Love the art, not the artist

This is based on the conundrum people find when the person creating a work that they are a fan of is an appaling monster of a human being. I like the idea of being able to spite them and just appreciate their creations.

However, any artist will tell you, and it goes without saying, that what they create contains at least a fraction of themselves if not a great deal more.

It seems like a disservice to separate the artist from the work, yet, it is also a disservice to not appreciate a piece because of how you feel about its creator.

Take Michael Jackson, for instance. He has made some of the all-time best pop music, you just can't deny that, and yet, kids today now know him not as the King of Pop, but as a child molestor.

And even though I question his freakish nature, I can't help getting down to classics like Thriller and Smooth Criminal.

I agree that the work should stand alone in those kinds of cases.

Think of the one hit wonder musical titles you grew up listening to, that are burned into your brain. You ever make the mistake of grabbing the whole album on the merit of that one awesome song?

There have been some really terrible bands over the decades that just got it right once. Ever. This isn't quite the same as realizing that the artist in question is a kid-toucher or just some kind of a douchebag, but you get the idea.

Since Michael Jackson came up, you should must check out the funk of forty thousand years.