Can you enjoy music by artists you dislike?

[Loony BoB]

Same for acting and actors/actresses, I suppose, or any other kind of creative art.

Example: I like certain songs by One Direction and Justin Bieber, but I dislike Justin Bieber and One Direction have done little to convince me they are lovely people.

I'm curious as to how many people can actually bring themselves to admit that. But I've had people listen to music and enjoy it, and then get told who sings it and basically go "Urgh, that song is ruined now, I hate it." That perplexes me to some extent. I think there are very few artists out there who I can abhor so much that I dislike songs just because they are sung by the artist. They would have to do something very wrong to warrant that kind of treatment.

Speaking of doing something very wrong - I suppose it'd be interesting to see if I can enjoy re-watching The Cosby Show someday. Something tells me I might not be able to. =[

[charliepanayi]

Well, I still like Roman Polanski films so...

Considering how many great musicans, actors etc have done unpleasant things to varying degrees, I think you'd go mad if you didn't separate the artist from the art to be honest.

[escobert]

no.

[Pumpkin]

Yeah, sure

[Jinx]

Do you mean on a personal level, or on an artistic level?

Because, no, I'm probably not going to enjoy something done by someone whose artistic talents I do not enjoy.

As for letting who they are as a person influence my decision? Nah. Most celebrities seem like shitty people. But I don't follow the tabloids, so I really don't care. Unless they've done something really, really bad (like, I'm probably never going to enjoy The Cosby Show again, or 7th Heaven after finding out the guy who plays the reverend is a child molester/rapist).

[charliepanayi]

As for letting who they are as a person influence my decision? Nah. Most celebrities seem like shitty people. But I don't follow the tabloids, so I really don't care. Unless they've done something really, really bad (like, I'm probably never going to enjoy The Cosby Show again, or 7th Heaven after finding out the guy who plays the reverend is a child molester/rapist).

I hope you're not a fan of Ferris Bueller's Day Off!

[Colonel Angus]

As for letting who they are as a person influence my decision? Nah. Most celebrities seem like troutty people. But I don't follow the tabloids, so I really don't care. Unless they've done something really, really bad (like, I'm probably never going to enjoy The Cosby Show again, or 7th Heaven after finding out the guy who plays the reverend is a child molester/rapist).

I hope you're not a fan of Ferris Bueller's Day Off!
What happened w/ that?

[charliepanayi]

Jeffrey Jones (who played Dean Rooney) got done for possessing child pornography, which pretty much ended his career.

[blackmage_nuke]

I can enjoy works by celebrities I dislike but if its someone I have a moral objection to I feel dirty if I pay for it.

[DMKA]

Certainly. As long as it sounds good and pleases me, I don't care who made it or how it was created.

It's the same for every other medium too. I think it's ridiculous when people say they're going to refuse to watch/read/listen to/play something because the creator did or said something they don't like. If it's not at all reflected in the work, and you like the work itself, why on earth do you care?

[Sephex]

Yeah I can. Usually I don't get super into music if the person/people annoy me or whatever.

[Ixtli]

No. I simply cannot.

[Wolf Kanno]

Certainly. As long as it sounds good and pleases me, I don't care who made it or how it was created.

It's the same for every other medium too. I think it's ridiculous when people say they're going to refuse to watch/read/listen to/play something because the creator did or said something they don't like. If it's not at all reflected in the work, and you like the work itself, why on earth do you care?

This pretty much sums up my view on the subject.

[Fox]

There's a simple test that I have for this:

Do you enjoy the Sixth Sense?

If yes, then you're capable of enjoying the work of the man who created 'The Last Airbender'. The disdain I feel towards him for that travesty (and others) is no small amount I assure you!

[Miriel]

Certainly. As long as it sounds good and pleases me, I don't care who made it or how it was created.

It's the same for every other medium too. I think it's ridiculous when people say they're going to refuse to watch/read/listen to/play something because the creator did or said something they don't like. If it's not at all reflected in the work, and you like the work itself, why on earth do you care?

I think it's ridiculous that even if you don't share the same views, that you are somehow incapable of understanding why OTHER PEOPLE might feel differently than you.

I can't listen to Chris Brown's music because as soon as one of his songs come on, I see in my head the image of Rihanna's bruised and battered face.

Is your mind really so single minded that you can force your brain to not branch off and think about the artist and the things you know about that artist? Because if so, that is an incredible talent, but one I do not share.

If I know that someone did some really shitty and fucked up things, that it's not like I can un-know that thing. It's going to be present in my mind when I think of that person and when some product of that person's talent is up for consumption. So I just can't be like, OH YEAH, THIS IS TOTALLY MY JAM! LET ME JUST NOT THINK ABOUT THE VIOLENCE AND MISOGYNY! DON'T THINK ABOUT DON'T THINK ABOUT IT JUST KEEP DANCING.

[Del Murder]

I don't scrutinize every thing a celebrity does, so if they have some bad moments I can still enjoy their work. But if they really went off the deep end (Mel Gibson) or did something truly horrible (Chris Brown, Michael Vick) then no I can't enjoy their stuff anymore.

[charliepanayi]

Certainly. As long as it sounds good and pleases me, I don't care who made it or how it was created.

It's the same for every other medium too. I think it's ridiculous when people say they're going to refuse to watch/read/listen to/play something because the creator did or said something they don't like. If it's not at all reflected in the work, and you like the work itself, why on earth do you care?

I think it's ridiculous that even if you don't share the same views, that you are somehow incapable of understanding why OTHER PEOPLE might feel differently than you.

I can't listen to Chris Brown's music because as soon as one of his songs come on, I see in my head the image of Rihanna's bruised and battered face.

Is your mind really so single minded that you can force your brain to not branch off and think about the artist and the things you know about that artist? Because if so, that is an incredible talent, but one I do not share.

If I know that someone did some really shitty and fucked up things, that it's not like I can un-know that thing. It's going to be present in my mind when I think of that person and when some product of that person's talent is up for consumption. So I just can't be like, OH YEAH, THIS IS TOTALLY MY JAM! LET ME JUST NOT THINK ABOUT THE VIOLENCE AND MISOGYNY! DON'T THINK ABOUT DON'T THINK ABOUT IT JUST KEEP DANCING.

That's fair enough. I don't listen to Chris Brown because his music is terrible. Miles Davis and James Brown made Chris Brown look like an angel, but I can happily listen to them.

[Old Manus]

I think most musicians I listen to are a bunch of tossers, but I have to listen to something. Sometimes there is a special case though. I'm unable to listen to Coldplay since Chris Martin climbed so far up his own bowels that he came out the other end.

[Karifean]

Sure I can.

[DMKA]

I think it's ridiculous that even if you don't share the same views, that you are somehow incapable of understanding why OTHER PEOPLE might feel differently than you.
Did I say I was incapable of understanding? No, I said I think it's ridiculous. Please don't put words in my mouth, k?


I can't listen to Chris Brown's music because as soon as one of his songs come on, I see in my head the image of Rihanna's bruised and battered face.
Then I'd recommend seeing a therapist. That would be like being incapable of eating split pea soup, because you couldn't do so without thinking of that scene in The Exorcist or being incapable of watching any of Robin William's films because you just can't stop envisioning him hanging in his closet. Sounds like a personal problem, if you ask me.


Is your mind really so single minded that you can force your brain to not branch off and think about the artist and the things you know about that artist? Because if so, that is an incredible talent, but one I do not share.
All you can think about is some secondary bulltrout about someone while completely ignoring and discrediting their entire body of work, reducing in to one thing they said or did?

And you're calling me "single mind minded"(whatever that means)? :p

As long as I'm entertained, I simply don't give a trout. I don't listen to music as a source of moral conditioning, or to emotionally support the people who made it, or any other bulltrout like that. I listen to it to be entertained.


If I know that someone did some really troutty and smurfed up things, that it's not like I can un-know that thing. It's going to be present in my mind when I think of that person and when some product of that person's talent is up for consumption. So I just can't be like, OH YEAH, THIS IS TOTALLY MY JAM! LET ME JUST NOT THINK ABOUT THE VIOLENCE AND MISOGYNY! DON'T THINK ABOUT DON'T THINK ABOUT IT JUST KEEP DANCING.

Then again, I can't recommended seeking therapy enough for such an issue. Or don't, it's your loss. I can't imagine how boring and dull life must be when you shut out any and all art that was made by someone you don't particularly like and when the very production behind a work, not even the work itself, offends you to the point of rejecting any and all enjoyment you may have drawn from it.

[Ayen]

Well, if I don't like them because of their music the obvious answer is no.

If I don't like them for something unrelated, chances are I'm not going to be looking for their music. We'll say I stumble upon it by accident. Yeah. I enjoy most songs without even know who made them or what genre they are. Unless the money was going to something that caused harm I wouldn't have the desire to boycott something.

[Del Murder]

I can't listen to Chris Brown's music because as soon as one of his songs come on, I see in my head the image of Rihanna's bruised and battered face.
Then I'd recommend seeing a therapist. That would be like being incapable of eating split pea soup, because you couldn't do so without thinking of that scene in The Exorcist or being incapable of watching any of Robin William's films because you just can't stop envisioning him hanging in his closet. Sounds like a personal problem, if you ask me.
There is a huge difference in hearing the music of someone guilty of a crime and remembering that crime and envisioning any negative thing associated with something. It's not a 'personal problem' to see the pain inflicted by an artist when you are consuming their art. Some people can ignore all that and just enjoy the entertainment, and some people are more empathetic. To ignore everything an artist has done when consuming their product, no matter how heinous, seems more narrow minded and in need of therapy than to actually take into consideration the person behind the work in addition to the work itself.

[Miriel]

I can't listen to Chris Brown's music because as soon as one of his songs come on, I see in my head the image of Rihanna's bruised and battered face.
Then I'd recommend seeing a therapist. That would be like being incapable of eating split pea soup, because you couldn't do so without thinking of that scene in The Exorcist or being incapable of watching any of Robin William's films because you just can't stop envisioning him hanging in his closet. Sounds like a personal problem, if you ask me.
.

Can you really not see the difference between something like, oh, I don't know, the rape of a child or the rape of multiple women with something you may have seen in a movie one time which is fictional? Really?

Some people are able to totally compartmentalize, or able to separate their enjoyment of someone's work with knowledge they have about that person. But to suggest that someone needs therapy because they happen to think of associated crimes with an artist is such total complete BULL.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I generally separate the personal life of the artist and the work pretty much. Usually it's just because I don't know anything about the people though. For instance, ender's game and speaker for the dead are some of my favorite books despite Card's views. The books generally go against his views too, which I find interesting. I kind of want to read the rest of his work just to see if it holds true for the rest of it, which might prompt me to write some literary analysis of his stuff. Really, thats the only example I can think of at the moment that I know with regards to stuff I read/watch/listen to.

[Psychotic]

This thread is kind of getting off course and heated, let's cool it down a bit and get back on topic.

[Pike]

I find it difficult to like or dislike musical artists because I pay attention to the song more than anything and know diddly squat about most of the musicians themselves. Apologies to any musicians who are actually great people! I know nothin' about you though! But you have a good voice!

[Jessweeee♪]

Sometimes, it really depends on what it is I dislike about the artist! If it's really misogynist stuff for example, I have a hard time not taking that personally and separating it from their music. I'm really into supporting the local music scene, my town has some nice talent, but I have met some of them only to find out that they are jerks, and then still jammed out to their CDs in my car.

[Shiny]

I still like the Cosby Show and some Mel Gibson films...I'm sure the same can apply to music. The truth of the matter is those music tends to be more of an extension of the person than films especially when based on fiction are. It's hard for me to separate the two. When I hear Chris Brown signing about "hoes" and then "loving"I just see all the contraction to this and then also imagine Rihanna's face bashed in. His full of shit.

[Formalhaut]

I don't scrutinize every thing a celebrity does, so if they have some bad moments I can still enjoy their work. But if they really went off the deep end (Mel Gibson) or did something truly horrible (Chris Brown, Michael Vick) then no I can't enjoy their stuff anymore.

This pretty much sums up where I stand also. Chris Brown is one of those artists who I just can't bear to look at, to be honest. That's not to say that a musician can't have a dodgy moment, heck, most celebrities do, but if you do something so bad and to have little or no remorse, then I'd have a real hard time swallowing their work.

Then you have to consider the work itself. Take 'Blurred Lines'. I'm sure Thicke is a decent enough guy, but I really dislike Blurred Lines due to objectification and whatnot. That's nothing to do with the artist (though, admittedly, it would color my impression of him slightly), the song itself is questionable.