Informal Reader Poll: Who Should Just Shut up and Play?

You don’t have to be smart to be talented. This fact has caused probably more frustration among fans of art than anything else, because fans connect with art on an emotional level that sometimes feels like an artist has touched their very soul… and then, when that artist speaks, they discover that the person who made them feel less alone is an idiot, an asshole, or both.

Obviously, this is true in metal, which draws an extreme crowd of extreme people with extreme and not-always-informed opinions. And while it’s easy to blow off an artist whose personal views are, say, extreme to the point of harmful–you know, the racists, the creeps, the complete pricks–it’s harder to blow off artists whose music you love, but whose opinions you find longwinded, or obnoxious, or just boooring.

So you tell us: which artist do you wish would just shut the fuck up and play music? Who’s your favorite musician who makes you cringe every time you see them open their mouth between songs? Who do you keep at a slight distance, as a fan, because the last time you read one of their rants on social media, you rolled your eyes and groaned?

Let us know in the comments section. No wrong answers.