At what point do we separate the art from the artist?

Growing up I didn’t know how to reach my heroes. To my young mind, frank Herbert may as well have been on Arrakis, or Roger Zelazny in Amber, how did one go about meeting these giants? Sure, you could say go to a con, but when you’re 11 in the inner city, that seemed pretty far away, and it never occurred to me to write a letter, I’m pretty sure my wife Daphne is the only person I ever wrote a letter to, and that was over a course of one summer when she went away to visit family. No, I never wrote a single one of my literary heroes, although when I got a little bit older 12, lol I did go to a convention in midtown Manhattan and I met two of the finest creators I’ve ever come across, Walter Simonson, and Archie Goodwin who were both incredibly generous with their time.

                Another hero I met tangentially was John Byrne, two friends of mine, Matt Lunsford (the artist on Dream Weavers), and another great friend Don went to go see JB at his table when we were at Pittsburgh Comicon sometime in the 90’s. We had just gotten in Dream Weavers #2 and Matt wanted to present a copy to his childhood hero, as a gift. JB liked what he saw and asked Matt to sign it, and then asked them if they had anything for him to sign? They apologized and let him know that we had driven down from NYC and that they didn’t know he was going to be at this show. John Byrne without blinking an eye said no problem and pulled out a box filled with FF 232’s and told them that a retailer had given him a case of them. He pulled out two copies and signed it for them, and my two buddies floated back to the table, like they were touched by a saint, and that’s my John Byrne story. Over the years I’ve heard many things about the man, some good, some not so much, and I don’t care what anyone has to say about the man, he made two of best friends feel special and for that he’ll always be good in my books, because of it.

                Now this brings me to the controversy surrounding Neil Gaiman and the accusations he’s currently facing, how am I supposed to feel about that? Some pundits within the sphere will whisper about how he was never that good, and you should instead read their work, because they’re so much better, I doubt that. Some would say the work is no longer valid because he’s a bad person, but how do I separate what Sandman means to the young person I once was, is it less special? How about Warren Ellis with what he did, is Planetary or his Authority run diminished as a work because of it? Should these works be hidden, discarded? Would Shakespear, Poe, Cervantes, or Byron be able to survive the scrutiny that many modern creators go through? Would their work be any less valid or sublime? HP Lovecraft wrote a detestable poem in his early twenties, which I didn’t find out about until 20 years after I started reading his work, but does that one stupid misguided effort make Dream Quest of the Unknown Kadath, Pickman’s Model, or Call of Cthulhu any less special? Where does it end, when all of the greats are shown to be nothing more than fallible humans, and so then the mediocre can rule uncontested.  

                I’m not saying I like to run around with blinders on, but I do have to ask at what point can I just enjoy a work without having to wonder about what the mob thinks.

                At what point do we stop liking someone’s work due to bad behavior, or that they’re disagreeable, because I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t be able to enjoy anything by anyone, because there are no saints, and the moment I hear someone declare that they are pure of heart and mind, that’s first person I go running from, there are no saints, and if there are they’re not declaring themselves as such, it just wouldn't be saintly. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had plenty of dark thoughts, plenty of people have, and plenty more have done dark things, or been subjected to them, and in due course repeat the cycle onto others.

                We aspire to be greater than we are, but so few of us can live up to our own preconceived standards. In the end it’s from these tortured souls that great art comes from, is it because their appetites are too big or they don’t know how to cope with life on some level so they act out and give in to baser impulses, these people we know as artists consume life and they give it back to us as, stories, poems, paintings, theatre, film, symphonies, and in many other artistic ways. They live life, and sometimes in ways that many consider to be horrible, and I would agree in many cases, but can I enjoy their paintings, books, or films, without enjoying or approving of them? I assure you that a hundred plus years from now the uber rich, the taste makers and the talented will still be doing these things because excess can be fun, but it always brings boredom, so more must be done, and explored to reach the same highs that were met the first time.

                Where any of this goes, I don’t know, all I know is that I want to enjoy great art and not have to worry about the individual who made it, and if they break the law, let the law deal with them. If they’ve harmed someone, force them to pay recompence. We can’t keep blaming the children for the sins of their parents.

                I know this is probably a couple of weeks too late and I think it’s better for it. If you feel like it, let me know what you think.

                And here’s a link for the latest Oswald campaign that will be going live on Kickstarter soon :D https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/17217803/making-homes-and-passing-queens-1-6

Plus, here are a few pages I got this week.

Thank you for spending this time with me.

JD Calderon