I have done a great deal of thinking about this thread over the years.

The music (art) has to be separated from the personalities in my opinion.

There is a good book on "Mentoring" that makes the point, you can worship from afar and use that to develop your own skills. You don't have to be near or even like the personality of the person who acts as your mentor.

People drive VW's when the original design was used by Hitler as the "people's wagon". I drove one for many years because it was all I could afford.

Some of our historical figures were alcoholics, slave-owners, ruthless power-brokers et. al. Does this preclude the positive effect they had?

There are many people whose art I admire that I couldn't stand to be in the same room with. I often avoid meeting people whose art I admire so that I will not become disillusioned.

On the other hand, if I know of a favorite artist whose character I feel matches their expression such as Louis Armstrong or Pete Seeger, I am honored to be in their presence.

The art remains. It's there whether the person who created it is a bastard or a saint. In the long run, it's the art that is important when we pay attention to art. When character is important, then that's another story.

Conclusion: Character has little to do with the artistic expression. Character has everything to do with creating a better world within which we can be sensitive to and appreciate the artistic expression.

Frank Hamilton