pixie - // Two things, Andy, I think...
Firstly, what is the purpose of a statue, rather than a stadium? Surely, a statue is there purely for the purpose of celebrating a person? I wouldn't "censor" a person, but have no problem in cancelling statues. They have no aim or purpose, except to say this person deserves praise. //
My point about using destruction of stadium as an example, is simply to illustrate my point, that if we sanction the destruction of a statue based on one person's need to advise everyone that he objects to it by destroying it, then where do we draw the line?
Statues, stadiums, the subject is not the issue, it is the attitude and the sanctioning of behaviour that is the problem.
//Secondly, and I know you'll correct me if necessary. I think, because your work involves a lot of analysing music- to some degree, you have to be objective, whether you personally like it or not?
Where, I have the luxury of purely going with personal feelings, in what I decide to listen to. //
I can see what you mean, but that's not how it works.
I do analyse music critically, which can be music that I don't like.
But obviously I have my own personal tastes and artists whose work I enjoy and collect, and the two operate together.
My view on separating the art from the artist is not governed by my liking, or disliking it, simply that I feel that for me, one does not intrude on the other, and of course I accept that other people, yourself included, feel the opposite.
Where I have a problem, is the uneven application of the approach to art versus the artist.
Radio Two bans Gary Glitter records because he is an abuser, but Radio Three plays Wagner, even though he was a raving Nazi and gleeful anti-Semite.
And as debated directly on here, the BBC - responsible for the dichotomy I have outlined, have the statue of a self-acknowledged child abuser decorating one of its buildings.
If we are going to censor art because of the artist, we have a long and difficult road ahead - judging what behaviour of which artists crosses the line into an area where we 'cancel' their output.
And who makes those decisions?