Art > Life?

If you could go back in time and tell an artist, musical or otherwise to steer clear of their addiction or self destructive habits would you? Even if it meant they might not create their masterpieces?

No. A lot of what we hear and see today is because those fucked up people wanted to do something while they were fucked up. I'm completely fine knowing or not knowing what they did. Artistic evolution will take it's own course.

Umm why would I do that, if I did that then we wouldn't have such great remixes of classical musics like Kanon.

No, let them self-destruct so long as they make awesome things to listen to or look at.

Um... no, its thier choice what do to do with their life right? I mean if it was a love one i would feel horrified by it but its fundamentaly thier choice aint it?

No, because some of the best works of art and music were done when people were fucked up on something and if the weren't on drugs or alcohol then many of the greatest works of art and music wouldn't exist.

Let them do whatever they want. They do that because it's a best way to live, in their opinion, and we must respect their choices. They're mainly idealistic peoples, it's impossible to change people like that.

Being an artist does not mean they are idealistic. It means they have a vision they wish to portray, and through the medium of art is the easiest and best way for them to do so. It doesn't have to be profound, it doesn't have to have any philosophical meaning, there doesn't have to be any value to what they are saying. Most of what people wish to say has already been said. We are just trying to find ways to say it that make us comfortable, or happy, or rich. Maybe a new way to show an old saying. Or maybe it's the tortured expressions of someones heart. Their broken mind trying to convey pain. Drugs ease it. Help to expose what they wanted to express. I got sidetracked and forgot where I was going with this.

@ SC: All the artists that inspired me are mainly idealistic peoples =)

Good on ya. Idealism and holding up what's right and good...

This song is fucking sex.

~Even i'm not an artist,but i think ART=LIVE~

Yes:

Why not stop them moments before they died? That way, they can release all the stuff we know about it, and perhaps even more. What if Kurt Cobain had lived (suicide or murder, who the hell cares anymore?) and taken a break from the industry, then come back a few years later with a new album? It might be shit, but it might be good, too.

Eh, messing with the past and people's lives and shit is crazy. If we're going to let an artist be depressed and commit suicide just so we can have a good book or album, why not take proactive steps? Yes - why don't we make people depressed, hoping that they'll turn out something good? Maybe if I treat my kid like shit and ruin any chance he has of being truly close to another person, he'll write the greatest book ever.

Your words reminds me of Time Machine by H.G Wells

If you killed that guy off, how you know for sure we wouldn't have a Red Alert game like world? Hmmm?

At least he wouldn't be the one to get the xbox achievement.

I probably would have told Ernest Hemingway to hang on for a couple more years. I would have wanted him to make one last deprecating piece about loneliness, excessive drinking, safari hunting, and misogyny and title it, "Why I'm Killing Myself." Then I would've said, thank you, Ernest Hemingway. Now you can rest in peace.

edit: Sadly, I'm an art > life person, because I feel every person only has a handful of great stories to tell/pieces to create, and they repeat these stories/pieces with more or less emphasis each time. There are some prolific artists out there who can reinvent themselves a couple of times, but it's better not to tamper with an artist's creative life span. The satisfaction of an artist's death often completes his artistic achievements.

WTF? what game is that from