Blog Post // 2021-02-11

Do the People In Bands Matter, Or Just The Music?

Growing up, I will admit that my hormonal self wasn't only drawn into the music, there was also a lusty aspect to bands I liked. Considering my group of girlfriends and I were all into heavier music, we kind of fed each other with this kind of thinking. I had pictures of bands plastered on my wall, and I wondered what was so special about the people in those bands. I suppose it was a groupie mentality. A young, blind thought that if you were in a band you were cool, period.

As I got older, I found myself forgetting what people even looked like in bands. Sometimes I hadn't even see them, only listened to them. It really isn't a factor for what I like in music. Why should it be?

Growing up I knew very little about bands, only reading in magazines or hearing from people. You can find out lots now, if you really dig.

Does it matter? Do you care about the people behind the music? The answer for me is yes... and no.

What I mean is, I care about people. It's how I am. Something that may have seemed cool when I was kid, is now a reason for me to be concerned for people, to feel the reality of their struggles, to hope for the best for them.

I don't think it is our business to know every detail of an artist's life just because he/she makes music. If they aren't comfortable, or are vague about it, so be it.

I do find some lyrics and artist's stories can be inspiring or even mysterious and lure me in. Who doesn't like a story of determination and perseverance or unique experience?

I am certainly drawn to some people in music that have great personalities. A good example of this is Lena from Infected Rain, or Ola from The Haunted. They connect with their fans and seem to enjoy it. I may actually be more supportive of them as people, than some of their music.

I have had the opposite happen as well. I listened to a band and then saw their videos and was completely turned off. I was a huge fan of In This Moment's first few albums. Then I saw some performances, all of which were very sexual. After that, I didn't want to watch anything else with them, just listen. I didn't get that same sensuality from their actual albums (I can't speak for their new stuff).

What happens if you listen to a band and then find out later the band member(s) have been involved in some sort of terrible event? Does it discount the music? Is there something a band could do that would make you drop listening to them?

A good example is Type O Negative. I didn't know until recently that when he was younger, Peter had been in Playgirl. This is definitely not something that draws me in. It makes me think it was kind of a cheap stunt to try to get attention. Also, it wasn't until recent years that I heard the song, Prelude To Agony. I think if I would have heard it when I was a child I would have stopped listening to them. It would have scared me. Now, as an adult, I am very turned off by this blatantly rape-oriented song, but I would like to think during his lifetime he moved past it. Maybe he looked back on it and was disturbed by his own production. Maybe he had some kind of problem. I guess it isn't my business to know. I have no need to listen to this song... Period.

Another example that comes to mind is Tim from As I Lay Dying. He hired someone to kill his wife. Thankfully she wasn't murdered. I didn't know this band prior to this stuff happening. I feel like I have no way of knowing if this guy still wants to kill people. If he was someone I knew personally, I would keep a safe distance. The controversy surrounding him continued on as he decided to try to sue the prison he went to. He was taking hormones to bulk up and they were taken from him in prison. He wasn't given meds to help him transition off of the hormones. As a result he started to grow breasts. He claimed that, as the vocalist in a band, he needed to look good. What did I take from all this? Just that he has issues with being superficial, and seems to want to take things into his own hands. I don't need to see him in videos to support the idea that everyone wants to look at him. Does any of this affect his music?

Maybe, like in my real life, I am hopeful that people can change. I just know that I am not perfect, so I am not surprised when other people also aren't.

I recently saw a documentary about extreme music. In this show they showcased the album cover for a few bands that crossed a line for me. One was Carcass, which contained lines of real dead people. I am not signing up to get this album in my hands, but I might check out some songs from it. I don't want to have to look at that! The other album cover was a bootleg of one of Mayhem's albums. It was a picture of a member of the band that had killed himself. It literally was a picture of his head blown off. Not something I ever wanted to see, nor will I ever understand! (I know there is more controversy surrounding the people in this band.)

Do you have to be mature and responsible to make music? The answer is no.

I draw the line at hate! If the people in music are hateful and the lyrics are hateful, then why do I want to listen to it? It directly affects the music. I understand having moments when you feel hateful towards something or someone, but if your essence is hate, I can't connect with it!

I also draw the line on glorifying mentally-deranged activities such as psychopathy, pedeophilia, or murder. Again, I can't connect with it period.

So, I stick to my original thought. Do the people in the band matter? My answer is yes and no. What about you?