Makes it easier to feel inspired or invigorated by works by people who are later revealed to have done awful things. The work served you once—but it’s merely a single brick in your foundation.
people talk a lot about “separating the art from the artist” but if the only alternative is converting every artist into a public brand, disentangling the two is the only way to keep people from using success to hurt people and it’s also the only way to stay sane
I also think about Greil Marcus on Van Morrison. Art happens between people, and while you can't erase either end of that connection, something happens in that can't be narrowed down to the sum of both of them www.theguardian.com/books/2010/j...
I’ve always been kind of glad I unwittingly, in my youth, gravitated to some artists who were absolute scumbags in their personal lives so I could learn early to get attached to the meal & not the chef. There are some where it still ruined the meal for good but that’s a personal call for everyone.
