Benefit of Clergy - George Orwell, Salvador Dali & Gary Glitter

[Bud the Baker]

A topic for a Saturday afternoon when we're not playing.................

George Orwell wrote an essay on Salvador Dali which can be summarised in sentence below:

It will be seen that what the defenders of Dali are claiming is a kind of benefit of clergy. The artist is to be exempt from the moral laws that are binding on ordinary people.

*********************

This week sees music icons Michael Jackson & R Kelly under scrutiny for alleged misdemeanours - will their music survive the hit (sic) - Jackson's No. 1s album is back in the charts this week so the answer in his case is almost certainly not. It's a style of behaviour that goes back through the aforementioned Glitter whose  music has been all but erased from public consumption (one fan said (It’s not just wiping him out of history is it? They’ve nicked 15, 20 years of my history too) but many acts have survived such allegations unscathed Bowie, Iggy Pop, Led Zep & almost unbelievably the Stones' bass player Bill Wyman and his relationship with Mandy Smith which began when she was 13. This sorta behaviour goes back to the early days of Rock'n'Roll with Chuck Berry doing jail time for crossing state lines with a 14-y-o, Jerry Lee Lewis's career being derailed for many years for marrying his 13-y-o cousin, in contrast Elvis Presley's relationship with 14-y-o Priscilla remained unconsummated until she was 21 & they married & didn't seem to do any damage to his career. 

 

Feel free to ignore it & focus on the Accies & Dundee scores which I'm just about to do.

 

Edited March 9, 2019 by Bud the Baker

[StanleySaint]

Half time so i'll join in, the crimes of the artist will be ignored or downplayed in proportion to the hype around the said artist. Jackson will be, if not excused certainly eplained by his own bizarre upbringing. Just remember how whitewashed George Michael's past has become since his death. Back to the footy shortly.

[oaksoft]

It comes from people white knighting others.

You can include the Catholic Church in that too. To this day these bastards still think sexual abuse of boys is caused by homosexuality.

You also missed Pete Townshend who was done for having kiddie porn on his computer and he went on to star at the 2012 Olympics.

It happens in every single industry and it allows those at the top to get away with almost anything.

The film industry is having it's day in the spotlight over it. The fashion industry will be next although the Corporate worldis trying its best through Phillip Green to grab the headlines. Then it will be the music industry. Apparently it's also rife in Politics both north and south of the border.

It's an interesting topic.

Edited March 9, 2019 by oaksoft

[saintnextlifetime]

3 hours ago, oaksoft said:

It comes from people white knighting others.

You can include the Catholic Church in that too. To this day these bastards still think sexual abuse of boys is caused by homosexuality.

You also missed Pete Townshend who was done for having kiddie porn on his computer and he went on to star at the 2012 Olympics.

It happens in every single industry and it allows those at the top to get away with almost anything.

The film industry is having it's day in the spotlight over it. The fashion industry will be next although the Corporate worldis trying its best through Phillip Green to grab the headlines. Then it will be the music industry. Apparently it's also rife in Politics both north and south of the border.

It's an interesting topic.

Aye interesting if you are interested in that kind of thing . When was Pete Townsend 'done' as you put it. .

[beyond our ken]

8 minutes ago, saintnextlifetime said:

Aye interesting if you are interested in that kind of thing . When was Pete Townsend 'done' as you put it. .

placed on the sex offenders list is enough for most

we are still waiting for that book

[Kemp]

R Kelly's music is utter shit, so that aint going to work in his favour.

[Guest TPAFKATS]

Ryan Adams had allegations break about him a couple of weeks or so ago.

His new single was pulled from radio play where it was getting heavy rotation.

Michael Jackson was a predatory paedophile but millions still idolise him and if anything his fame grew following the scandal which he settled out of court. No channels or stations stopped playing his music and they continued to promote him.

 

 

[Bud the Baker]

On 3/9/2019 at 7:43 PM, saintnextlifetime said:

Aye interesting if you are interested in that kind of thing . When was Pete Townsend 'done' as you put it. .

Townshend was placed arrested for accessing a website using his credit card as the UK part of a US operation against child pornography. He apparently only did it once, didn't download any images and claimed he was doing it for research against child pornography.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/may/08/arts.ukcrime

If you think about Tommy, The Who's seminal work, what is it about if not child abuse @beyond our ken - and that was long before it became kinda fashionable to admit to having been abused. I tend to think Townshend was telling the truth and I realize @oaksoft this might indeed be white-knighting an obnoxious man, I don't think I'm giving him the "benefit of clergy", but who knows, there's certainly some dark places in Townshends psyche.

 

 

Edited March 16, 2019 by Bud the Baker

[beyond our ken]

On 3/16/2019 at 12:22 PM, Bud the Baker said:

Townshend was placed arrested for accessing a website using his credit card as the UK part of a US operation against child pornography. He apparently only did it once, didn't download any images and claimed he was doing it for research against child pornography.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/may/08/arts.ukcrime

If you think about Tommy, The Who's seminal work, what is it about if not child abuse @beyond our ken - and that was long before it became kinda fashionable to having been abused. I tend to think Townshend is telling the truth and I realize @oaksoft this might indeed be white-knighting an obnoxious man, I don't think I'm giving him the "benefit of clergy", but who knows, there's certainly some dark places in Townshends psyche.

 

 

IF he was consistent in his story, he might deserve some defence.  He isn't though,  he still gave money to child porn mongers and helped further their enterprises.  This is going to be a helluva book.  My own suspicion is that his Kleenex bill was through the roof that weekend .

Regarding Tommy, the story is about a kid who endures, survives and triumphs over abuse.  All very healthy until you realise that, IF PT is writing about himself, he canonises and near deifies the lead character , that is less than healthy.  In later versions, written before he was done, he changed the story from Tommy encouraging the followers to be like him and had Tommy warn them to be the opposite of himself-potentially very telling given what came later. 

I know several abuse survivors who don't have the access to help that a Townshend does.  They have managed to avoid giving money to the perverts. and have not committed the kind of crimes that would see them placed on that register.  

 

 

Edited March 19, 2019 by beyond our ken

[saintnextlifetime]

On 3/16/2019 at 12:22 PM, Bud the Baker said:

Townshend was placed arrested for accessing a website using his credit card as the UK part of a US operation against child pornography. He apparently only did it once, didn't download any images and claimed he was doing it for research against child pornography.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/may/08/arts.ukcrime

If you think about Tommy, The Who's seminal work, what is it about if not child abuse @beyond our ken - and that was long before it became kinda fashionable to admit to having been abused. I tend to think Townshend was telling the truth and I realize @oaksoft this might indeed be white-knighting an obnoxious man, I don't think I'm giving him the "benefit of clergy", but who knows, there's certainly some dark places in Townshends psyche.

 

 

When was Pete Townsend 'done'. .

[Bud the Baker]

32 minutes ago, saintnextlifetime said:

When was Pete Townsend 'done'. .

The original quote was from @oaksoft but I'd say the man on the Greenhill Road omnibus would regard accepting a caution for "his admission that he accessed child pornography on the internet." as being "done".

Edited March 18, 2019 by Bud the Baker

[saintnextlifetime]

10 hours ago, Bud the Baker said:

The original quote was from @oaksoft but I'd say the man on the Greenhill Road omnibus would regard accepting a caution for "his admission that he accessed child pornography on the internet." as being "done".

You are right , oakstur did make the original post and you decided to answer for him . I think most people understand being 'done' to mean a conviction or a fine . 

 

[beyond our ken]

11 hours ago, saintnextlifetime said:

You are right , oakstur did make the original post and you decided to answer for him . I think most people understand being 'done' to mean a conviction or a fine . 

 

 

Or indeed, having your name placed on the sex offenders list.  He could have rejected the sanctions and went for a trial in order to clear his name, but clearly thought better of that.