After finding out about the bullying thing, I have no idea what to think about Cornelius anymore. Can anyone shed some light on it?

I guess most people in the sub already know this, but for anyone who doesn't, it came out last year that he and his friends literally tortured a few mentally disabled kids in high school. Tied them up, beat them, forced them to strip, masturbate, and eat feces for their amusement, stuff that goes way beyond normal bullying. ...Then in the 90's, would recount it and laugh about it in interviews. But I was late to the party and just heard about it yesterday. I'd liked his music for years but never bothered to learn much about him.

I know, "death of the author," "art not the artist," etc, but knowing that makes all the cheerfulness in his music seem fake and slimy, which ruins it for me. Fantasma was on its way to becoming one of my favorite albums, but now that I know it came from the era where he was joking about having tortured a kid like it was fun, I just listen to it and feel nothing. My first thought was that he must be one of those people like Pogo who makes wholesome music to cover up for being a turd IRL.

But on the other hand, I don't actually know. It was forty years ago, in the 80's when bullying was generally way worse, and he's adamant that it wasn't as bad as the media made it out to be. He says most of it was done by his friends while he stood on the sidelines and watched, which... isn't that much better, but at least isn't future serial killer type shit.

And his apology might have been weak, but he's a middle-aged dad now, so he's probably changed. I saw an anonymous Japanese source online saying nah, he's still a complete prick, but since it's just one anon, I'm taking it with a grain of salt.

Any opinions? Know anything about him that I don't that could help clarify it?