The only one that immediately comes to mind is Orson Scott Card. I disagree with him about a thousand things. But I do love his books. The concession I make is I never, ever buy his books. That’s what the library is for.
The thing with Tom Cruise is he seems like he’s realized it. I loved him in Tropic Thunder, and it was so far from “Cruise” and from his normal persona it really seemed like he is detaching himself from that whole insanity.
I think Charles Bukowski was a very talented writer. However, he himself was a repellent drunk. For that matter, for all the quality of his writing, it seems to promote the idea that alcoholism and wallowing in lowlife is somehow a wonderful pursuit to dwell on endlessly. I could never stand the jerk.
I’m not sure that’s all that weird. At some level, authors are much more directly putting themselves into their work than many other types of artists and are much more likely to be “preaching” through what they write even if inadvertantly.
For a frivolous example of such preaching, I’ll mention Jayne Anne Krentz–author of more romances than you can shake a stick at, under a variety of names. I know nothing of her life beyond what can be found in the blurb on the inside back cover. But in reading many of her books, I’ve wondered whether she’s a vegetarian, what her real thoughts are on the realm of the paranormal or psychic talent field, and I’d be shocked to discover that she wasn’t friendly towards gay rights.
The paranormal/psychic stuff has been the focus of some of her books, the gay stuff generally a throw away line (although there are several minor gay characters I can think of), and the vegetarian stuff somewhere in between.
Similarly, I loved the first couple books I read by Frances Ray, because she encorporated her characters spirituality into the books without writing “inspirational” fiction. (The characters in question were Christian, and doing things like saying grace before meals.) I’m Christian myself, and don’t particularily like having my entertainment blended with religious stuff.
Kind of both for me, but a lot of it is the money. I know what I personally spend on any given entertainment is a very tiny drop in the bucket, but it’s the principle of the thing. I also feel that if I dislike something strongly enough to refuse to pay for it, I’m not going to wiggle out of it by getting it without paying.
For example, Roman Polanski has never gotten one red cent from me, and in what is possibly a personal record for pedantry, I extend that to Jack Nicholson.
Mel Gibson is also on the list, although a little more recently, because he has crossed the line with his Catholics Behaving Badly routine.
Here’s a strange one … there is an author who is mostly known for mysteries that I have a personal issue with. I don’t want to say his name because I’m not 100% sure, but I’m 99% sure he used to make anonymous obscene phone calls to me personally.
The funny thing is that even though I think long and hard about this while standing in the bookstore, there have been several times where I bought his books anyway because I really do enjoy his writing. So I guess if you are a good enough writer, I’ll forgive a lot.
Tom Cruise has annoyed me lately with his antics and he makes me not want to go see his films, but when he popped up in Tropic Thunder I didn’t enjoy it any less and I actually thought he did a good job.
I’m the first to admit I haven’t looked at any of these ‘in depth’, but I’ve never heard anything bad about Charles Schultz, Isaac Asimov or Ray Bradbury. So a small group, but it’s also true that any one of them might have skeletons in the closet.
I simply feel that anyone who chooses their art over politics leads a very poor life.
No one on Earth agrees with anyone else about everything. The strongest disagreements I’ve ever had are with people who would be my natural political allies. And who better to get along with each other than families, who know each other the best? (Riiight).
After a lifetime spent stewing in the rot of political correctness, I find that the best antidote to said rot is to ignore it altogether. A life that is all about politics is a life I find unworthy of living. Politics is such a terribly small part of life-- to elevate it to the ultimate arbiter of taste in all other spheres of life is a vulgar corruption of life’s gifts.
I don’t like actors that I don’t enjoy. I don’t like authors that I don’t enjoy. I don’t like musicians that I don’t enjoy.
I don’t like politicians that I disagree with.**
If we could all understand, appreciate and accept that difference, life for all of us would be better for it.
**(Actually, that’s not true-- there are politicians I disagree with that I like quite a bit, I just disagree with their positions. That doesn’t make them a bad person, it just makes them wrong in my opinion. It’s up to me to convince them otherwise, or convince people to disagree with them. It’s called “democracy”).
Well, there was that recent biography and “American Masters” documentary that said Schultz as an unfaithful husband and emotionally distant parent who was prone to depressive mood shifts. There was also the implication that his first wife was the real force behind “Peanuts” since the strip, while continuing to be hugely popular, started tailing off creatively in the early 70s after he divorced her.
NDP I can’t hear you! <puts fingers into ears> La la la la la la la!
Okay, thinking back it seems I read something about Asimov having an unfortunate early marriage, or maybe I’m confusing the good Doctor with someone else. (Einstein maybe?)
Like The Tof, I can happily ignore their politics and get into the book or movie or song, until they reach that tipping point where I’m not able to enjoy separate them from the work. Tom Cruise is the perfect example, I thought he was one of the best actors of the 80s crop, he made great career choices. Now I can’t see him as a character anymore, he’s just crazy couch jumping guy trying to redeem himself in a Hitler movie.
Sometimes it happens even when artists aren’t hugely exposed, too. I saw the band Guster as an opening act when they were first breaking and thought they were cute as could be, and I like their type of music. When they got all loud and mouthy about PETA stuff, that became all I think of when I see or hear them. No more Guster, thanks.
I’ve read Asimov’s extensive, detailed autobiographies, and other than being a little arrogant (which it’s quite possible to find endearing) he seems to have been a decent person. His first marriage was a failure, but not because of any specific nastiness on Asimov’s part. (Of course, his wife didn’t write any books to express her point of view.)
He wrote quite a bit about other early sci-fi writers, and wondered himself about the failure of so many marriages among them.
I do have an off switch I guess. Georgette Heyer is my favourite author, but I only struggled through one of her “contemporary” novels - Helen. Its supposed to be quite autobiographical & it made me relise if I had ever met Heyer, I probably wouldn’t have liked her much. Agatha Christie is often contemptuous of the servants, but I feel she is a product of the times. For me the exception is NZ born crime writer Ngaio Marsh. Her almost almost cringing regard for the British upper classes comes through so strongly in her books that I just can’t read her.
In film, the only actor I can think of is Lindsay Lohan. I still enjoy re runs of Freaky Friday & Mean Girls on TV - but I feel sad at the same time. She had it all good looks, comedic talent & a pretty good singing voice - but a train wreck of a personal life as well. I just don’t think she is ever going to hit her full potential.
My pick would be Michael Crichton. I didn’t comment in the memorial threads, because I didn’t want to threadshit, but this man was a royal prick. Racist, sexist, arrogant, and absolutely brutal toward anyone who dares disagree with his mostly idiotic viewpoints. Reading his autobiography Travels, I was struck by his arrogance and selfishness.
But damn, he could write. Both Congo and Sphere are two of my favorite guilty pleasures. I even read Rising Sun from time to time just for the laughs. It’s just that writing was one of the few things he could do. When it came to actual science, Crichton wasn’t half as smart as he thought he was. That and his prick-titude turned me off from the the man if not from his writing.
On edit: One actress I refuse to support is Jane Fonda. Of course, it’s not that hard, seeing as how her acting sucks harder than than the Old Sow whirlpool . . .
And how many times did he mention his son compared to how many he mentioned his beautiful blue-eyed daughter Robin?
That answer tells you everything you need to know about Asimov the father.
Wait, seriously? I never heard about this. My childhood… 
I have it on very, very good first-hand authority that he couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
I can’t stand Pete Wentz (Lead singer of Fall Out Boy). I still listen to their music, but I loathe him as a person. It’s based on an article I read about him. He was quoted as saying some things I found particularly despicable.
I try to judge an author/actor/singer’s work based on it’s quality of content, and not by the views of the purveyor of that content.
Although, I think one group that really turned me off to them by their actions/attitudes was Metallica and the whole Napster business, although I have recently read articles by Lars Ulrich (the official voice of Metallica), and do not feel so severe towards them. There was a while there though where I just didn’t listen to Metallica at all.
Do you know any details, or do you infer from this omission that Asimov was a bad father? Asimov wrote a short chapter on his son where he describes David as a “gentleman of leisure”. Essentially, he gave the impression that there wasn’t really much to say about him.
Obviously with an autobiography you only get one side of the story, and the later books are less detailed anyway. He doesn’t mention any conflict with his son, but then he hardly mentions him at all, while gushing over his daughter.
I can believe that, since he seemed proud of what he called flirting with young women.
Considering how absurdly disappointed I was to learn that “James Herriot” wasn’t his real name, I have been hesitant to delve more into his real life.
I discovered Ayn Rand at age 13 (*Atlas Shrugged *was the first book of hers that I read) and, while my opinion of her philosophy has changed some over the years, a lot of it still resonates with me and I still enjoy her books.
That said, I really wish I hadn’t looked further into her personal life by reading various biographies and watching The Passion of Ayn Rand. That woman was seriously messed up emotionally and in her personal life, and I found myself disliking her more than a bit by the time I finished.
I still like the books, though, and re-read *Atlas Shrugged *every few years.