glad to see a rational and civilized discussion in this thread. some of my thoughts:
when i first read KC’s book, i had somewhat similar reaction as several others. in my mind - although i do understand these are all unconfirmed allegations as far as we know – those two snippets from KC’s book (especially Christina Conte episode) confirmed that there is substance to what CAH described. so, i couldn’t listen to LB’s music anymore, i stopped providing LB-related musical info through social media, and was considering canceling the already booked may trip to see his solo shows.
after talking to some people who have actually personally known LB during the last decade and who insisted that the man they know now is not the man described in books listing events from 20-35 years ago, and a lot of additional discussion, i believe that all that therapy he appears to have been through in the last 20 odd years was probably mostly about abusive / violent behavior and substance abuse. and that he did manage to change – and a lot of classic LB talk about the importance and power of change is probably about the same thing.
the man you meet now is completely incompatible with the picture from 20-30 years ago. not just that he is incredibly nice and sweet as many others have described when talking about their experiences of meeting him, but he is also… well, for the lack of a better word – so human.
he definitely seems to have mellowed down. he may still be this crazy genius artist, or have a temper… but many people do – violent temper is one thing but actually crossing the line into physical abuse is another.
i feel fiercely protective of LB now, after being lucky enough to meet him several times in the last month or so.
however, if i would hear that he has not changed and [alleged] abusive behavior is still happening and he doesn't see anything wrong with it, that would be the end of my LB musical addiction too. period.
so to sum up - my 0.02:
abuse should NEVER be justified or condoned. by anybody. EVER.
but i believe that a person can redeem themselves and change. if they did, they should be given credit for it.
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