For whatever reason―my thought processes are quirky―I Googled Arcade Fire today. After I put in the search I was reminded that their freakishly tall front man is under some scrutiny and, dare I say it, opprobrium right now. Over what? I may have read somewhere and forgotten exactly what it is, but I don't find it interesting enough to look into again.
But anyway, what it was that reminded me of this was seeing a headline that asked the question (wording as best as I can remember it) "Is it possible to be a poet and a scumbag?"
Now, there's a lot you could say about this question. What I would say is that it sounds like something you'd ask if you could number all the poets you've heard of on one hand. Do any reading on the marriage of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes and it's impossible to route for either of them because they were both objectively awful. The world would have been a much poorer place without their work, though.
2 comments:
I don't know much about Arcade Fire other than having liked a song they did years ago that I can no longer remember. It seems, from the gist of your post that familiarity with the band isn't necessary. I guess I saw enough to understand that band members nowadays can't rely on groupies either keeping quiet or bragging about their exploits. It's boring when adults don't take responsibility for their actions. Power dynamics, my foot. Remember those women in white posed on a magazine cover who all went to Bill Cosby's hotel room (presumably not all at once) to look at his 'etchings'? Sheesh..
As far as the question "Is it possible to be a poet and a scumbag?" the answer would have to be that very few people can claim moral perfection and anyone who does is suspect. Some of them aren't even poets.
Well, I mean, I tend to like their songs, so I do sort of have a standing interest in them. Mainly as artists, though. As far as the band's personal life goes the main thing I could tell you is that the two leaders of the group are also married. That potentially covers a lot of ground. With bands where there's a romantic relationship between two members they can break up when the couple does (Sonic Youth) or soldier on for a while (Fleetwood Mac) or form a power bloc against the frontman (Chris and Tina from Talking Heads) etc. But yeah, in a litigious society people rush to find someone to blame in any situation. Hangover in Cosby's suite included.
Very few individuals believe that they have attained moral perfection. A mob, on the other hand, can believe it very easily. Especially if no one calls them on it.
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