Ask Lemmy

All the time. It's definitely possible to appreciate the artistry in spite of their negative qualities and not because of them. It also kind of forces you to think about how humans are multi-faceted and complex beings, and that we're often the products of our environments or things beyond our control even when the individual decisions are up to the person.

Has Kanye West been an awful person at times? Yes, I don't actively listen to his music but I'll be damned if My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy isn't a masterpiece. Kanye has obviously struggled with mental health and personal issues over the years.

I'm a huge Beatles fan, and did John Lennon hit his wife one time and basically abandon his first son? Yes, but he realized his mistakes and tried to change later on and wanted peace and love in the world. And he basically had no father and barely a mother, a textbook example of generational trauma in young men.

(Also Ringo was probably a worse drunk and more violent person than John, but that doesn't get talked about nearly as much.)

And these are issues people struggle with everywhere, not even counting the added pressure of being famous and successful.

None of this is to excuse their actions or the actions of people like them, but I think understanding some causality goes a long way in appreciating people as humans, let alone artists.