It used to be that “getting cancelled” was something that only happened to the likes of Manimal, My So-Called Life, The Green Hornet, Archive 81 and The Tick. But these days, people can get cancelled.
Seems to me this came about with the rise of YouTubers more than a decade ago — specifically, real popular ones who somehow get embroiled in a controversy and then wind up the target of fan boycotts. The effect of no views on their channel is akin to turning off the bubbler on an aquarium. They can’t survive without you.
This boycotting society of ours doesn’t start and stop with YouTubers. Hand-in-hand with the woke and #MeToo movements, there are scores of media personalities, celebrities, athletes, politicians, actors and — yes, musicians — who suddenly are taboo. Just what you do about that, is up to you, I suppose. Folks with a public reputation to protect, or are trying to meet a girl, probably aren’t going to walk around wearing a Hedley T-shirt. You’re not going to make the kids at your nursery school dance and sing to Gary Glitter. But what about Michael Jackson? If you’re DJing at someone’s family reunion, should you avoid playing Jerry Lee Lewis? Perhaps Ted Nugent as well, if the answer was “yes.”
For me, some of these tarnished musicians were in my record collection, and have been ditched. Others never were already absent for pure musical reasons while there’s also quite a few who probably should be cast out, but I just can’t bring myself to do that. Let’s examine.
The first group of musicians who I consider problematic are the ones who I had an unpleasant run-in with, or am just generally over them. Like Randy Bachman. Randy hasn’t done anything wrong, but that show of his on CBC Radio wore me out. He just seemed to relate everything back to him. There was one show where the first song he played was his son’s one big hit. That was the straw, right there.
Steve Earle was miserable and cantankerous when I met him. Put me right off. Dude from The Tea Party as well, though I haven’t really cared for them since their debut album, which sounded enough like Zep’s Presence to get my attention for a bit… until all that crooning ruined it. I feel the same way about The Tea Party as I do about people who blow their burps.
One I actually did ditch from my collection is Sun Kil Moon. Mark Kozelek has been unplayable to me since he went off on a tirade about Ottawa Bluesfest being run by inbreds. He also performed at Ottawa CityFolk in 2014, and part of his set overlapped with The War On Drugs, whose music could be heard from the opposite stage. So Kozelek introduced one song as being called The War on Drugs Can Suck My Fucking Dick. He even recorded diss tracks about them, and journalists — and then faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. Sucks. I really liked his music.
My partner asked me to sell her copy of Kala by M.I.A. after the U.K. rapper came out as an anti-vaxxer. I sold my copy of Reflektor by Arcade Fire after stories emerged accusing frontman Win Butler of sexual misconduct. I used to really love that band when they first showed up. Caught them live once. I had their first three albums, which I loaned to a friend. He died with them still in his possession, and I’ve not been inclined to replace them. That’s one band I’ve really noticed being affected by these allegations. When their albums show up in the “new arrivals” bins at the used vinyl shops I frequent, they stay there for weeks and months.
I sold two Ryan Adams albums after accusations of sexual harassment. I unloaded four Bryan Adams albums after his racist COVID tweet. Some of these — the Bryan Adams ones, for sure — are albums I’ve acquired as part of someone’s collection. I occasionally get given albums and collections, and have occasionally bought them from people who don’t play them anymore. So while I haven’t “sold my Bryan Adams records” per se, I have opted to sell them rather than keep them. Same story with one of those Ryan Adams records.
Same with a whole bunch of albums by Eric Clapton (anti-vaxxer/racist views), Jerry Lee Lewis (married his underage cousin), Chuck Berry (had a camera in his restaurant washroom), Ted Nugent (pro-Trump, accusations of sex with minors), Michael Jackson (accusations of sex with minors) and Charlie Daniels (anti-abortion, anti same-sex marriage).
But for the most part, I’m not really all that motivated by a musician’s behaviour when it comes to whether or not I’ll listen to them or keep a record of theirs in my collection. This is because, usually, I don’t own it — and don’t listen to it that much, anyway. Why would I take a stand against someone, when I don’t really think about that stuff much? I know it’s important, but I also don’t want to be a hypocrite.
One of my friends who runs a music store says he won’t stock any GG Allin albums due to the late punk singer’s penchant for violence. I don’t care about Allin one way or another — don’t have any of his stuff, and don’t feel the need. Same goes with Megadeth. Dave Mustaine is a problematic individual, but his music isn’t really my bag. I had a copy of So Far, So Good… So What! and sold it — not for any moral reasons, but because it was valuable.
Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has some well-publicized skeletons in his closet. Don’t care. Saw them in concert a few years ago and they were shockingly boring. Used to have a few albums on CD, but I donated them. Tupac is a bit more complicated. I’m never certain how much of the stuff he went to jail for was genuine and how much of it was by design. He was definitely violent towards women, and that’s not acceptable. I do quite like his music, though. Nas is also excellent, but a problematic anti-vaxxer accused of abusing his wife. Kanye West is great. Absolutely bonkers, but great. I still listen to him, but I don’t actually, physically own any of it.
I don’t hate Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins — but there’s definitely some of it I don’t ever need to hear again. There are also some incredible songs in Corgan’s catalogue. I just sidestep all of it. Not getting involved.
It’s actually weird that I don’t own any Queens Of The Stone Age, but I’m a marginal fan. Josh Homme has some 10/10 songs with QOTSA, Eagles Of Death Metal, Them Crooked Vultures, and the album he got out of Iggy Pop was astounding. But there’s an aura of aggression about him I don’t like at all. He was convicted of assault. He intimidates the shit out of me.
The closest I ever got to Blues Traveler was seeing them on late-night TV in the ’90s and hearing them on the radio. I find John Popper’s harmonica playing impressive, but annoying. Popper is a well-established alt-right gun-nut libertarian.
In another category altogether are musicians I never liked in the first place, so their dirty deeds aren’t an issue. I can’t boycott music I never listen to. It would be like boycotting meth. Among those in this category are convicted rapist Jacob Hoggard — frontman of the aforementioned Hedley. Jailbird R. Kelly makes the list, but so does the Trump-loving Kid Rock, Travis Tritt, Rick James, Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil, Chris Brown and disgraced former Moxy Früvous drummer Jian Ghomeshi.
Finally, there’s another group of musicians who are definitely problematic — but I have their albums and still enjoy their music. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page liked very young girls. So did David Bowie. Iggy had a 13-year-old girlfriend. Elvis Presley has been accused of sexual misconduct and abuse. John Lennon was abusive. Marvin Gaye moreso. Gene Simmons is awful in a plethora of ways. Ike Turner was physically and mentally abusive. James Brown was physically abusive — including being accused of kicking a pregnant woman down a flight of stairs.
Drummer Jim Gordon went to jail for murdering his mother. AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was accused of trying to arrange a murder. Loretta Lynn supported both Trump and George Wallace. Paul Stanley of KISS had that awful transphobic post where he called the use of pronouns a “sad and dangerous fad.” Batshit crazy producer Phil Spector was found guilty of murdering an actress. Both Van Morrison and the late Meat Loaf were anti-vaxxers The Who’s drummer Keith Moon backed over and killed his chauffeur while driving drunk.
There are literally dozens more.
• • •
Area Resident is an Ottawa-based journalist, recording artist, music collector and re-seller. Hear (and buy) his music on Bandcamp, email him HERE, follow him on Instagram and check him out on Discogs.
