Guy Pratt ... Pretentious? Moi?

[blagden]

Guy Pratt is a great musician. Not a fan of his politics, though.

Don't get the relevance of his political preferences.

Really? Oh dear.

He's a bass player in a rock n roll band, does it make him a worse musician or worse person because he doesn't share your personal political views? Do creative, inventive, responsible and innovative people who make music have to have leftish and pro-brexit views as a default position? I'm one and I don't?

The thing I find really odd about this whole debate is that actually his political position is about as middle of the road as you can possibly get.  

Agreed but my point is should any of this matter or is the default position that as a musician you have to leftish or/and pro brexit views or be subject to some of the comments above - should we not be a bit more inclusive than this?

[davidmjs]

Agreed but my point is should any of this matter or is the default position that as a musician you have to leftish or/and pro brexit views or be subject to some of the comments above - should we not be a bit more inclusive than this?

I normally try and stick to the 'love the art, not the artist' maxim (my favourite artist is Eric Gill ffs), but that does fall by the wayside, sometimes.  Put it this way, I won't be buying any new Ian Brown or Morrissey product...  

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

I really don't care about people's political views - if I like their music/art/writings/films I like it. Period. My only intolerance is for people like Gary Glitter and Ian Watkins (Lost Prophets). Other than that I'll happily listen to Ted Nugent one minute and The Levellers the next...  

Politics is just opinions (example "Guy Pratt is a bit pretentious"!!) I believe true tolerance means we accept others as they are, whatever their views.  Question them, of course. Discuss them, try to change their mind, but don't cancel them!

[Andy]

It's a real problem for me, sometimes. Do I like Eric Gill's work? Yes. Do I like the more controversial aspects of his life? No.

Similarly, I have problems with philanthropists who were also slave traders. Not in favour of having statues put up to them. Taking them down or adding plaques with information on their misdeeds is, in my mind, appropriate.

Michael Jackson, Gary Glitter, Benjamin Britten, Jonathan King, all had inappropriate relationships (not to mention immoral). Rolf Harris, Jimmy Saville, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and Chuck Berry have all produced work that I enjoyed at the time. Do their misdeeds tarnish their work? I'd say so.

It's an awful dilemma.

(...and no, I'm not being "holier than thou", at least, not intentionally)

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

I agree Andy it is a dilemma. I was at many a party in the 80's when we happily stomped along to a Gary Glitter number. Only a decade or so ago I sang at the Albert Hall with an all-star cast including Rolf, who managed to touch most of us girls inappropriately - one even laughed it off remarking "most of these old showbusiness-types are like that - dirty old men" as an excuse for his behaviour!

Re the statues, I believe most of them were erected because of their philanthropic work building theatres, schools, libraries etc not to celebrate their use of slaves. That needs to be made clear with a plaque or similar information board. Great to see Wales is to have a statue of Betty Campbell MBE, Wales' first black head teacher She was a local hero when I was growing up!