In response to finding out about the latest morally reprehensible actions Mel Gibson has been accused of, people have stated that they can no longer enjoy any of his movies. One person I know even suggested to her friends that they have a DVD burning in protest of Gibson's behavior.
The concept of a DVD burning is something I find offensive. There are obvious parallels to book burning, which, I was under the impression, was opposed by any person of intellect. I know it's a very common technique in arguments and debates for ignorant people to compare other people to Adolf Hitler or the Nazis, but the parallel actually exists here, doesn't it? It seems to be very common in dystopian literature and films for the oppressive rulers of society to burn books. How can any intelligent person think it's a good idea? In my mind, DVD burning is exactly the same as book burning, if you subtract the romanticism of book burning.
The notion of no longer being able to enjoy Mel Gibson's movies is ridiculous to me, especially considering that, in my opinion, Braveheart is one of the best movies ever made. When talking to this aforementioned person I know, trying to convince her to disassociate the art from the artist, I referenced Phil Spector. Phil Spector was a record producer and songwriter before he was found guilty of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. I said that even though Phil Spector was convicted of murder, I am very inspired by his recordings. I realize this reference of him might have been lost on this person I know because she might not be aware of what recordings Phil Spector produced or co-wrote. I can guarantee she enjoys at least some of them though, because who the hell doesn't?
If you can no longer enjoy Mel Gibson's movies because of the morally reprehensible things he's done, then I don't see how you could enjoy the recordings of songs produced or written by a man convicted of murder either. That being said, here's a short list of some songs you can no longer enjoy:
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' by The Righteous Brothers
Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers
Be My Baby by The Ronettes
Try Some, Buy Some by Ronnie Spector
Then He Kissed Me by The Crystals
(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry by Darlene Love
Imagine by John Lennon
Let It Be by The Beatles
Across The Universe by The Beatles
I think Phil Spector is the perfect example of 'great output, awful person'. That said, some of his stylistic choices on 'Let It Be' (with the whole 'wall of sound' thing) are a bit egregiously bad. 'The Long And Winding Road', for instance...
ReplyDeleteI do agree about that. It's kind of like since doing those dense arrangements was his strength that he was afraid to let songs be stripped down. For the majority of the songs he produced, those dense arrangements were exactly what the song needed and they worked out beautifully, but some songs should just be piano and voice, nothing more. Having instincts about what a song needs to be is a big part of being a producer, in my opinion, and it seems he didn't always have the right instincts. He certainly wasn't a perfect producer, but he did do a lot of amazing work.
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