tbh, IMHO, the problem is not that these artists have these, to some, objectionable, viewpoints… I’m sure we all have some opinions that others might take offense at. No the issues are they a) have a platform to spread these wacky/offensive/objectionable ideas and b) they think because they’re ‘artists’ they must be more intelligent than and everyone else so they’re must be 100% in the right.
However, in hind sight, isn’t this what social media is all about?
Never meet your heroes just love their art
Yeah, fer sure. My respect for the musician definitely affects my thoughts on their music.
Not forgotten. I am a huge admirer of Clapton the musician. One of the very few white artists who both genuinely understand and and can play black music forms. He was and is accepted as a peer by musicians of the stature of B.B. King and Buddy Guy. He also pretty much helped reggae break through to a mainstream audience in the UK by covering I Shot The Sheriff. I find it therefore a complete mystery as to how he can hold such odious views on race. It genuinely saddens me and is one of the strongest examples where I have to completely disregard my opinion of him as a person when enjoying his music. Moreover, he maintained for over forty years that he was right in what he said, refusing to recant or apologise. He made a half-hearted apology of sorts a couple of years ago, but even then it was all about him; how much pain he had been in and how f*cked up he’d been on booze and scag. Until he states unequivocally that what he said was wrong, obscenely offensive and caused great hurt to those it was directed against and that he deeply regrets his behaviour, I won’t ever be able to forget his racism.
I’ve been a huge fan of Matt Johnson and The The’s music for nearly 40 years. I always thought he was quite worldly-wise and one of life’s good guys. That being the case it is bitterly disappointing to see his twitter feed full of retweets of anti-vax and Covid hoax conspiracy theorists and nutters.
Likewise Van the Man, who incidentally appeared on stage with Clapton on the night of the infamous Birmingham gig, and continued to tour with him thereafter. I was disappointed to discover that.
However I wasn’t particularly disappointed to learn of Morrison’s promotion of anti-lockdown propaganda, as he’s a figure I look to for spiritually uplifting music rather than any progressive political message.
So if Adolf Hitler was an amazing musician and made fantastic music…
It isn’t actually. Chris Blackwell made a conscious effort to market Bob Marley & The Wailers by making them more palatable to a western rock audience, i.e. as album artists featuring guitar solos. He achieved moderate success but it wasn’t until Clapton scored a top ten hit with Sheriff in 1974 that mainstream, daytime U.K. radio audiences got their first real taste of reggae. Yes, Millie Small and The Beatles execrable Obli Di, Obli Da predated it, but because it was Clapton, white rock fans, who ordinarily would have been either unaware of or uninterested in reggae, started giving it a hearing and became more receptive to the idea of Marley & The Wailers as artists that could sit alongside their Clapton, Allman Bros and Delaney & Bonnie albums. Sure, mods and skinheads would have been well acquainted with ska and early reggae prior to that but it was very much a cult and the preserve of West Indian immigrants and those youth cults attracted to West Indian and U.S. Soul culture.
That’s not what I’m suggesting. And the patronising and racism lies in the fact that Blackwell felt he had to dilute reggae and ‘rockify’ it before he believed it would sell to a white audience. Ok you don’t like Clapton, I get that. But you’re confusing your personal dislike of him with the fact that he was part of a musical movement who popularised black music by bringing it to a white audience.
Then it would be highly unlikely that he would have done what he did.
There are a few I used to like but seeing, for example, interviews etc, have put me right off. Their music is still part of my collection but is unlikely to get airtime.
All the more reason not to read about these so called ‘stars’, or watch vapid documentaries where their, generally speaking, uninformed opinions are sought and fawned over! I have next to no interest in the politics, sex lives, spending habits or drug / alcohol consumption of any musicians - I just listen to their music. Strange, eh?
I’m really conflicted about Clapton. I have loved his music for years but then learned about his utterly unacceptable racism from Dreadatthecontrols whose opinions I respect. I’m at a loss to reconcile my feelings about this. Should I bin all his records Dread? Oh, by the way, I have Mikey Dread’s DATC arriving today, can’t wait.
No, you shouldn’t bin his records, if you still enjoy the music. It won’t change him and only you will lose out.
It’s like being a vegetarian, fine, but it won’t eliminate dreadful animal farming and slaughter.
I adore The Who and Townshends solo work.I didn’t bin it all after he got in the mire for his research. I’ve seen hundreds of interviews with him, particularly early ones and he is/was a belligerent self centred idiot at times. Still a musical icon to me. He did seem to become more humble post caution…funny that.
Yes you’re right to be conflicted. We’re contradictory creatures, capable of producing great art but also capable of producing the hydrogen bomb. If we only accept art that was made by those whose opinions and views coincide with our own, we become more narrow minded and less rounded critical thinkers (there are the obvious exceptions, i.e. those who have embraced fascism). Ezra Pound held deeply unpleasant views. Evelyn Waugh and T. S. Eliot were by no means progressive in their political outlook, but this does not mean that Brideshead Revisited or The Waste Land are amongst the very greatest cultural achievements.
Clapton’s racism was extreme, and was and is wholly objectionable, and truly mystifying as he has an obvious deep and abiding love of black music. Yet he remains one of the most important figures in popularising blues music and bringing it to a much wider audience than it ever had prior to the sixties blues boom. It’s not always a comfortable situation but I love his music whilst having a low opinion of the man.
I don’t like Claptons politics or his music particularly. I was a fan of John Mayall’s Blues Breakers and Cream but after that I found Clapton average and bland. I certainly didn’t need him to murder I Shot the Sheriff to discover reggae.
Hi Shep,
I’ve no time for this thread and have deleted my posts from it, I stumbled on it by accident and frankly some of the apologist comments I cant stomach and have no time for, not to mention the misinformation and exaggerated and patronising claims re Clapton and Reggae.
No, I’ve replied to you as you mention Dread At The Controls. Caveat emptor if buying CD or listening to streams.
The best way to hear Mikey Dread is on the original vinyl. Most CD reissues and digital files were released posthumously and may have dubious probity and or have been messed with. For example the classic World War III album on CD ( not to be confused with Beyond World War III which is a slightly different album) has been oddly remixed in places with a totally unnecessary and obtrusive DATC radio style jingle over it.
I recently listened to Dread At The Controls on Tidal which sounded ok-ish but not a touch on the original LP which can probably be found for reasonable money. I also listened to Mikey Dread At The Control Dubwise on Tidal which sounded terrible.
Anyway, I wont be responding further to this thread but as always happy to correspond via the Reggae thread.
Bless up!
I met Mikey Dead in the early 80’s at the BBC Manchester - nice man and there’s a signed copy of ‘Pave the way’ in my rack of LP’s. I find it sad that many of the artists I photographed are no longer with us. Mikey Dread Gregory Isaacs James Brown Nina Simone Prince. All gone to the studio in the sky…bit amazed Lee Perry (but pleased!) is still here
I think some artists are truly beyond the pale. So I haven’t played a Gary Glitter Greatest Hits LP in, what, 40 years? I liked it before reading about what a b******* he was, but even the odd cover version makes me feel a little queasy now.
When it comes to Paedophiles and rapists 100% MJ, Gary Glitter and R Kelly are three I just can’t hear anymore.