Would you?
[Edited 3/30/05 19:41pm]

I would be the same way about Prince as I am about Michael Jackson. I've started to wonder about his innocence and am leaning more into thinking he's guilty. That still hasn't changed my opinion of his music. I also still loved Michael Jackson's music even after he started looking like Michael Myers from "Halloween".
[Edited 3/30/05 19:52pm]

what kinda scandal?

michael jackson/rkelly sex scandal
rick james crack pipe scandal
oj kill ya wife scandal
?????

Moonwalkbjrain said:

Each of those scenarios.

I would still be a fan of his music. I don't know how often I would listen to it, though. I'm not a really big Michael fan, but I've always liked his music. Now, whenever I hear it, I think of what he has become, and it makes me sad. If hearing Prince always made me sad, I don't think I'd wanna hear it too much. I'm prone to sadness without encouragement.

i dunno. i still like woody allen as a humorist and a director, even though i'm not really crazy about all that soon-yi stuff, not to mention i think the effect on mia farrow had to be so amazingly traumatic...and having always admired mia's acting, that factors in too, certainly.

but in the long run, woody allen's life decisions and his art are two different creatures to me. same with roman polanski - 'the pianist' was an amazing film.

i guess if prince did something that i found ideologically offensive, i'd probably have to reconsider things. i used to be a big fan of fishbone till they started putting all kinds of homophobic messages in their music...eventually i just got fed up and sold all my fishbone albums, which sucks cuz i really really really liked 'truth & soul'. but i don't like paying money to buy a product with content designed to alienate me. eff that.

sitruk7 said:

ok..well i would probly almost definately stop listenin 2 his music so much if it were the first one..thats how i do rkelly..i don't really listen 2 his shit unless its unavoidable.

the second one...maybe

the third one is same as the first..thats 2 cold blooded 4 me

i would however still respect his music and legacy but not the man

"...i still like woody allen as a humorist and a director, even though i'm not really crazy about all that soon-yi stuff, not to mention i think the effect on mia farrow had to be so amazingly traumatic."

I thought about the Woody Allen thing. How come the cops didn't come when he hooked up with his underage (adopted) daughter? Not that it is exactly what is allegedly goin' on w/MJ, but it speaks volumes about how this country regards women and homosexuality. I mean, did anything really happen to R. Kelly? Shit, they had video of that. I think that MJ is a much more easier target, some people still think it's more acceptable with underage girls, and that the whole homosexuality of the accusations make it more scandalous.

Now, back to the question at hand. If Prince was involved with a huge scandal, it would (as it has with MJ) taint the music. Everytime I listen to MJ's songs it is tainted by what is going on. The focus is drawn away from the art. That might be the biggest tragedy of all, and I am glad Prince has kept (relatively) clean.

skywalker said:

Exactly.

if you learn to separate the person from the art, then it shouldn't be so bothersome. i'd probably still listen to p but i'd definitely look at him in a different light.

Depending on how serious the scandal is, I'd be a fan of the music but not of the man.

Same here.

sitruk7 said:

I'd kick his butt the same way he did Apples

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Unfortunately (or fortunately) this isn't so easy to do. Unlike, a Picasso hanging on the wall, MJ's music and Prince's music inevitably conjur up images of the artist dancing to or performing their music.

When you view a Picasso you don't immediately think of Picasso's face and him painting the picture. Prince and Mj are both as visual as they are auditory. Meaning, when a person listens to "thriller" they most likely are going to picture the video, the monsters, etc. Prince and MJ both have killer imagery that goes with the music. They weren't just selling us their music, through their videos, concerts, posters, etc, they were selling themselves. "Purple Rain" was Prince promoting his whole persona, and that purple world of his. Furthermore, both of Prince's and MJ's songs are often of a personal nature.

I am not saying that we should be obsessed (or even mildly interested in) their personal lives. I am not the kind of person who gives two shits who Prince is dating.I am not into the gossip sheets or tabloids. However, for the last 20 years or more both Prince and Mj have not just been promoting their music as their art, they have been promoting their faces, performances, and personas as their art. Their personalities and their art have been tied together.

That is one of the reasons their art has touched so many people, and that is why a scandal of this magnitude taints the art. Prince's music thrives because he has put so much of himself into it---he is forever tied to it. Same with MJ. So don't try to tell me that MJ's latest scandal only affects his art because I am too into his personal life. I could care less. I used to rock to P.Y.T. and now it is ruined for me. Pretty Young Thing. Now when I hear "Billie Jean" I think, "Damn, it be better for Mike if the kid WAS her son."

Not n2 the tabloids, hey Skywalker?
Yet u've CONvicted him already.

love

skywalker said:

it might be that way for you, but it ain't the same for me.

I can understand where you're coming from Skywalker. I couldn't care less about MJ or his trial and tribulations so when I heard "Beat It" the other day, I was sadden to realize how this whole mess has tainted his art.

I wasn't sure if I should be amused by all the funny anecdotes I came up with or just frightened, so I turned the song off and truly don't want to hear it again.

Even if he's found not-guilty the damage has already been done and I'll never be able to hear the music the same way as before.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Ahem. Was this meant to be funny?

i'd hate to see what art would be like today if art was judged by the personal lives of the artists. i guess bob ross would be considered a modern master or something.

Like if the princess was only 16?

Or being in the studio with Kim & a jar of honey?

No I wouldn't be a fan.

Yes.

vainandy said:

yeah,id probally still listen 2 it but id look at him...SO DIFFERENT

"Not n2 the tabloids, hey Skywalker?
Yet u've CONvicted him already."

Did I say I thought he was guilty??? Not at all. I think the prosecution has a weak case and that Mj is gonna walk. I am just saying that this scandal (whether MJ has done it or not) has further damaged his rep and tainted his art.I'd like to believe he didn't do it, but the truth is I don't know. Innocent until proven guilty.


"i'd hate to see what art would be like today if art was judged by the personal lives of the artists. i guess bob ross would be considered a modern master or something."

I am not saying art should be judged by people's personal lives. I don't judge Salinger's work because of his personal life, nor Spielberg's movies due to his.
However, with MJ and Prince (to name a few) they often tie in their image, persona, etc with their art.




"It might be that way for you, but it ain't the same for me."

So you are saying that, for you, MJ's art exists in a vacuum? You listen to his music and in your mind's eye you don't picture him dancing or recall the video (ie his image)? You hear Billie Jean and don't see him doing the moonwalk?

Do you listen to "dirty mind" and not picture the bikini briefs and trench coat?

All I am saying is that this scandal with MJ taints his art. "billie jean" is no longer just tied to lighting up street tiles with your footsteps and turning out Motown 25. It's now the anthem for every MJ joke Jay Leno does. MJ's scandal has tainted his art. Sad, but true.

A scandal? Would I still be a fan? HELL YES!!! (And Prince does not have Jacko's Peter Pan fantasy with boys).

skywalker said:

exactement. like i said: separate the person and their life from their art, and you're cool. when i listen to music, i don't visualize the artist. that's a waste of time.

Part of the reason we're fascinated by celebrities is that we don't really know what they're like, we only know their images. It's probably for the best most of the time. Not many great artists or great achievers have been revealed to be great people as well. They excel in one area, and they're human in the rest. Great people often don't excel in any other area and we've never heard of them.

skywalker said:

U said as much when u said, "I used to rock to P.Y.T. and now it is ruined for me."
If u didn't think he was guilty, y is Pretty Young Thing now ruined 4 u?

love

I basically hate the shit of out Prince, but will buy every album that bitch puts out for the rest of my life.