Would someone's extreme political views prevent you being in a band with them, or working with them?

[cetera]

The world, as we know, is a volatile place right now with everyone (myself included) taking sides....

 

I'm interested to know, if you found out that an existing bandmate, or potential bandmate, was e.g. racist, homophobic, fascist etc.... would it make you reconsider working with them?

 

Lets not turn this thread overtly political or into a slanging match if we can help it (this isn't Talk Bass) but I'm genuinely interested in people's thoughts.  

 

I'm not talking Labour voter/Conservative voter stuff here...... but, personally, I'm not sure that I could share a car/splitter/dressing room/stage with someone with far right or homo/transphobic views. I would need to call it out and that kind of drama would kill the band.

I have been in musical situations where another musician is a full-on 'conspiracy-theorist' and I have simply turned off from listening to them or changed the subject rapidly, but I couldn't do that in the above situation.

[Steve Browning]

I'll just say 'yes' without further explanation.

[acidbass]

How have you come upon said information in your scenario?  Have they told you?  It's likely that most people will have a different opinion to you on some subject or other.  It all depends on how much they choose to advertise that opinion!  If it's not at all, then how would it impact your band?  And if it's every day, I could see how that might cause interpersonal issues.

[Bolo]

Yes. First step is a private conversation to assess their true viewpoints and to see if they can be made to see reason. 

If not, we're done.  I will never not hate the hateful, and I wil not be quiet about it.

[cetera]

2 minutes ago, acidbass said:

How have you come upon said information in your scenario?  Have they told you?

It's a hypothetical scenario.... but a similar situation arose for a friend of mine and I was interested in how it would make others feel....

[Lozz196]

I don’t think any of us in my bands would be in bands with someone who held far right/homophobic views etc.
 

I’m not sure about far left as aside from myself everyone in my two gigging bands dress to the left so to speak. 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Lozz196

[Wolverinebass]

There's no way I'm being in a band with someone who's any or all of racist, fascist, homophobic or misogynist.

 

Not "reconsider." It's "never consider."

[neepheid]

No, plus I think I would be far too much of a hippie, lefty, woke, lunatic snowflake for them to be in a band with me!

[bassbiscuits]

Yeah as above. No way would I choose to work with someone with such views. 
 

A friend of mine (wasn’t in a band with him though) started expressing some very dodgy personal opinions about race, culture etc on Facebook a while ago.
 

The first time it made me wince, the second time I decided to have nothing more to do with him. And I haven’t.

 

I’m not associating myself with stuff like that. 

[cetera]

1 minute ago, neepheid said:

No, plus I think I would be far too much of a hippie, lefty, woke, lunatic snowflake for them to be in a band with me!

No it wouldn't prevent you working with them..... or no you wouldn't work with them?

 

[neepheid]

Just now, cetera said:

No it wouldn't prevent you working with them..... or no you wouldn't work with them?

 

 

No, I wouldn't work with right wing scumbags, and I'm sure they wouldn't want to work with me - I think I'd confuse them.

[ezbass]

It would definitely influence me against being in a band with folk with extremist views and has done in the past. I was in a band where we got a new drummer in, he was OKish talent wise, but once he made a thoroughly racist comment, he was gone.

[tegs07]

Look Morrissey you’ve asked once and the answer is still no

 

😝

[Burns-bass]

6 minutes ago, tegs07 said:

Look Morrissey you’ve asked once and the answer is still no

 

😝

Haha, well worked joke.

 

Same as everyone else here. I couldn’t be in a band with members who have these views.

 

(I do have an acquaintance that bought a Skrewdriver punk 7”, but that was morbid curiosity not race hate.)

[snorkie635]

Yes. Enough said.

Edited 2 hours ago by snorkie635

[Judo Chop]

Yes it would.

 

If your band's not racist, I'm not your bassist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Not actually a racist)

[Lozz196]

16 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

Haha, well worked joke.

 

Same as everyone else here. I couldn’t be in a band with members who have these views.

 

(I do have an acquaintance that bought a Skrewdriver punk 7”, but that was morbid curiosity not race hate.)

Apparently one of that band did an about turn and is now far left. 
 

I remember mistakenly going to my local one night when they were playing, a very hasty retreat was made.

[Mrbigstuff]

Like anything, if you want to get on with people you seemingly need to allow them to have opinions and they should be able to accept if you agree or disagree too. Having said that, if the music becomes politically portrayed that way then no way!

[cetera]

20 minutes ago, Mrbigstuff said:

Like anything, if you want to get on with people you seemingly need to allow them to have opinions and they should be able to accept if you agree or disagree too. Having said that, if the music becomes politically portrayed that way then no way!

Interesting response and this is kinda the crux of the question so thanks for that. It presents an interesting dilemma...

 

How important are our own personal moral compasses/opinions and should we just try to get along, accepting others' opinions (even if they may be repulsive to us)?

 

For me, my moral compass won't allow me to 'get along' with someone who holds such abhorrent opinions....

 

Edited 1 hour ago by cetera
grammar

[Skinnyman]

Assuming that everything else about the band is okay, I would join without a qualm. 
 

we live today in a series of echo chambers that reflect (and amplify) our own views. I’m not sure that society has improved as a consequence and I firmly believe that we only tackle extreme views on either side by talking to each other. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and even if they’re views that I find distasteful, so long as they’re not illegal, who am I to force everyone to think as I do? 
Bigotry exists on both the hard right and the hard left and it can only be challenged if we spend time in the same room.

The world is polarised enough without me adding to it so, yes, I’d join the band. 
 

Unless it was jazz. There are limits….

[wateroftyne]

Yes.

[Steve Browning]

11 minutes ago, cetera said:

Interesting response and this is kinda the crux of the question so thanks for that. It presents an interesting dilemma...

 

How important are our own personal moral compasses/opinions and should we just try to get along, accept others opinions (even if they may be repulsive to us)?

 

For me, my moral compass won't allow me to 'get along' with someone who holds such abhorrent opinions....

 

 

My partner is in such a situation. She joined a band a good few years ago now. The band, itself, is very long establshed with two (near) original guys left. She loves being in the band but one of them has fully embraced the views of the right and sees any opposite view as being held by someone who has been brainwashed by propaganda. Due to the age of these two, the band is ending soon. The plan had been to get together every so often, to 'rehearse' and play some songs.

 

She is now at the stage where she can't wait for it to end so she is no longer exposed to his views. Seems a shame but he has become really quite vocal about certain things.

[uk_lefty]

I need to be able to get on with people I'm in a band with. We need to be able to have sensible discussions and some give and take on all sorts of things like song arrangements, gig bookings, and which hotels to stay in, etc. I can get on with people who have different mainstream political views, that's what democracy is all about I think, but prejudices just switch me off. 

 

Incidentally for a new project I'm starting up with my drummer and an old band mate we had an email this morning from a singer we wanted to audition. He seemed to be against singing a great song because it was originally for a female vocal and about a man, lots of unnecessary punctuation. Just made him seem very insecure, I haven't bothered responding because I don't think it's worth telling a grown man he need not worry himself, or he can change the words. The tone of the message just screamed that he's not someone I want to spend my time with, let alone have to have discussions with that may involve persuasion and compromise on each side. 

[Beedster]

Yes, and have done. I'm not sure to be honest whether I walked on principle or because I immediately disliked them when I noticed the racism. Both I hope 

[tauzero]

Yes. I got asked to dep for and rejoin a band a little while ago, but in the time between them ditching me in favour of a mate of the BL's and the request to rejoin (several years), it had become pretty bloody obvious that they were racists of various levels and I politely refused.

 

On a broader front about racism, our elderly next door neighbour died yesterday of cancer. If she hadn't kept refusing to see her GP for years because she was foreign, and refusing well woman clinics because of seeing a foreign doctor, it would almost certainly have been diagnosed sooner.