Can You Hear Me Now

This is the artist, then, life’s hungry man, the glutton of eternity, beauty’s miser, glory’s slave.

Tom Wolfe

Once upon a time I called Woody Allen’s Manhattan his greatest film. From the black and white cinematography to the Gershwin score to the cutting edge humor to the spot on directing, it was a masterpiece of movie making. As a huge Woody Allen fan, I made sure to see it on opening week and have rewatched it many times since then.

This was all before the accusations of child sexual abuse and his marriage to the Soon-Yi Previn — 35 years his junior. Since then, I can no longer watch Manhattan and not cringe at Woody’s on-screen relationship with teenage Mariel Hemmingway. It was mildly uncomfortable before, but now it’s now stomach churning. Whether Woody molested Dylan Farrow or not, an older man seducing a young girl should never been seen as acceptable let alone art.

History is filled with great works of art made my less than great people. I love Frank Sinatra’s music, but his life story is filled with awful things he did to people close to him. Richard Wagner was a genius composer and an antisemite. The artist, Edgar Degas, also openly espoused anti-Jew views. James Brown was horrible to the women in his life. Miles Davis beat his wives. John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas has been accused of sexually molesting his daughter, Mackenzie. John Wayne was openly racist and homophobic.

I could go on and on, but you get the point. Being a talented artist, musician, writer, actor, etc. does not preclude you from have an extremely dark side.

So, what do we do with this? How do we reconcile enjoying a painting, song, book, or movie when it was created by someone who did horrible things? Do we make the creations disappear? Do we pretend that they never existed?

It helps when the creator recognizes his or her failings and makes amends. During World War II, Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) created numerous cartoons that depicted the Japanese with buck-teeth, slanted-eyes, and coke-bottle glasses. Later in life, though, he apologized for his racist drawings and wrote numerous books that championed inclusion. Go read The Sneetches and Other Stories for a great example of what a living amends looks like.

Sadly, Dr. Seuss come-abouts are uncommon and many artists never apologize for their failings. In fact, most deny them. I am still waiting for people like Woody Allen, Garrison Keillor, and Al Franken to own the harms they did to women and take the necessary steps to make things right. And, of course, too many died without any recognition of how their actions harmed others. What do we do with their art when no apology is forthcoming?

More Correction Than Cancel

Call me part of the cancel culture, but I have no problem with renaming things and places adorned with incentive names. The same goes for those named after people that did dishonorable things — regardless of the time of their lives. I grew up in Arizona and was overjoyed when they renamed a favorite hiking spot from Squaw Peak to Piestewa Peak. The same goes for renaming Minneapolis’ Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska. John Calhoun was a defender of slavery as a “positive good” that benefited slaves and slave owners alike. There is no good reason to celebrate anyone who espoused such vile thoughts and I was happy to see the change.

I am also happy that monuments to Confederate soldiers are being taken down. There is no reason to honor people who fought to preserve slavery.

This still leaves me with the question of “what to do with the creative accomplishments of severely flawed people.” I can imagine a world where I never hear Frank Sinatra’s sing “In the Wee Small Hour” or watch John Wayne in Rio Bravo, but it’s not a world I would choose.

More Than Musical Notes and Brush Strokes

It’s easy to extend this to the world of technology. It’s well documented that Steve Jobs was not an easy person to like. He was verbally abusive, egotistical, rude, cheated people out of deserved monies, and for many years he denied the paternity of his daughter, Lisa. At the same time, he was a genius at product design and was responsible for the creating some of the most innovative consumer products of the last 50 years.

And yet I cringe when I see Steve Jobs’ quotes that whitewash his serious flaws and attempt to trick people into believing that he was a great man who supported his coworkers with loving kindness. While he was undeniably successful when it came to technology, he was a huge failure when it came to the attributes that define a true leader. I’ve worked with some poor managers, but none as awful as Steve Jobs was reputed to be.

Don’t get me started on Elon Musk.

The Human and the Divine

It took me a while to get where I can separate the artist from the art. For a long time, it felt wrong to cherish the creativity of seemingly awful people. The turning point was when I began to lean further into my sense of spirituality. Letting go of my ego and self allowed me to realize what parts of life were human and what parts were divine. My character flaws were human. My impatience, anger, secrecy, and fears were of my own doing. However, my love, forgiveness, and kindness came from a place outside of me — a higher place. It was my job to tap into these positive attributes, but it was clear that the journey was “without” to “within” and not the reverse.

Once I got to that realization, I saw that creativity was part of the “without” and it was the job of us humans to be vessels that channel and deliver the good the universe has to offer. It’s similar but not quite the same as having a muse. However, this muse was much bigger than a personal guide. It was as large as eternity and always there for the asking.

I can now enjoy great art by no so great people and not feel the need to apologize. I celebrate the spiritual aspects of sound, sight, texture, and usability, but not necessarily the men and women who helped guide them into the world. Give me the song, but spare me the statue. Give me Miles Davis’ brilliant Kind of Blue as I celebrate the gracefulness of the iPhone. These are gifts from the universe channeled through messed up human beings.

Some might find this hypocritical, but I don’t. It’s recognizing and honoring a world outside the physicality of being human. The bounties of the spirit cannot be truly owned by any person or persons.

That said, I will never celebrate Manhattan as I once did. Woody Allen may one day make his amends, but the film is forever spoiled.

As with so much of my life, these are unfinished thoughts and I expect that they will evolve over time. I welcome challenge and live for change. Complacency is not a place I want to stay for too long.

Thank you for reading.

P.S. Although I appreciate the innovations that went into the Tesla EV, I won’t give a dime to Elon Musk. There are lines I will not cross.

New York City
as much a place as a swarm of angry bees
that buzz and hum
all hours of the day and night

Where the chic and the homeless
the peddler and the cog
rise from the earth and fall from the sky
taking their parts in a play that has no script
and a dance with no discernible steps