Clifford was found guilty of raping his ex-partner Louise before murdering her and her family at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
The 26-year-old former soldier became “enraged” when his Louise ended their 18-month relationship - which led to him plotting the “carefully planned and executed” killings on July 9 last year.
Clifford gained access to the family home by deceiving 61-year-old Carol Hunt, the wife of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, before stabbing her to death in a “brutal knife attack”.
After killing Mrs Hunt, the defendant then “lay in wait” for an hour for Louise to enter the house, before restraining, raping and ultimately murdering her with a crossbow.
He then fatally shot 28-year-old Hannah Hunt when she returned to the property in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, after work.
Less than 24 hours before the murders, Clifford had searched for Andrew Tate’s podcast, with prosecutor Alison Morgan KC telling the court: “It’s misogynistic, trying to control Louise Hunt in the context of a final act of spite. You can see how the mind was working.”
I don’t think that’s wrong, though I think he picked a bad choice with columbine as both shooters were bullies themselves and not loner outcasts as perceived.
However it wasn’t my point, which obviously didn’t get across given the response, my point is that artist intention doesn’t always matter, we easily accept the concept of death of the author when critiquing works, and we also easily accept that at least some forms of media have a direct effect on people’s decision making. So while I don’t think any artist should be censored, I do think it’s foolish to imply that just because something is in a song (or by an extension, is played by a character) it means that nothing bad can happen.
If SpongeBob was telling kids how to stick a fork in the outlet is it fine because SpongeBob is a character
Besides, according to the man himself, on his own website, the lyrics are about relating to the shooters. From eminem.com - “Eminem was often bullied growing up, so part of him understands the desire to lash out at your entire school that the Columbine shooters felt”
I like Eminem but let’s be real, this is a shock lyric, there is not much deeper meaning and the rest of the verse moves on quickly.
Also, didn’t em himself have multiple songs and music videos about his influence and how children shouldn’t listen to his music