The art and the artist

 

Phil Spector and John Lennon

Phil Spector died today. He was 81. TMZ.com is reporting he died of COVID-19.

Phil Spector was a murderer. He murdered an actress named Lana Clarkson in 2003.

Phil Spector was a lousy husband. He was abusive. His ex-wife, the great Ronnie Spector, wrote on Facebook: "He was a brilliant producer, but a lousy husband. 

"Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio. Darkness set in, many lives were damaged."

Phil Spector was a brilliant artist, serving as a writer and producer for a whole lot of great music, beginning with the Teddy Bears and their number-one hit "To Know Him Is to Love Him" in 1958.

Then came The Crystals.

Then came Darlene Love.

Then came The Ronnettes.

Then came The Righteous Brothers.

Then came Ike and Tina Turner.

And then he retired, walking away after the mindblowing "River Deep -- Mountain High" by Ike and Tina in 1966.

He was just 27.

Then he was back.

Then he was brought to England by Allen Klein, then managing (or destroying -- my own $.02) The Beatles.

Spector won a few and lost some others. He produced "Instant Karma!" for John Lennon but hacked Let It Be -- the album originally called Get Back that The Beatles had abandoned. Paul McCartney thought it was so bad that he revived it over 30 years later as Let It Be... Naked, scraping out what some thought was overwrought strings and production elements that Spector added.

For what it's worth, the power of The Beatles' music means both products stand up just fine, including "The Long and Winding Road" which McCartney was so furious about in its 1970 release.

Spector was also the producer for efforts by George Harrison and John Lennon throughout the 1970s. Needless to say, McCartney never worked with Spector (Macca had no knowledge of what Spector did to Let It Be until the album was finished).

Lana Clarkson

But, it bears repeating: Phil Spector murdered Lana Clarkson in 2003.

And there's the problem. The art and the artist can sometimes be two different things. History is loaded with these sometimes awful human beings who make remarkable creations. I remember as the #MeToo movement began to build, I found myself wondering if I could ever watch things like Pulp Fiction again, given things that were being said about Quentin Tarantino? What about anything with Kevin Spacey?

So, today, as news of Phil Spector's death broke, I wondered if it was OK to listen to "Then He Kissed Me" or "Da Doo Ron Ron" or "Be My Baby" (whoa oh oh oh) or "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'?"

Obviously, I'm not going to burn any of my Beatles items (including the solo releases) just because Spector was involved. I'm still going to enjoy "What is Life" and "Bangla Desh" and "Imagine."

Even The Ramones doing "Rock 'n' Roll High School" and "Baby I Love You."

There's a whole lot of brilliance in there, in which the producer -- Sam Phillips, Sir George Martin, Spector, Rick Rubin, Barry Gordy, Niles Rodgers, Trevor Horn -- are an extension of the music. In some cases, it's hard to separate the people making the music without thinking of the producer, and Spector's "Wall of Sound" is a primary example.

I'm not grieving Phil Spector's death.

I'm not sad.

He was a monster.

Anyone praising Phil Spector's work today isn't wrong. A legacy can be complicated.

But, it bears repeating: Phil Spector murdered Lana Clarkson in 2003.

His life ended in prison for that crime.

That is the final piece of that legacy.

That is the conundrum that is faced.