i wrote a thing about Ariel Pink. but it’s more of a wrestling match with the cognitive dissonance that comes with enjoying music that’s made by gross people. kinda a “separating the art from the artist” thing, kinda not. bound to inspire some negativity from some, but the goal is to explore this weird dynamic that happens between art and artist and fan in an open, cordial way.
I’ve always thought “separate the art from the artist” should be a conversation, not a hard and fast rule. I’ve never heard White Freckles so I don’t really have an opinion on this. But if the track is meaningful and brings beauty to people’s lives, that’s valid despite the artist being a piece of shit.
There are some artists where I feel the artist’s behaviour does not outweigh the impact of their work on my life, for example Eric Clapton, but there are other artists where I feel their work stands up despite the artist’s actions (Prince, David Bowie).