Bassnectar, Problematic Artists And Narrative Control

Is it possible to separate art from its problematic artist? 

It’s a debate that’s been at the heart of the #MeToo movement since it took off in 2017. It’s a question that was asked in the wake of revelations about Michael Jackson, about Louis C.K., about R. Kelly, and many more.

Now, it’s a question that fans ofEDM star Bassnectar, or Lorin Ashton, are asking themselves.

1A‘s own Avery Jessa Chapnick reported a piece for Vice about allegations against Ashton:

VICE also spoke with seven more women who were over 18 when they interacted with Ashton. Their stories mimicked Bowling and Ramsbottom’s. According to their accounts, Ashton maintained numerous secret years-long relationships with young fans, most in their early 20s or teenagers when they met. At what they say was his insistence, all kept the details of their relationship secret from their friends and family and deleted almost all of their text and email conversations with him, though some of the women shared with VICE extensive remaining emails and texts between them and Ashton that back up their accounts.

Ashton has denied these allegations.

How do fans grapple with allegations against their favorite artists? And what comes of the community they’ve built?

We talk about Bassnectar’s alleged victims and the community he built with Avery Kleinman.

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