The More You Know (the less you wish you did)

There are several instances I can think of where being educated is waaaaay over-rated. I subscribe to the “ignorance-is-bliss” methodology in most aspects of my life, including:
• How Spam is made.
• Anything to do with Brad Pitt.
• What goes on behind the scenes at Disneyland.
• How to write HTML.
• Where the suds in a hot-tub come from.
• The melting point of Gummy Peach Rings. (no, I think I’d like to know that…)
And most importantly,
• Learning about the personal lives of my favorite musicians.

I have my brother-in-law Nic to thank for this last one. Nic knows more about bands you’ve never heard of than you know about your grandma. He not only knows the part of every instrument of every song from the 60’s and 70’s, but he knows who wrote it, where, when, why, and what they were on while they did. Then, when you mention that you love a certain song, he’ll tell you something about it that makes it so it just can’t be your favorite song anymore. For me it was Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love” with the awesome drum solo in the middle, followed by the even awesomer guitar solo. I said, “I love this song” and Nic said, “Did you know that…”
I won’t wreck it for you.
I get really in to some peoples music, and I like reading liner notes from CD’s. But the days of Album Art are all but gone, and when I’m left with a question about a record or an artist, I turn to the internet – and that’s where the problems start.
I find out my favorite guitarist is not quite the family man I had hoped.
I find out my favorite bass player is in to pills you can’t buy at Walgreens.
I find out my favorite lyric isn’t saying what I thought it was saying at all.
I find out my favorite band has an inverted view of deity to my own.

You get the idea.
So, on to my point. Do the personal fallacies and shortcomings of artists make their art less valuable? Less worthy of my attention? Is a love song less of a love song when sung by a love-challenged singer? If I enjoy a song recorded by a band who was enjoying some plants I don’t choose to enjoy, am I vicariously enjoying things I don’t enjoy?
Which led me to this: When I get something from some music, when I find something I like, I take what I can get. Listening to music brings me joy, and creating music brings me joy, and if I can share that joy with other fans and other artists, all the better. I’ll let the music speak for itself.
And as for you, maybe you shouldn’t read too many of my journal entries. You might learn something that wrecks it all.