Yes - it's time this week to nominate the things you think life would be better off without.
The rules:
- If you've lived under a rock and are not sure what Room 101 is, see here.
- One person, one nomination. Nominate by commenting on this thread.
- No grievance too big or too small.
- But, at the risk of stating the obvious, no hate speech.
- Explain your choice - persuade us.
- Bring the funny.
- And feel free to comment on other people's nominations.
Throughout the coming week on the blog there'll be some long-form nominations for Room 101 from guest posters as well, so keep an eye out for fresh updates.
And get nominating!
Recent posts about racism have gotten me thinking - can you separate an artist's disagreeable politics from their music? I mean really?
I am calling the idea that you can do this the Wagner Defence, after the classical music canon's favourite anti-semite, Richard Wagner.
Most journalism about him walks the line between acknowledging his greatness and acknowledging that politically speaking his beliefs are beyond the pale. So, how does he get away with it?
Granted, there's at least some historical perspective applied in the case of Wagner: there was a lot of racism in the nineteenth century, to put it mildly, and the pantheon of pre-twentieth century greats would start to look a little empty if contemporary standards were applied retroactively in full. And it's not his fault that he was sanctified posthumously by Nazi Germany.
But in Wagner's case, there's a more troubling argument: that someone's artistic contribution can outweigh any consideration of their politics - however reprehensible.
So, what do you think is the appropriate response to all of this on the part of the listener?
How does this relate to contemporary debates about, say, metal artists who make racist statements, homophobic reggae singers, church burners, left-wing revolutionaries - think of John and Yoko backing Mao?
Or, one level down, American country singers advocating violent reprisal after 9/11? British metal bands toying with cultural nationalism by way of re-appropriating our history?
I believe music appreciation has to acknowledge the latent unity of the artist's life, beliefs and work.
- Unity, because no
piece of art or music can be separated from its context, as expressed by its maker and known by the recipient.
- Latent, acknowledging that this context may not be fully known to the recipient, and an musician's views may also be only to varying degrees manifest in their work
In other words, I don't believe in letting artists of the hook for their politics, but I acknowledge that it's more complicated than at first sight.
So, what's the most appropriate response in these situations? And how we do we make sure that modern-day Wagners don't get a cheaper pass than they deserve?
Over to you.
