|
ART AND THE ARTISTS
(I'm feeling aggravated)
The purpose of this essay is to point out my own continued frustration and difficulty. Frustration at how people can "look the other way" regarding what someone creates artistically and my own difficulty at separating the art from the artist.
These people come to my mind:
From Wikipedia: John Wayne Gacy Jr. (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer. He was convicted and later executed for the rape and murder of 33 boys and young men between 1972 and his arrest in 1978, 27 of whom he buried in a crawl space under the floor of his house, while others were found in nearby rivers. He became notorious as the "Killer Clown" because of the many block parties he threw for his friends and neighbors, entertaining children in a clown suit and makeup, under the name of "Pogo the Clown". Gacy's middle class idyll in Waterloo came crashing down in March 1968 when two Waterloo boys, aged 15 and 16, accused him of sexually assaulting them. Gacy professed his innocence and it appeared he might beat the charges, but in August of that year he hired another Waterloo youth to beat up one of his accusers. The youth was caught and confessed all, and Gacy was arrested. Before the year was out, he was convicted of sodomy and sentenced to 10 years in the Iowa State Penitentiary.
I could also use this space to show the amateurish paintings of clowns that Gacy painted while in jail, if you really want to see them, just google the images. Or go to CELEBRITY ACTOR JACK NICHOLSON'S house where he proudly displays a Gacy painting that he bought.
Adolf Hitler is another painter who comes to mind. This YouTube video shows some of his paintings
Hitler etched his place in history by attempting to slaughter Jewish people to the tune of 6 MILLION DEAD.
Presently, MICHAEL JACKSON is being remembered throughout the mass media. People are lining up outside his rented mansion in L.A to pay homage. In New York City, hundreds are crowded outside the Apollo Theater, dancing singing and remembering dear Michael.
And of course the argument will be made that Jackson never killed anyone. Nor is there any recorded proof that he even molested any children.
Here I would object. With this simple bit of fact:
From Wikipedia: In 1993, Michael Jackson was accused of abuse by Evan Chandler, on behalf of his then-13-year-old child, Jordan Chandler.
Jackson and Jordan had become friends in May 1992, to the father's disapproval and concern. The friendship became well known, as the tabloid media reported that Jackson became a member of the Chandler family unit. Under the influence of a controversial sedative administered by Evan Chandler, his son said that Jackson had touched his penis.[1] Evan Chandler was tape-recorded threatening to damage the singer's music career,[2] and engaged Jackson in unsuccessful negotiations to resolve the issue with a financial settlement.[3] Jordan Chandler then told a psychiatrist and later police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation, and oral sex, as well as giving a description of what he alleges were the singer's genitals... On January 1, 1994, Jackson settled a civil suit out of court with the Chandler family and their legal team for $22 million.
And it didn't end there. For years afterward the rumors continued. Jackson continued to surround himself with underaged MALE children and behaved in very secretive ways with them. He mounted security cameras and alarms in the hallway leading to his bedroom while he had "sleepovers".
So this is why I can not join in the ebullient celebrations, video tributes etc. currently taking place because I can not silence the voice inside me that said the artist MICHAEL JACKSON victimized innocent young boys.
I have listened and even sang along with his music right up until the 90s when these allegations began to surface, after that when my work as a DJ forced me to have to play his songs at parties, I would always feel sordid, complicit somewhat as if I was endorsing Jackson's behavior.
|
