I won't give money to labels who rip people off, or have ever been known to rip people off.
I don't care if they are reformed and repented, they fucked up.
You can't tell me that you believe in your work when you don't believe in getting to the post office within a month.
One interesting thing about this so-called "fringe community" is that little talk about the nuanced paramaters of art happens, but much talk about being offended happens. I am unashamedly devout about the art of the thing. Power Electronics / exploration of power dynamics as art. Industrial culture as art. It will be looked at in a similar way as Dadaism when it comes down to it. I don't think it's pseudo-intellectual to do this. I think smart people can be raw too. What often carries over is a sort of half-wit feeling of "show business" in the ability to offend people, and I'm bored by that. I will support what I think is visionary work, no matter how offensive, to my dying day, but I do draw a line with being bored.
I won't lie that I do get disappointed when I think someone has true artistic intent and I find out they are simply nefarious, part of the "scene", desperate for attention, or without any of their own ideas. It still baffles me what inspires certain people to continue, other than some sort of vicarious feeling of being part of some mythical legacy of imaginary cliques.
That said, an image is subjective. People couldn't look at Pee Wee Herman the same when Paul Reubens was caught masturbating in a porn theater. That is a testament to Pee Wee's character. I personally have been able to separate Paul Reubens from Pee Wee Herman, even as a kid. I am not a fan per se, but I haven't lost respect for him. I still don't mind buying records by Gary Glitter, even though he is now in jail for some business he did in Thailand. Dr. Seuss cheated on his wife when she was dying of cancer. Do the kids who read it need a disclaimer? I still think if I had a child, I would let Dr. Seuss into the bookshelf. These are the most obvious comparisons. People who excel in any arena are going to be prone to neurosis/neglect in another arena, that is to be expected.
If someone is a dick to me in person, I won't ever buy their stuff again. I am not too keen on mollycoddling egomaniacs.
