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Thea Wood's avatar

My husband and I frequently discuss the dilemma of listening to artists who do bad things or financially and/or publicly support politicians we find repulsive. We sacrifice listening to their songs— there are too many other gifted artists out there who align with our values. I don’t judge those who choose to listen to those artists. Hell, my son listens to rap artists and lyrics that I can’t stand. But that’s his decision, and he’s a kind, thoughtful young man. It’s a conundrum.

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Dave Bigalot's avatar

It is a conundrum. I especially get stuck on a situation where an artist wrote songs about normal or innocent subjects, and was presumably a decent person at that time, then later in life went on to do or say terrible things. The song captures a moment in time, which in itself might not be problematic, but the artist moves through time and changes. I have no idea how to feel. But drawing the line at monetary support has been a good practical answer in most cases

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Dan Pal's avatar

Very well said Dave! Sometimes what we like about certain songs or albums has nothing to do with the artist. It could be the production, chords, a couple of lines, etc. We connect to what we connect to!

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Dave Bigalot's avatar

Exactly! I’d love to know what elements make me love a song so I could search based on those, but it’s impossible to know even in my own head

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