11

As a songwriter and someone who believes songs possess extraordinary healing power, I am saddened by the thought that songs by arguably the greatest lyricist of his generation – songs like ‘This Charming Man’, ‘Reel Around the Fountain’ – are consigned to the moral dustbin by those who feel they have been tainted by his current political posturing. I respect and understand why people respond in this way, but can’t help but feel it is of significant personal loss to them.

12

Perhaps it is better to simply let Morrissey have his views, challenge them when and wherever possible, but allow his music to live on, bearing in mind we are all conflicted individuals – messy, flawed and prone to lunacies. We should thank God that there are some among us that create works of beauty beyond anything most of us can barely imagine, even as some of those same people fall prey to regressive and dangerous belief systems.

Love, Nick

https://www.theredhandfiles.com/views-on-morrissey/

13

^^^ #CoSoMusic

@TheAbbotTrithemius
I don't think these kinds of things are black and white. Lots of people who have created beautiful art also were abusive to their romantic partners. Michael Jackson sexually abused kids, leveraging his clean-cut image to get access. Many of their bad behaviors or utterances resulted from pain in the own upbringing.

To me it would depend how influential/damaging their ideas are and how much my money would be funding their activism.

And whether they're dead.

@EileenKCarpenter

Well I understand that, but this isn't about activism. It's about art, creativity and the imagination.

If an artist is consciously politicizing something for an activist stance it's already way beyond the realm of those things.

I don't think MJ was being an activist in any way...also he was just as much a damaged victim as anything else it would seem to me.

Anyhow it doesn't really have much to do with his music or art IMHO.

@TheAbbotTrithemius
Let's just say that even if he were to my taste, I wouldn't pay for any of Ted Nugent's music, or even listen to it on an advertising-supported free site.

Cat Stevens, on the other hand, got caught saying something abhorrent by a reporter who asked him a question he wasn't prepared to answer, not because he was running around promoting a fatwa against Salman Rushdie.