Ted Nugent has made a series of denialist statements since the beginning of the pandemic . Opposed to the use of masks and skeptical about the effectiveness of vaccines and the number of deaths, the 72-year-old musician tested positive for COVID-19 this week.
Following the news, colleagues from the artistic community commented on the guitarist's diagnosis. The stance taken by Dee Snider and Sebastian Bach raised a recurring ethical question in times of greater social awareness: Is it possible to separate the art from the artist?
On social media, Snider laughed at the news. “This… is… just beautiful! I have zero sympathy for loudmouth deniers who take the thing they denied existed! People suffered and died while Ted literally called COVID-19 bullshit,” wrote Twisted Sister vocalist .
When a follower commented that he loved Nugent's discography but tried to separate the work from his political stances, the singer addressed the musician's work. "Brother, I also love Ted's music. And I do the same. I try not to confuse the artist with the art. It's often difficult," he explained.
Commenting on Snider's post, Sebastian Bach demonstrated a different perspective when it comes to appreciating the denialist's discography and pointed out how Nugent insists on calling COVID-19 the "Chinese virus," a form of racism.
“Zero sympathy for hatred towards Asians. If you want to spread hate, you’ll get hate back, no problem. Zero sympathy for anyone who uses racist terms. For every musician like that, there’s a guy like me or Dee who won’t accept it. And furthermore, we’re bigger than them,” Bach wrote. “You’re not sick from a virus from China. You’re sick from being ignorant in America.”
In another tweet, the Skid Row vocalist continued his line of reasoning. “When I wrote my book six years ago, it broke my heart to write parts about my childhood heroes that were just too disturbing to ignore,” he continued. “I’m ready to offer my extensive collection to Tom Morello , I have no more use for it. It makes my house smell bad.”
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