Can we separate the art from the person who made it? Not in the case of a monster like Rolf Harris | Paul Daley

I met Harris before his crimes came to light. Even then I sensed his public image was a facade

I’m not convinced by the old adage that we should never meet our idols because they are bound to disappoint us. I’ve never wanted to approach human exceptionalism quite so cynically.

Yes, I’m acutely, painfully conscious that the world is replete with terrible events and bad people. But I’m counting myself fortunate that purely by dint of birth I live somewhere (and I don’t just mean my neighbourhood) where human capacity for kindness, generosity and, yes, civility, are not the exception.

Paul Daley is a Guardian Australia columnist