Whether the politics of an artist prevents me from enjoying his or her art depends upon the artist.

For example, the artist Pablo Picasso was also a communist. Even though the ideology of communism is repugnant to me, I have always loved Picasso's mural titled Guernica. I remember seeing it many times as a child, and being moved by it, back when New York's Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art still had possession of the work.

Guernica is a politically inspired work of art. Picasso was inspired to paint it not only on account of Germany's brutal bombing of that little town, but also on account of his sympathies with Spain's Republican (Communist) forces during the Spanish Civil War.

But this painting nevertheless presents a universal truth about the brutality of war. Whatever your politics (and even if you don't have an appreciation for cubism) you might still be moved by Guernica.

And that's pretty much how I distinguish a great artist from a good (or mediocre) artist. Because the work of a good (or mediocre) artist is for a specific group of people. I include government-funded civic art in this category, as well as private art blatantly intended to appeal to a partisan mentality.

That's not to say that any of that is "bad" art. If you don't like it, then the art is not for you.

But I think that the work of a great artist is for no specific group of people, and can be appreciated and interpreted on multiple levels by many people. You still may not appreciate the art and, again, that doesn't make it "bad" art. It only means that the art isn't for you.

-- Nephele

You bring up a very good point which I touched on earlier:

An artist can believe in all kinds of crazy shit in his 'off time'. Ezra Pound was a dedicated Fascist [was almost hanged for it after the war], and, as you pointed out, Picasso was a communist [even very Stalinist], but their best work, the work they'll really be remembered for, exists in a world that their lesser selves can't touch, the world of the imagination.

A bands political views usually don't bother me unless either a) I find them completely abbhorrennt such as racism and homophobia or b) they are extremely preachy. (This can bother me even if I agree with their political views)

The second resaon is one of the things that drove me away from the current punk scene around the mid 2000's, some of the more well known bands got way too preachy in their music video's with the band Rise Against being a good example. Theymade music video's which sometimes had nothing to do with the lyrics of their song oftentimes, with some sort of over the top political statement. Itwas both irritating and laughable.

Actually, on reflection, I suppose it could be said that I dislike Rage Against the Machine specifically because of their LACK of politics. At some point I realised that they were just expressing teenaged rebellion without direction or aim and... it got old fast.

You know who do political songs REALLY REALLY well?

The Irish.

I used to own a Clancy Bros/Tommy Makem album of old Irish rebel songs, and they were GREAT!!!

O'Donnel Abu, Men of the West, The Minstral Boy...awesome stuff, all of it!!

-- Fri May 07, 2010 11:08 am --

The modern incarnation of this is some of the music of the Pogues, who are GREAT.

Lack of politics??? On which songs? I always liked them because of the subject matter of their songs.


One of the reasons I quit listening to NIN around 2000 was Trent's idiotic leap onto the Bush-bashing bandwagon. If he had had a reason besides 'war is bad' for disliking him, I could have continued to be a fan. He just proved himself to be a mainstream idiot going with other mainstream idiots at that time all spouting the same thing "war for oil" "war is bad, therefore Bush is bad, blahblahblah". Have a genuine thought and quit bleeting for Pete's sake, Reznor!!!

Don't people like NIN know that, by taking extreme positions like that they are limiting their potential pool of fans? It's a stupid move all round.

I love the Clancy Bros and Tommy Makem, too! Tommy Makem used to have a pub on 57th Street in NYC – and there was NO cover charge to come and hear some great Irish bands play. Poor Tommy's dead and gone now, as is his pub.

Speaking of political songs, Arlo Guthrie has updated Tom Paxton's witty and classic "I Am Changing My Name to Chrysler" (inspired by the government's bailout of Chrysler Corp. back in the '70s). Now, it's "I Am Changing My Name to Fannie Mae." Things haven't changed much in 30 years.

-- Nephele

That is an awesome song!

Ever hear Arlo sing "Alice's Restaurant"?

-- Nephele

Damn long-haired hippie-freak!

Don't forget subversive!

-- Nephele

OK, just so long as I can be perversive.

Perversive trumps subversive!

-- Nephele

No, 18 minute songs aren't my cup of tea.