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

[rOB]

I absolutely wouldn't want to spend my precious time with someone who holds those types of prejudices. 

[Jackroadkill]

I don't work with anyone with an agenda of hate.

[Len_derby]

This is a really interesting topic.

Personally, at the level of a ‘weekend warrior’, I don’t expect or need to be ‘mates’ with the people I play with. If someone is espousing extreme or illegal nonsense, then that’s beyond the pale. But, if what they believe doesn’t affect the working of the band and it doesn’t affect the relationship with audiences and venues, does it matter? It’ll be very sad if people with different views can’t find common ground to work together.

[godathunder]

I couldn't be in a band with anyone with views that were that offensive to me.

 

First of all, because the company that someone keeps is often a good indicator of their character and I would not wish to be presumed to be a right cnut because of someone else's opinion (besides which, there are plenty of other perfectly valid reasons to presume that about me anyway)

 

Secondly, because I find it just about impossible to keep my big mouth shut and the frequency of arguments that would result would impact badly on the productivity of this band

 

Having spent some time working in the trades (following years of work in the liberal arts), this was a frequent problem. Building sites have always featured a higher than average proportion of racists, homophobes etc that seem to feel emboldened to pass frequent comment by that setting

[soulstar89]

Interesting original question. I feel if the political view gets in the way of creation and causes a funky energy and vibe yes I wouldn’t join the band. I feel we all have different views on things in life but I hope we are mature enough to be able to agree to disagree and focus on the task at hand when it’s clear tension is building. If that’s not possible  👋🏾. 

 

 

[chris_b]

To my knowledge I have never played in a band with anyone holding far right, racist or homophobic views. Such views are abhorrent, but if they keep their opinions to themselves I don't see why I shouldn't be in a band with them. The situation would change, and I would be happy to have strong words, if they were openly expressing such nastiness.

[TimR]

It depends how vocal they are.

 

The problem is being guilty by association and being tarred with the same brush.

 

I have a couple of 'responsible postions' in the local community. I've cancelled a contract with one provider who had a director who organised a protest at an asylum hotel. 

[paul_5]

I wouldn’t gig with someone with extreme political views, and more importantly I’d tell them why - you have to call it out so that they know it’s unacceptable, otherwise they’ll just carry on until they find someone who’s prepared to accept it and never question themselves.

[Franticsmurf]

I would not want to be in a band that was associated directly (or indirectly through the views of one or more of its members) with extreme views such as the ones mentioned in the OP. Anyone who knows me knows that I avoid talking about even the less radical, everyday politics because I don't believe it is relevant to the bands I'm in and it's an easy way to begin an argument. 

 

I have severed ties with one 'friend' who turned out to (or perhaps developed over time) fairly racist views. It was a very easy decision to make and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

[ped]

Someone in my band has a Nissan Juke and I’m perfectly ok playing with him

[Russ]

Yes. And I have done. And it's extended further than just being in a band with people. 

 

In British terms, I'm pretty centre-left - I've voted Labour, and, on a couple of occasions, Lib Dem and Green all my adult life. In the US, that makes me practically a communist! I was in a band when we first came here with a couple of guys who were massively enthusiastic about Tr**p, so I quit. No ifs, no buts. It's a fundamental incompatibility. My current band are all more or less on my wavelength though. Three of us are immigrants, for a start!

 

I also put my foot down and insisted we turn down gig offers from a venue not too far from here that permitted a nazi/skinhead band to play there a few years back (think Skrewdriver, that sort of thing) - it's quite a well known venue and lots of bands, including touring acts, play there, but I'm not going to endorse them, or assist them in making money by taking a gig there. I was a kid living in Blackheath when the Battle Of Lewisham took place in 1977 less than a mile from us - I f**king hate fascists. The rest of the band guys didn't quite understand why I got so incensed about it, but I think I explained myself adequately. 

 

The guy who ran the venue back then apparently still owns it, but has stepped down from all booking responsibilities, so I'm wondering whether to reconsider. My instincts tell me not to. It's tarnished in my eyes.

Edited 3 hours ago by Russ

[bassbiscuits]

I think people should be free to hold whatever opinions they want. 
 

But I won’t work in a band with someone who I find to be an objectionable d..khead, for whatever reason that may be.

 

[KingPrawn]

I can't be around people with views that are hurtful or marginalise others. Happy to have differences and others present their opinion in an informed way. If you're uninformed and following the herd, I'm not interested. I also can't work with people who are so angry and bitter that their view of 'others' can't be shifted.

[Lozz196]

Being on the Oi circuit we have to research gigs we’re offered to make sure no far right or far left bands on the bill, once you’ve played with them - even if unknowingly - you’re forever tarnished with the same brush so to speak. 

[lonestar]

I recently went to spend a sunny afternoon in a pub garden watching a bass playing mate of mine’s band. Bunch of 60+ Essex geezers all pleasant enough, helped them set up etc( all fine so far. One of them was wearing white shirt, white slacks and white shoes. There was some banter about him being in Miami Vice, and whether he was Crockett or Tubbs. He replied “so long as I ain’t that black C***t!”

Being half Mauritian, so of mixed race and little bit brown I answered in a dead-pan humourless tone “No, I expect that’d be me.” I think that it went straight over their  numb-skulled heads. 
I couldn’t leave as Steve was driving.

Suffice to say I won’t be offering my services if they ever require a dep.

 

[soulstar89]

46 minutes ago, ped said:

Someone in my band has a Nissan Juke and I’m perfectly ok playing with him

Pmsl hahahhahahahhaha I literally burst out laughing 

[Skinnyman]

58 minutes ago, ped said:

Someone in my band has a Nissan Juke and I’m perfectly ok playing with him

Yeah, but I bet you feel just a little bit dirty though, don’t you?

[Gank Bass]

I'm hoping that this community will refrain from judgement and support my bravery for openly admitting that one of my bandmates likes Coldplay 

[Lozz196]

7 minutes ago, Gank Bass said:

I'm hoping that this community will refrain from judgement and support my bravery for openly admitting that one of my bandmates likes Coldplay 

Leave the band immediately 

Burn all your instruments

Change your name 

 

If you do the above the association might just not follow you for the rest of your life

[Beedster]

4 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Yes.

 

There you go over explaining things again.....

 

 

[Beedster]

1 hour ago, ped said:

Someone in my band has a Nissan Juke and I’m perfectly ok playing with him

A guy in a band I used to play in - he was singer AND guitarist - had a rather 'het everyone, look at me' car. We were outside a venue waiting for him a year or so back and had got into conversation with some rather nice locals who'd come to see the gig. Anyway, said singtarist arrives in said motor and one of the guys watches him pull up and said "You'd have to be a right f***ing c*** to drive that" to which I said "That's our frontman" to which he said "Ha ha, nice one, you almost had me going". He didn;t stop apologising. Point being, Nissan Juke or any car in that general space is NOT OK  

[ped]

6 minutes ago, Beedster said:

A guy in a band I used to play in - he was singer AND guitarist - had a rather 'het everyone, look at me' car. We were outside a venue waiting for him a year or so back and had got into conversation with some rather nice locals who'd come to see the gig. Anyway, said singtarist arrives in said motor and one of the guys watches him pull up and said "You'd have to be a right f***ing c*** to drive that" to which I said "That's our frontman" to which he said "Ha ha, nice one, you almost had me going". He didn;t stop apologising. Point being, Nissan Juke or any car in that general space is NOT OK  

If it had more than 250bhp then it’s ok 👍🏼 

[BassTractor]

My sister and I both had similar experiences:
You don't wanna shove these people right into the arms of the other racists, homophobes etc, and you try to talk to them.
Then you don't make this a full-time job, and you see that nothing happens.
Then you give up and walk away.
My sister stopped giving work to such a person; I stopped having contact with such a neighbour. The latter lost about eight friends in just two years. 😱


I see the user manuals online that teach you how to deal with these people, and it's always about keeping the communication open and about asking them questions and about letting them talk until they understand something isn't quite right in what they say.
I've not seen that happen, and do feel I've not tried hard enough.


That said, when I worked in child protection services, we saw the sweetest boy in town being shaped by a politically extreme group, and we did manage to get him out of there. Sometimes your work comes with a positive achievement.

[TimR]

8 minutes ago, BassTractor said:

I see the user manuals online that teach you how to deal with these people, and it's always about keeping the communication open and about asking them questions and about letting them talk until they understand something isn't quite right in what they say.
I've not seen that happen, and do feel I've not tried hard enough.

 

The problem is social media gives them validation. You are one voice against an army of people who are spending their whole day posting memes and other content. 

[Misdee]

6 hours ago, cetera said:

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.

I don't think it's someone's views so much as how well they are able to express those views and explain them. I wouldn't dismiss someone for having opinions and a view of the world radically different to my own if they had a persuasive or coherent explanation of why they were that way.

 It just depends what they have to say and how convincingly they say it. That's what you'll be stuck in a transit van with.

 

 The bigger question is who gets to arbitrate which views are extreme? We live in a world full of extremities, and all too often the most powerful get to define their opponents as extremists as a way of undermining the truth. Besides which, are extreme views necessarily wrong? Your liberal views on certain subjects are considered extreme by a lot of people. It's all about context.

 

Beyond all of that though, the older I get the more reluctant I am to condemn people for what they believe. I've come to realise that we all believe all sorts of crap at one time or another, mainly as a way of getting through life's difficulties. People who believe in  the most unpalatable ideas are often the most vulnerable or most damaged in one way or another.

 

  If you like and/,or respect someone, you can easily be in a band with them even if you have differing views on things. If you don't like or tespect them, it doesn't really matter if they agree with you on everything