Can I Still Like Michael Jackson?

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Okay, so I was thinking more about my mix tape list of falsetto singers and how I declined to include Michael Jackson. While it's great to celebrate the former king of pop (who just turned 50 BTW), I ultimately didn't include him because, as a new dad, I find the way he invited children over to sleep in bed with him to be creepy, at best -- criminal, at worst.

But does that mean "Billy Jean" is still not a great song or that you should deny that it's an even cooler video? What about his work when he was even younger, like "Human Nature?" Surely he wasn't doing anything weird back then (that we know of). I mean, I can still enjoy The Jackson 5, right? When listening to that great song "ABC" that's so catchy, should I feel guilty about what he did later as an adult? He was just a kid when he sang that, so I think that should probably still be kosher.

What about that Gary Glitter song "Rock and Roll Part 2"? It's a known fact that he's a convicted paedophile, but sometimes that one side of my brain that's very aware of that forgets to tell the other side that gets the song stuck in my head. I find myself tapping along to catchy tunes such as these -- but should I separate the song from what the singer does in their personal life?

When thinking about this topic, the band Milli Vanilli comes to mind as well.

Now I clearly remember a time back in elementary school when a sizable contingent of my class saw Milli Vanilli in concert and said they had an amazing time. But when it came out that they were frauds, it wasn't just Rob and Fab who became big losers, but their song ""Blame it on the Rain" took a hit as well. Hey, I slowed danced to that song! Nowadays, you almost never hear it on the radio, which is a shame.

This really goes to a larger idea of whether it's possible to like a piece of art, but have issues with the artist.

That's one of the themes that came up in a movie I recently watched with my wife, "My Kid Could Paint That" about a 5-year-old girl who may or may not have painted great masterpieces. My wife and I debated afterward whether or not a piece of art can stand on its own or if the artist's biography is inextricably linked to our ability to appreciate the work -- be it a piece of music, a movie, or paint on a canvas.

I've thought about this artist and art connection, and here's my two cents, for what it's worth. For me, art has to work on multiple levels.

One: It has to be aesthetically pleasing on some level -- without any explanation you have to just like the song or the sculpture, or whatever the piece of art is. I think you need to connect to it emotionally.

Two: It can be enhanced by the artist's biography, but not necessarily detracted by it. There's a certain idea that once an artist has created a piece of work that it no longer belongs to them but to the people who are interpreting it. This was noted by Chris Difford from the band Squeeze when I interviewed him for my upcoming podcast on making the perfect mix tape. But I still think knowing the background of an artist can give you a deeper appreciation for their work. For me, learning the fact that Keith Haring was a gay man who died from AIDS makes me view his work in a much more complex way.

Three: Negative parts of a creator's biography can decrease your interest in their work but only when it outweighs your aesthetic like of the work. This means that I have to factor in how Jackson Pollock was an alcoholic and not the greatest husband when I look at his drip paintings. Or similiarly, that I sometimes think about Jerry Lee Lewis marrying his 13-year-old cousin once removed when I listen to "Great Balls of Fire". Does it ruin the song or the painting for me? Not really, but I think I liked those things better before I knew that information.

In the end it's a choice everyone has to make for themselves. When it comes to Michael Jackson I think it's completely reasonable to set your own demarcation point as to when you can stop liking his music. For me it's anything after "Bad," partly because his personal actions seemed stranger after that album, but also because I don't want to have to give up belting out those words: DIRTY Die-anne-NUH!

9:46 PM ET | 09- 3-2008 | permalink

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