liberty boy wrote:Yes I think it's good for artists whatever their leanings to try and set their stall above divisive specific political commentary in their work.I think politics is really for politicians. I don't think the rites of worship of any artist would anyway extend in my case to taking instruction on what political ideology to support. I think tempting as it would be to touch on politics for someone like DS with his almost christ like hold over some of his fans, it's a question of respecting the conscience of your audience. Hence I think religion and spirituality are more worthy themes as they touch something more universal in people, and I think a David sylvian fan would in essence rate the more ineffable emotions of melancholy and boundless grace as more meaningful than any worldly emotion generated by any grubby political ideology.
Well, yes and no, IMO. I agree that artists should probably keep apart from partisan
party politics where possible - there's nothing as depressing as agitprop - but I think steering clear of any comment on social or political
issues at all is not necessary.
For a start, the line between what is a political issue and what is a human rights issue is at times a shifting one (e.g. these days, most people take a fairly dim view of artists in the 1930s who wouldn't speak out against Hitler because they didn't like to get involved with politics).
Personally, I appreciate intelligent lyrics which discuss a matter of some depth, even if I disagree with the line the songwriter is taking, and I'd rather listen to artists who write political lyrics I disagree with (yes, Morrissey, I AM talking about you!) than artists who churn out bog standard, bland "I'm so in love with you, baby" lyrics.
As for the "Christlike hold" David has, I don't think it extends to influencing fans' core beliefs. I've met a lot of DS fans who are obsessive to the point where I doubt their mental health (and others have said the same about me), but I've NEVER met a fan who has changed their religion or politics or dietary habits just to be like David. We treat him as a God musically (and in some cases as a fashion icon), but that doesn't mean we agree with everything he says or slavishly follow him like sheep.
As I've said on other threads, I love the way that in a lot of his work DS doesn't make the meaning too obvious and leaves some room for the listener to make up his/her own mind on what the words mean to him/her personally. But I also like some of his more explicitly political lyrics a lot, too.
And I don't think spiritual lyrics are necessarily more "neutral" and less "divisive" than political ones. In fact, the only lyrics of Sylvian's which I personally find a bit dull are the ones that seem to me to be quite dogmatically pushing a Hindu or Buddhist agenda (not, I hasten to add, because I've got anything against Hindus or Buddhists, but because I prefer lyrics wihich are a bit more open-ended). But I do think it's very much a matter of personal taste.
Anyway, I'm meandering horribly off topic so I'll go away now.