# When good artists Go Bad. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305 "2001-01-03T22:04:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/1 "2001-01-03T22:04:31Z")
Over in GQ, in this thread, there’s a little grumping about Sting “selling out”. Selling cars and making money. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=53594](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=53594) I can understand some disappointment when an artist does commercial stuff, but a few fans seem to be devastated. Like, now the artist is beneath contempt. Happens all the time. For example; [ul] [li]Dylan went electric.[_]Springsteen sang “Dancing in the Dark”. [_]The Beatles sold their songs for commercials.[/ul][/li]There are many more. Most artists will take the money if given the opportunity. Why not? I do respect an artist who doesn’t, but it **is** his/her talent to do with as he/she pleases. Isn’t it? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/2 "2001-01-03T23:02:37Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*Over in GQ, in this thread, there’s a little grumping about Sting “selling out”. Selling cars and making money. > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=53594](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=53594) > I can understand some disappointment when an artist does commercial stuff, but a few fans seem to be devastated. Like, now the artist is beneath contempt. > Happens all the time. For example; > [ul] [li]Dylan went electric.[_]Springsteen sang “Dancing in the Dark”. The Beatles sold their songs for commercials.[/ul][/li]There are many more. Most artists will take the money if given the opportunity. Why not? > I do respect an artist who doesn’t, but it **is** his/her talent to do with as he/she pleases. > Isn’t it? > Peace, > mangeorge > > \*\* From what I understand, Sting did the car thing not for the money, but to get his song played. It didn’t fit into any of the standard catagories that well, so Radio stations wouldnt play it. He contacted the car company asked them to use it in thier comercial, so that it would be heard, and generate interest in the album. It worked. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/3 "2001-01-03T23:05:52Z")
The BEATLES themselves did NOT sell their songs to commercials. THAT is the doing of one, Mister Michael Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/4 "2001-01-03T23:20:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*The BEATLES themselves did NOT sell their songs to commercials. THAT is the doing of one, Mister Michael Jackson. > \*\* Absolutely correct, **Guinastasia**. My misspeak. ☹ MJ, now there’s a commercial kinda guy. Sorry. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/5 "2001-01-04T00:51:27Z")
The Beatles never sold their songs specifically for TV commercials. The fact remains, however, that they were NOT anti-materialistic idealists! THey were VERY well aware of how much money their music was worth, and were eager to make as much bread as they could while they could (because even John Lennon himself fully believed that the Beatles were a mere passing fad that the public would tire of in short order- all the more reason to make big bucks in a hurry). According to Paul McCartney, when he and Lennon got together to work on songs, Lennon would begin by cracking, “Okay Paul, let’s write a yacht,” or “Time to write a swimming pool, Paul.” Quite a few supposedly idealistic, pure, 60s bands did commercials. The Yardbirds did. The Who did. In fact, the Who actually did U.S. Army recruiting commercials at the height of the Viet Nam war! So, “selling out” is nothing new. Of course, it STILL stuns me when I hear a snippet from Ozzy Osbourne, Rush or Deep Purple on a commercial. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/6 "2001-01-04T01:41:06Z")
So, **astorian** , Whacha got on Springsteen? 😉 I’ve heard that he’s pretty darn idealistic. Wouldn’t allow one (any?) of his works to be used in a commercial. I know, I know. He fired the E Street guys. Even Clarence Clemmens. Whom he kissed on the _MOUTH!_ 😃 Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/7 "2001-01-04T02:09:47Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\* The Who did. In fact, the Who actually did U.S. Army recruiting commercials at the height of the Viet Nam war!_\* WHAAAAAAAAAT??? Show me some proof that the Who promoted America’s role in “Viet Nam” lest I be forced to rain blows upon you. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/8 "2001-01-04T02:44:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*The Who did. In fact, the Who actually did U.S. Army recruiting commercials at the height of the Viet Nam war! > \*\* “Hi, this is Pete Townsend. Kill some gooks before you get old; join the U.S. Army!” ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/9 "2001-01-04T05:27:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Torgo \* > \*\* > WHAAAAAAAAAT??? Show me some proof that the Who promoted America’s role in “Viet Nam” lest I be forced to rain blows upon you. \*\* Pete Townshend did do a promo for the US military (the Air Force I believe) in the 1960’s. This has been mentioned in several Who biographies, and the promo in question is available on bootleg. I’ve heard it myself. It doesn’t say anything about the war at all, it’s more along the lines of “There are many great career opportunities for young people in the military”. Pete Townshend later said that he deeply regretted agreeing to do the promo and that he never would have done so if he had been better informed at the time about the war in Vietnam. If it makes you feel any better, in the promo Townshend did not sound especially enthusiastic or convincing. He sounded more like a stoned kid reading off a cue card. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/10 "2001-01-04T20:02:56Z")
Well shut my mouth. I’m a Who fan going on 15 years now and that’s the first I’ve heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Improved\_Scott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@New\_Improved\_Scott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Improved_Scott)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/11 "2001-01-04T20:41:14Z")
This all sounds like you are expecting pop stars to have some sort of moral standing. These are people who wanted to be rich and famous. They sell music as a career. So when Microsoft bought “Start me up”, it was just another sale for Mick. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/12 "2001-01-05T04:47:33Z")
Not moral…we just want them to have the same outlook as us. Is that so much to ask? We deify them and they go and shatter our dreams? I tell you, at times I feel manipulated, used, utilized, violated…well sometimes. The rest of the time I’m pretty normal. What do you mean- what does Bruce’s singing “Dancing in the Dark” have to do with selling out? I think that’s a great song. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/13 "2001-01-05T05:47:01Z")
> [@](#): > > What do you mean- what does Bruce’s singing “Dancing in the Dark” have to do with selling out? I think that’s a great song. Me too, **Zoggie**. Some of his die-hard fans opined that it was too “pop”. Same with Dylan’s electric guitar. Peace, mangeorge. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/14 "2001-01-05T14:47:00Z")
Not to mention Mr. Townsend knocking Abbie Hoffman off the stage at Woodstock… astorian: Where have you ever heard an Ozzy song for a commercial? That sounds interesting! ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/15 "2001-01-05T17:55:29Z")
I would think that Sting advertising cars more open to critisism than other artists hawking other products. I meam, Sting has always had a very prominient pro-enviroment schtick. This seems a pretty big contradiction to that. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/16 "2001-01-05T21:55:53Z")
**Manda JO** has it right. It’s the who, what, and how, in context with the rest of their stated beliefs, that creates hypocrisy. If Britney Spears does an ad for Pepsi, nobody will think she’s a sellout, because that doesn’t contradict anything she’s previously said. But if she does an ad for Silicone Boob Hut ™, that’s a problem. Ditto for Sting hawking a big, expensive, high-emission automobile. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/17 "2001-01-05T22:15:36Z")
When I think of someone selling out, I think the poster child has to be **Rod Stewart** , who started off making some of the best rock ever, and then turned into some geriatric singing “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.” Or **Queen** , who had three near flawless albums, followed by 2 that had more good than bad, and then became a sideshow. Maybe the **Stones** , who seem to long ago given up even trying to put out decent music, and are now just a money making nostalgia machine. How can you complain about **Sting** selling out when he has always sucked, with the exception that the Police had a couple of tunes that were somewhat catchy until you got tired of them. At least **The Who** has the excuse that its members started dying and going infirm. Not sure how to categorize someone like: **Eric Clapton** who made some awesome music for a decade or so, and has consistently sucked for the last three; Or **Bruce Springsteen** who made 4 incredible albums, started slipping, and then became a superstar with his most mediocre album to that point. Good music is good music, whether it is used for commercial purposes or not. I can easily excuse an artist for making money off his work. I find it harder to excuse a telented artist who starts producing shit. ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/18 "2001-01-06T05:50:58Z")
> [@](#): > > astorian: Where have you ever heard an Ozzy song for a commercial? That sounds interesting! About 2 years ago (i saw it a lot while watching hockey playoffs), there was a car commercial that used the music from “Crazy Babies” … no singing, just the instrumental. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2001, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/19 "2001-01-06T06:39:33Z")
Probably a dumb question, but is Joan Osborne related to Ozzy? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2001, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305/20 "2001-01-06T22:47:05Z")
Mange- To answer your question, I don’t know. (Sorry!) But it is definitely something I have always wondered as well. It just seemed like a weird question that was obvious to all but me. 🙂 If I ever find out, I’ll fill you in. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-good-artists-go-bad/48305.md?page=2)