health and happiness for everyone. All else is easy.
Happy New Year.
19 comments:
I hear you. It's really hard supporting the art of someone you can't admire anymore.
While I give Miles Davis, Elvis, John Lennon, Pablo Picasso, and James Brown a pass,
I'll never watch "Annie Hall" again.
I'll never watch "Annie Hall" again.
I am happy you said this, BBJ.
Why?
I would never marry my girlfriend's stepdaughter, an incredibly bad decision, but no laws were broken. As a matter of fact, that relationship began in 1991. 30 films, 100's of actors and dozens of Oscar nominations later proved that most got over it. As for the molestation charges, nothing was ever proven. There has never been repeated incidents. Dylan Farrow's own brother calls it absurd. Yet, his legacy is now garbage.
They are not "feeble" protests, I am in complete agreement with you about the artists you mentioned. However I did not know that Eric "Cart"man was a Trump supporter. Looks like he's gonna be "All by Himself" when it comes to income for any new product. But as far as inspiration goes you have given me "Luxury Mane" and "Alex McMurray." Maybe this year I will venture to go outside more. I love your blog here and look forward to it everyday.
Happy New Year
I work at a facility that treats adolescent boys who have been sexually abused, and who have in turn, sexually abused other children.
I was extremely bothered by the sexual misconduct allegations against Ken Stringfellow, though I have continued to listen his music, and recently purchased a relatively obscure '45.
I have struggled at times in dealing with this conundrum, but eventually decided that I'll be damned if I allow his abusive behavior to get in the way of my passion of loving and listening to great music, which he has produced in abundance.
Sal, I wish you a very Happy New Year and good health and great happiness for 2023.
Thank you again for the effort you put into BW and for turning me, and so many others, on to such great music. I am absolutely loving the Horace Andy Midnight Rocker lp!
Randy
Have a Happy and Healthy New Year Sal. Sometimes we have to disregard an artists personal faults and just enjoy the art. I agree with you on all artists mentioned and I also love Woody Allen's movies. I'm not going to stop listening to Astral Weeks or Derek and the Dominoes. I also have issues with Roger Waters but I'm no going to stop listening to PF. I'm glad I never liked Ted Nugent, lol
Happy New Year, Sal.
Here's something you might enjoy: Claire Dederer's book "Monsters," coming in April, 2023. It's an expanded version of her 2017 essay 'What Do We Do With the Art of Monstrous Men," about the intellectual/moral conundrum you're describing. The impulse to steer away from art created by awful people, or people who have done awful things, shows good impulses; empathy, sensitivity, a quest for moral clarity. But as Claire says: ""You do not need to have a grand unified theory about what to do about Michael Jackson….The way you consume art doesn’t make you a bad person, or a good one. You’ll have to find some other way to accomplish that.”
Here's the original essay: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/11/20/art-monstrous-men/
Full disclosure: Claire is my girlfriend/partner.
All the best in the New Year, wishing you good health (as an official alta Kaker that tops my list) and happiness. And please don't cancel me or for that matter The Lords of The New Church (can't let a good one go, I apologize).
Music is personal. For me, as I listen, I develop a "relationship" with the artist. This is probably silly but when Clapton shit the bed, I no longer cared about his music
The link in Mr Carlin's post is a darn good read.
Being a political dufuss like a Trumper (Carmen) or an anti-vaxer or anti-lockdown type (Morrison and Clapton) seems to me a bit less awful than the sex criminals, but how we scale these issues is a personal thing. I can still enjoy Raspberries (I never really cared for Eric Carmen's post-Raspberries work), and less recent Morrison and Clapton.
But it is disappointing to think about artists that you admire turning out to be dumb asses. I always loved much of Kevin Spacey's work, but it's tough to go back to those movies now.
Hang in there, Sal. Happy New Year and take some time off if you need to. We'll be here ready for you when you're ready again.
Buffalo Nichols is an interesting new record.
Sorry, but on a negative note. They're letting Gary Glitter out of jail early next year.
Sal, stay safe & healthy in the coming days. Keep posting the music you do love. We love it too.
Sad to say but I'm with you on the likes of Clapton, Van the Man, and Woody Allen; their work has lost most of its shine and enjoyment for me. Having said that, I can still stand in awe and admiration in front of a Caravaggio painting like "The Taking of Christ" and overlook his somewhat tawdry, shameful history which probably would lead to him being cancelled today - I suppose it helps that 400 years have gone by! Anyway, all the very best to you and yours for the new year and looking forward to reading more from you then. Cheers!
I haven't stopped listening to Van Morrison, but I also haven't bought his last two albums. If either CD showed up in a thrift shop or used section for $5 or less, I'd probably snag it just to be a completist. I don't feel the need need to give Belfast Covid-boy any more of my meager teacher's salary at this point.
Thank you for the Money & Cigarettes reminder. This was the last EC album I purchased. Liked it a lot then. Sounds even better now! Quite the band. And a Johnny Otis cover!
I believe this was his last album before the introduction of Phil Collins, Michelob, and Hollywood.
Will give Journeyman a listen today. I recall much of it was on radio when released.
Thank you for all you do, Sal. Wishing you and yours a most wonderful new year!
Eric
Sometimes people make mistakes. For years, Ryan Adams behaved like a creep. He was exposed and "cancelled". He subsequently got clean and sober and sincerely apologized. And he has released some great music as well. Therefore, I'm fine with Ryan but most of the media aren't. He played a sold out show at Carnegie Hall attended by many women (I was there) back in May and I don't think it got a mention anywhere.
But by all means, let's celebrate a pedophile with a Broadway show.
And now Bill Cosby is planning to tour next year and sadly I feel his shows will sell out.
Enough of me being grumpy on New Years Eve. Time to spin Bruce's Only the Strong Survive LP and put a smile on my face
Here's to a healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2023. Let's go Mets!
I won't put on Clapton or Morrison on purpose but if a Cream song or "Into the Mystic" is in a playlist I happen to be listening to, I can't skip them. I'll never skip "Stranglehold". Carmen is still off Twitter for the time being so he doesn't piss me off as much as he did. I'll never skip a Raspberries song.
The above clowns and more (Ian Brown anybody?) allowed us to see who they are. Can you imagine how many other beloved artists who don't publicly express their views are out there that we might disagree with?
Save the essay for whenever it feels right. I don't get the same enjoyment when I listen to their music, but it's still great. I'll still play what I've already paid for, but I won't be buying anything else they release, or go to their shows, so that'll be my revenge.
I've read enough about the Woody Allen case after Dylan's NY Times article to believe that he's innocent. I passed on a few of his recent movies because they got bad reviews. The one I saw was strictly OK, a lot of talking. I forget the title.
Have a great 2023 and beyond, thanks for all the great music and writing. I hope things get more interesting and safe next year. 2022 wasn't as scary as the two previous years, just pretty boring overall.
Eric's comment above brought this home for me. I didn't even know about Ian Brown's kookbabbling, but now I do since I looked it up after Eric's reference to it. I still love whatever Clapton and Morrison music I've always loved, still think 'Rock N Roll Pt 2' kicks ass (tho I much prefer the version by SoCal punks DI), still think the Stone Roses debut is one of the best debut albums of all time, etc. I never cheated on my wife or girlfriends, and perhaps am the only dude I know who could say that, but I still love and like all the folks I know who did and do that. I don't like or love the above-named artists, because I don't know them. And I think they're dipshits for their positions, and think it's sad they feel the need to announce their ignorance and creepiness to the world. But none of their faults affects my perception of their music, for better or worse.
C in California
Here's the thing for me. Music is made by human beings, most of whom are screwups.
I believe if we knew about the stuff kept secret by entertainers, much more canceling would happen. We'd end up with very little to occupy our time.
I didn't know Eric Carmen is a Trumper. Is that going to stop me from enjoying Raspberries and his solo music? No. Being a deluded sheeple is his problem. I don't have to agree with his delusion to enjoy music he made long before the T**** madness began.
If I cut off everyone in my family, friends, and orbit because they have fallen for T****'s spiel, that would be a lot of people. I'd rather stay in touch to some degree.
To sum up, I'm not going to throw away my record collection based on the people who made the music. What I listen to is my decision, and that decision will be based on whether of not I dig the music or not, every time.
Post a Comment