WOS this creepy John Mayer song.
Boyfriends be good to your girlfriends -- start with the man in the mirror, JM.
I suspect that if we listened only to the music of those without any moral failings, or who had
no vices of which we disapproved, it would be a very quiet world indeed.
I am generally not a "fan" of musicians, in the sense that I don't care a bit about what they
eat for breakfast or which brand of toothpaste they use. Such things don't interest me.
Someone would have to be quite a heinous monster before I would refuse to listen to their
music for that reason, as opposed to simply not liking it.
I remember taking (not finishing!) a course on literary criticism at UC back in 71-72 (whenever "American Pie" was on the radio.) It's always a question of how to interpret art. Does it matter what the artist meant? Does it matter what the social implications are? Do we use knowledge of the artist to judge the art? Ultimately, to what extent does (or can) the art stand by itself?
These are not the only guidelines, nor do I believe the issues are settled, but yes, I do think we react to music with more than a musical point-of-view. Not a newsflash, just felt like saying that.
Apparently a certain amount of ink has been spent detailing that Mr. Mayer has, at times, been
something of a jerk towards the women he has dated. Despite not having seen any of it, even
that simple fact has penetrated my cloak of indifference. I strongly suspect that, regardless of
whether the coverage has been equivalent, some of these women occasionally have been
bitches towards Mr. Mayer. I think most of us have been there at one time or another. What
I have trouble imagining is what it would be like to have to learn my lessons in life with an
audience of literally tens of millions of people, complete with photographers and self-appointed
scribes. That doesn't necessarily excuse his behavior, however I am willing to grant considerably
more leeway, particularly since the Greek chorus has a vested interest in there being something
attention-grabbing to sing about. Uneventful lives make for dull copy and don't sell as many
magazines.
I think it is possible for artists to transmit a lesson even if they don't exemplify it, understand it,
or even intend it. I believe that art is primarily about its impact on those who experience it --
does it touch them or move them, and if so, how? In particular, I tend to take music at face
value, judging it on how it makes me feel or what it makes me think about when I listen to it.
Maybe that's what the artist intended, or maybe not. A lot of times when I read about the
creation of a song and what the musician was attempting to accomplish (if anything), I find it
strikingly different from what I got out of their work. Learning about their process is often
interesting, but it rarely adds to my appreciation.
