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Recently I wrote that we should not separate the art from the artist — that is to say if the artist is a morally bankrupt monster, then we shouldn’t continue to consume their art despite it. There are plenty of artists out there who aren’t abusers who we can enjoy instead.
But it’s easy to say it. What I wanted to know is: could I live it?
I’ve already long purged my (rarely used) DVD collection, saying so long to Woody Allen’s films and anything with Kevin Spacey, among others.
That was easy. I don’t often watch the same film more than maybe a couple of times. But my music collection would be very different.
Music has always meant a lot to me. As a teenager, discovering the likes of Radiohead, R.E.M. and Bob Dylan was like discovering prayer. In those days, much of my time was taken up with reading with my headphones on.
So now, decades later, will I be able to say goodbye to the artists and albums I love? I know plenty will still survive the cull, but not everything will. Saying goodbye to some is like saying goodbye to parts of my life.
My music collection got digitised a few years ago which made this easier from a logistical perspective — a simple press of “delete”…
