July 23, 2011

"Singer Amy Winehouse was found dead at her apartment in London on Saturday..."

"She was 27."

ADDED: "Last month, the north Londoner pulled out of her European tour after she was jeered at her comeback gig in Serbia for appearing too drunk to perform."

Extremely sad.

AND: Another member of the "27 Club":
The 27 Club, also occasionally known as the Forever 27 Club or Club 27, is a name for a group of influential rock music artists who died at the age of 27. The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll details the history of the phenomenon.
The big ones from circa 1970 were Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. More recently, Kurt Cobain. Amy Winehouse's name has already been added to the list at the link.

ALSO: My son Chris IM's: "this is the video i always thought would be referenced if she died young."
My odds are stacked
I'll go back to black...
We only said good-bye with words
I died a hundred times
You go back to her
And I go back to black
Chris says: "and if you wanna see something really sad, here's her trying to perform the same song about a month ago"



AND: Last dance.

AND: From the WSJ article:
"Her music was extraordinary," said local resident Tessa Crockett, 58, who bundled a bouquet of arum lillies to place outside a police cordon around Ms. Winehouse's flat. "She wasn't able to handle anything like the fame that she had. I feel very much for her parents."...

"She kind of started the whole 60s-style singer songwriting," said 23-year-old Natasha Wynarczyk, a Londoner who described the singer's style as "fierce" and sometimes copied Ms. Winehouse's beehive hairstyle on nights out. "She definitely spearheaded the movement for new female artists. At the time it was male dominated music or male-fronted bands."...

"She didn't want to be controlled," said 30-year-old Andrew Tunesi, an administrator from South London, who brought roses along with a friend to Ms. Winehouse's home. "She had a mind of her own and wanted to do her own thing."

126 comments:

Triangle Man said...

So it wasn't just an act for publicity after all.

chickelit said...

Lots of performing artists never make it past 27.

Ann Althouse said...

Yeah. Kurt Cobain was 27.

Palladian said...

Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain all died at age 27. Does some major biological change happen at 27 that causes excess to become terminal?

Anonymous said...

Very very sad, but not unexpected. I heard about her antics before I heard her music, and was predisposed to dismiss her. When I heard her voice, though, I was blown away.

Palladian said...

And Brian Jones and Jean-Michel Basquiat..

chickelit said...

Brian Jones was 27 too.

But Duane Allman was only 24.

G Joubert said...

The 27 Club.

WV = fatualst

Go figure.

The Crack Emcee said...

Damn.

I was always pulling for her.

I won't cry - she was too much trouble - but it's a crying shame.

Anonymous said...

OT -

I guess I'm feeling nostalgic today. I walked in on my daughters watching an old episode of Project Runway and heard the judge say "Entirely too much tootie."

wv: uparti - sadly relevant to the Amy Winehouse news

erictrimmer said...

The title of best female soul singer in the UK now goes to... Adele?

HT said...

Nine year cycles.

erictrimmer said...

Sorry. Best white female soul singer in the UK.

Missed a word.

madAsHell said...

Sounds like she died alone.

How does that happen? ...or did her torment drive everyone away?

LilEvie said...

They wanna make me go to rehab, I say no, no, no.

Greg Hlatky said...

Least surprising news of 2011. I'm actually amazed it took so long. Another dead druggie: yawn.

Trooper York said...

What will Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig do now?

traditionalguy said...

Karen Carpenter was only 32.

They all seemed to be under the control of a strong bondage to drugs or alcohol.

RIP, all of you beautiful singers.

Chef Mojo said...

Not unexpected. Sad, but not unexpected.

rhhardin said...

My ears hardly recognize her stuff at YouTube as actual music.

John Blow Ode on the Death of Mr Henry Purcell, more what registers.

Palladian said...

Listening to a bunch of her songs again, she really was enormously talented. I'm also struck by the strangeness of hearing a contemporary popular musician's recorded voice without 100 pounds of digital pancake makeup.

AlanH said...

Robert Johnson, the legendary bluesman, would probably be considered the original member of the 27 Club. He died in 1938 at age 27.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Oh No!!

MayBee said...

I heard a few years ago (to lazy to look it up) that the job with the shortest life expectancy is UK Rock Star. Expected life span is in the 40's. And not much different for US Rock Stars.

Titus said...

So sad. What a waste of talent.

That video is completely sad and tragic.

Methadras said...

Aren't drugs awesome?!?!?! YAY!!! I hope she did'nt die from an OD, and if she didn't, maybe her poor ticker gave out.

Joe said...

Does some major biological change happen at 27 that causes excess to become terminal?

There may be. When I was in college, I could eat as much as I wanted and my weight wouldn't budge above 135 (I was a skinny kid.) If I was busy and not eating much, it would drop to 130 and not go below that.

When I was 26, I suddenly put on 15 pounds in eight months. Soon after, I was talking to some colleagues all around my same age and something similar happened to every single one of them. Between 25 and 27, they not only gained weight, but couldn't drink as much and hangovers got much worse and lasted longer.

My guess; we stop growing in our mid-twenties and it's all downhill from there.

Anonymous said...

"Live fast. Die young. Leave a good looking corpse."

She messed up the last part.

Methadras said...

She really was a tremendously talented girl. The fame she acquired she was not ready for. The perverse world of that fame overshadowed her will and her ability to be a functional human being who could have harnessed that talent in tremendous ways. She never got out of the fog because she was lost in it.

Michael said...

It was so very important not to conform.

I have lost half a dozen friends over the years to the same compulsion to avoid conforming. They have died drunk and alone leaving a slipstream of misery and grief for their children and parents and exes.

viator said...

"They tried to make me go to rehab but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I've been black but when I come back you'll know know know
I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine
He's tried to make me go to rehab but I won't go go go

I'd rather be at home with ray
I ain't got seventy days
Cause there's nothing
There's nothing you can teach me
That I can't learn from Mr Hathaway

I didn't get a lot in class
But I know it don't come in a shot glass

They tried to make me go to rehab but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I've been black but when I come back you'll know know know
I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine
He's tried to make me go to rehab but I won't go go go

The man said 'why do you think you here'
I said 'I got no idea
I'm gonna, I'm gonna lose my baby
so I always keep a bottle near'
He said 'I just think you're depressed,
this me, yeah baby, and the rest'

Amy Winehouse

Narcissistic pop singer crashes and burns amidst the wreckage of modern pop culture.

Titus said...

What does one digest to get that fucked up? She can barely stand in that video.

Is it just lots of alcohol or is it a combination of alcohol and drugs?

Palladian said...

I wish you hadn't posted that concert video. Dreadful, and they kept pushing her back out there when it was obvious that she couldn't do it.

Patrick said...

I'm going to show that list of dead 27 yo's to my kids.

galdosiana said...

So sad, yet not surprising. I wish these people could see with an objective eye what they do to themselves...unfortunately that doesn't happen very often.

paminwi said...

@traditional guy: Karen Carpenter died of heart failure, which they attributed to her years of anorexia. No drugs or alcohol involved.

Jim S. said...

This is so sad. Some people just can't handle drugs and alcohol. I was very fortunate in that I got drunk for about seven years and then just got bored with it and stopped.

Palladian said...

"When I was 26, I suddenly put on 15 pounds in eight months. Soon after, I was talking to some colleagues all around my same age and something similar happened to every single one of them. Between 25 and 27, they not only gained weight, but couldn't drink as much and hangovers got much worse and lasted longer."

Yeah, that was about the age that I started to gain weight a lot faster. I'd always been pudgy, but around age 27 it really started to be a problem.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

October Song

Today my bird flew away
gone to find her big blue jay
Starlight before she took flight
I sung a lullaby of bird land everynight
I sang a lullaby every night
sang for my Ava every night.

Ava was the morning, now she's gone
she's reborn like Sarah Vaughan
In the sanctuary she has found
birds surround her sweet sound
and Ava flies in paradise
and Ava flies in paradise

With dread I woke in my bed
to shooting pains up in my head
Lovebird, my beautiful bird
Spoken 'til one day she couldn't be heard
She spoke until one day she coudlnt be heard
she just stopped singing

Ava was the morning, now she's gone
she's reborn like Sarah Vaughan
In the sanctuary she has found
birds surround her sweet sound
and Ava flies in paradise [x3]

Palladian said...

"Some people just can't handle drugs and alcohol. I was very fortunate in that I got drunk for about seven years and then just got bored with it and stopped."

I'm the same, in that I can drink enormously or not at all, it's never been a compulsion. It was like that when I smoked off and on. Finally I just stopped, no big deal.

But some people clearly lack that mechanism, including both living and dead former drug/alcohol fiends in my family.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I cant remember getting this upset over somebody I never met dying.

This is really fucked up.

The Dude said...

Hmm - Lady Gaga is 25...

kimsch said...

Very sad, but not too surprising.

Ann Althouse said...

"I wish you hadn't posted that concert video. Dreadful, and they kept pushing her back out there when it was obvious that she couldn't do it."

Watching it, I felt like I was watching the movie I fear they will eventually make about her and that was some actress hamming it up trying to look like the drunken Amy Winehouse.

Palladian said...

"Hmm - Lady Gaga is 25..."

Lady Gaga has no discernible artistic talent. If she "dies", it will be a performative marketing stunt, complete with wacky costumes.

Patrick said...

On second thought, I will wait until they are old enough to understand how young 27 is.

Trooper York said...

Here is another disaster with Charlotte Church!

Sad.

AllenS said...

Justin Bieber will never die. He will live, like forever.

Trooper York said...

And that was when she was relatively sober.

The Crack Emcee said...

galdosiana,

I wish these people could see with an objective eye what they do to themselves...unfortunately that doesn't happen very often.

Please, you get dissed if you have an objective eye. This society is culturally cancerous. What are the options on offer?

I blame a death like hers on those around us, who demand nonsense as a way of life, which is probably 75% of the population.

I don't consider most people - no matter how much money they have - to be any kind of support what-so-ever. We do this to each other, and then, when the inevitable happens, get all "so sad." Fuck all that noise:

What were we in before everybody decided to get back to reality - and what did you do then to stop it? I was rooting for Amy.

Y'all were tripping as hard as she was.

Trooper York said...

Luckily you don't have to worry Crack.

Only talented musicians die young.

Just sayn'

Titus said...

Alcoholics should have to watch videos of other Alcoholics.

It kind makes you not want to get piss drunk seeing another drunk.

I drink usually once a week-2-3 cocktails. That's all I can handle. After 2 drinks I am wasted.

As for drugs I have tried most everything once, except heroin, and never liked drugs. I always felt paranoid no matter what drug I tried. In my early 20's I was on a mission to find a drug that I would enjoy- without any luck. So everyone around me would be fucked up and I would be puking and wanting to go home. I realized that drugs were never my thing.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Maybe its a selfish thing to desire and love that kind of talent.. I don't know.

All I know is the song field today is barren desolate and she was great.

Titus said...

Troop you are such a bitch but I love it.

That was hilarious.

Palladian said...

"Luckily you don't have to worry Crack.

Only talented musicians die young.

Just sayn'"

Ouch.

Well deserved, though.

The Crack Emcee said...

Trooper York,

Luckily you don't have to worry Crack.

Only talented musicians die young.

Just sayn'


Ouch. In your dreams, cowboy.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Sad. I don't know who wrote her songs but she had a sense of humor. I like that. She was edgy.
-------------------------
You can't sit down right,
Cuz you jeans are too tight,
And your lucky its ladies night.

With your big empty purse,
Every week it gets worse,
At least your breasts cost more than hers.

So you did Miami,
Cuz you got there for free,
But somehow you missed the plane.

You did too much E,
Met somebody,
And spent the night getting caned.

The Crack Emcee said...

Palladian,

Well deserved, though.

Oh yeah? Where are your reviews, calling you a genius - at anything?

I know you're a coward, which is the lowest thing a man can be, so your opinion less-than-matters.

Trooper York said...

Hey who can bust your balls if I don't brother.

(In reality Crack is a very talented musician. Not my style as I am a big Luther Campbell fan but still a lot of fun)

Trooper York said...

If Crack let me be his manager he would be appearing on American Idol with a bunch of hot ho's popping the coochie.

But then I am a sell out.

Crack has that there integrity thingy.

A. Shmendrik said...

An exit every bit as graceful as Judy Garland. Rather than commenting on her age and how it coincided with the deaths of other celebrities - I'd point out a more highly correlated element - and that is a network of people relatively close to her who stood around and let it happen. I'm talking agents, staff, publicity consultants, bandmates, etc. And the best part is that all of those folks who did nothing now get to appear on E! or in the tabloids, raking in $ to describe what it was like, without ever having to answer the question - why didn't you do something to help? Elvis's Memphis Mafia (apparently a bunch of bodyguards, roadies, staff and hangers on) actually sell hats, t-shirts and probably do their version of Grave-Line Tours to Graceland. And that story repeats itself over and over (Michael Jackson's entourage, etc., etc., etc.) and the press never asks.

I never listened to her stuff, except for "Rehab" which could not be avoided at its peak. I did love her trashiness - especially the "Daddy's Girl" tattoo.

The Dude said...

Troop, you are a "big fan" of anything or anyone you like. That's just how you roll.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Crack has that there integrity thingy.

Hey Trooper, leave my friend Crack alone.

Take The Box

Trooper York said...

Hey I love Crack.

But I tell you one thing Lem.

Nobody wants Amy's box.

Who knows what's been in there.

Just sayn'

Palladian said...

"Oh yeah? Where are your reviews, calling you a genius - at anything?"

I don't need reviews to tell me that I'm a genius, though if you're interested there's a moldy old one in the NYT somewhere.

"I know you're a coward, which is the lowest thing a man can be, so your opinion less-than-matters."

Yet you just can't keep yourself from talking to me! Odd!

You sit at your computer and call nearly everyone pretty much every name in the book, yet you have this weird, narcissistic complex that makes you expect people to polish your knob and read your whiny shit. I don't know what to call that, but cowardice isn't bad.

Man, I love a good brawl at a funeral. I think Amy would appreciate it.

Big Mike said...

Strange to think of Edna St.Vincent Millay:

"My candle burns at both ends
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
It gives a lovely light."

The Crack Emcee said...

A. Shmendrik,

Rather than commenting on her age and how it coincided with the deaths of other celebrities - I'd point out a more highly correlated element - and that is a network of people relatively close to her who stood around and let it happen. I'm talking agents, staff, publicity consultants, bandmates, etc. And the best part is that all of those folks who did nothing now get to appear on E! or in the tabloids, raking in $ to describe what it was like, without ever having to answer the question - why didn't you do something to help?

Because they don't know how. This hippie/post-hippie era is of a lost generation. They can't even help themselves. And anyone who tries to help is almost considered the enemy.

Listen to Ann on that other thread with Rebecca Watson - Ann gets pissed because I'm sure of myself. How dare I be sure of myself? Anyone who is as sure of themselves as I am better have some money, or something else Ann finds impressive, because the idea that merely knowing shit has value isn't going to cut it - in her world or anyone else's. (Only Rush can be right 99.6% of the time, right?) No, people like me are to be crushed, ridiculed, put through the grinder, because the lowest common denominator expressions of worth make it easy to do that.

I've been saying I need money to make a difference in this world. How many here have contributed? Why not? I'll tell you:

Because, for whatever reason, you think you know better than I do - and you will only do what you think I need - not what I tell you.

Amy Winehouse needed some real and decisive friends, like me, not some mealy-mouthed, well you can look at it this way or that, bullshit assholes like most people. I don't care if you're college professors or billionaires, or whatever, most of you don't know shit and despise (and refuse to help) anyone who does.

This is fucking Jr. High school featuring the kids as adults.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Here she is thinking out loud.

The Crack Emcee said...

Palladian,

Yet you just can't keep yourself from talking to me! Odd!

You're the one who stuck your nose out at the mention of my name, asshole.

And I really think you ought to keep all mention of polishing my knob out of your mouth before you find yourself doing so.

You know, you not only are an idiot but a major disappointment to me, because I never attacked you - I just challenged you to get real because I used to respect you.

What a mistake that was,...

bagoh20 said...

Nothing is so unfairly distributed as artistic talent.

For instance, I have none, and despite the best attempts by human disease, I will not die. It's so unfair for everyone.

Kensington said...

I bought one of her albums from Amazon a couple of years ago and then immediately regretted it, not because it wasn't good music but because I realized that buying it was only going to enable her to keep hurting herself.

Palladian said...

"I bought one of her albums from Amazon a couple of years ago and then immediately regretted it, not because it wasn't good music but because I realized that buying it was only going to enable her to keep hurting herself."

She would have kept hurting herself even if no one bought her records. Addiction like that is a rapacious beast that doesn't stop for lack of money.

Roger J. said...

sorry for her death and the impact it has on her family, but the lady seemed to be pretty fucked up--most people handle fucked pretty well--Ms Winehouse not so much

nonetheless--RIP

edutcher said...

The 27 Club?

How about the Stupid Club?

I'm really sick of watching train wrecks like this because we're all supposed to feel sorry and lament the waste when they finally hit the wall.

No, I just can't have any sympathy for someone who destroys themselves in that way. madAsHell notes she died alone. Most likely after driving the people who did love her away - the rest were there as long as she brought in the money. It's a selfishness that only cares about what I like, what I want and to Hell with anybody else

traditionalguy said...

Karen Carpenter was only 32.

They all seemed to be under the control of a strong bondage to drugs or alcohol.


She was bulimic. Another form of self-destruction.

Titus said...

Alcoholics should have to watch videos of other Alcoholics.

It kind makes you not want to get piss drunk seeing another drunk.


It wouldn't make a dent on most hard core drunks. As they say at AA, "First, you have to hit rock bottom".

PS Sorry for the rant.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trooper York said...

It is almost impossible for two talented artists to coexist in the same space.

You should know that Palladian is a very talented artist whose pencil sketch's are wonderful and that the Crack Emcee is a very talented musician with his mega hit "Pants on the Ground."

My talents lie in other directions.

But I respect and admire them both.

somefeller said...

Sad story, but no surprise, particularly given the title and lyrics of her first hit single. RIP and an object lesson.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I was thinking Natalie Portman is just thin enough to play her but how will they handle the singing part?

chickelit said...

It is almost impossible for two talented artists to coexist in the same space.

In this day and age anyone can be an artist. I call this photo: "Still Life With Hooch and Palladian" link. (That's photo print of his in the background).

Revenant said...

Honestly I'm shocked she made it to 27. Most of the other names on the 27 list weren't nearly as self-abusive as her.

coketown said...

The 27 Club?

How about the Stupid Club?


Agree completely. Stupid people surrounded by stupid friends who enable this kind of self-destructive behavior.

A guy I went to high school with recently died after falling off a train. He was a transient who used trains to get between Oregon, Idaho, and Berkley, CA. One of his friends told me about it and I asked where the hell they were during all this time he was smoking dope and riding around on trains. He seemed offended when I suggested that if even one person pointed out how dangerous and stupid that lifestyle is, the transient would still be alive today.

Michael said...

Coketown. To say something would be judgmental and we can never, ever, be judgmental.

coketown said...

A guy I dated had this poster hanging on his wall in his room. He said he bought it when he was 27, and I thought that was dismal. He was a dismal person, though, and that caused us to stop dating. At least Janis looks really happy in the poster.

madAsHell said...

I'm guessin' that she's going to sell more records dead than alive. The PR people won't have to deal with her bad habits. It's an easier sell, and they don't have to share the money with Amy.

Chuck66 said...

Wasn't Hank Williams 27?

Perhaps that is the age when drugs and alcohol abuse finally does the body in.

coketown said...

I really hope this scares La Lohan enough for her to get her shit together. I have low tolerance for people acting foolish and getting their comeuppance, but it's still sad when perfectly avoidable tragedies happen.

Dakota Fanning, don't think this doesn't apply to you, too! It starts with one extra Pepsi in the day, then by 15 you're riding the white horse.

caplight said...

Palladian said:
Dreadful, and they kept pushing her back out there when it was obvious that she couldn't do it.

surrounded by vultures who used her and used her up.

A tragic figure. I always felt sorry for her. I wonder if there was anyone in her life that really cared about her?

Unknown said...

Very sad, loved her music. Strange, but she looked very healthy in that video for once, if stoned.

bagoh20 said...

Yes, we could all be safe and sober and live forever.

I doubt that there was anything her friends could have done. She had a problem specifically because she was immune to such influence. That's the basic problem in these people. They know all about your disapproval, and warnings, and the risks. The still decide to live their way; sometimes out of weakness or stupidity, but sometimes out of stubbornness, narcissism, or just pure defiance. Regardless, there is little others can do for such people in a free society. You make your argument and you hope.

I don't see it as such a huge tragedy. It was her destiny. I bet she would do it all over again, rather than be the type of person who would meet our approval.

There is some variation in our species. Some are dead ends.

ricpic said...

Bloody 'ell, Oi foin'lly offed meself, Ow Ow.

The Crack Emcee said...

We're pattern-seeking animals. Around 27, as you begin the transition to full-adulthood, you lose the relativist pattern of young adulthood - one you were quite comfortable with, thank you very much.

"Should I stay or should I go?" is a logical question for the truly engaged among us.

As I've said, too many times before, this shit ain't all y'all try to make it up to be. Losers like Obama get rewarded. Even Scientologists win accolades while the deserving go hungry. Deepak Chopra is able to give political advice - in 2011 America, mind you - almost without question. Boomers have driven us to the poor house and left their unruly brats in their places.

And the rest of you stand on the sidelines being "open-minded."

We knew this was possible for Amy Winehouse.

Shit, that more people don't decide to check out - at any age - is the bigger surprise.

Sometimes, and that's more and more often today, it's just not worth it.

Jenner said...

Very sad. I love her music. She was an amazing talent.

gerry said...

I am an old fart, so I'd never heard of her. But after listening to this, I think it is very sad that she destroyed herself.

ricpic said...

I have no sympathy for the suffering of the young.

Palladian said...

"I really hope this scares La Lohan enough for her to get her shit together"

To bad it couldn't have been her instead of Amy.

bagoh20 said...

""Should I stay or should I go?" is a logical question for the truly engaged among us."

I don't think so. It's lack of engagement in life that leads to suicide. Even an angry Black man wants to get up tomorrow and scare some people.

Life has amazing depth and richness, even in the simplest of things. You can't engage it, without wanting more. I would only consider suicide if I was prevented from engaging in the world, i.e. prison, terminal illness, paralysis, or life in a leftist utopia.

I literally pine for more time every single day. I wish I never had to sleep, age or die. I honestly don't think I would get bored, or depressed. There is too much to see, learn and do. I even smile about the mortality that a wish to escape. The fact that I want more is just part of - and proof of - the beauty. Maybe I'm a freak, but I'm lucky like that.

bagoh20 said...

"To bad it couldn't have been her instead of Amy."

Your gay is showing.

Palladian said...

"Your gay is showing."

Your asshole is showing.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Wow, that audience was annoying. No wonder she couldn't perform. They were trying to do a camp sing along with the song.

They were throwing her off of the ability to be creative with her timing and voice. You could see the annoyance and dislike of the audience in her eyes.

I would want to throw the microphone stand at them too. SHUT UP!@!!!

ricpic said...

I'm with bagoh, the only catastrophe is dying, everything else is bupkis.

Patrick said...

U2 plays in town tonight. I'm guessing they open with "Bad."

Moose said...

The only sad part of this of the predictabilibly of it. She's dead, and it was by her hand.

'nuff said.

DADvocate said...

Sad but not extremely sad. Too predictable for extreme sadness.

The other sad part is that there are misguided youth who will emulate her lifestyle and also end up dead or, at least, wasting a significant part of their lives.

Fred4Pres said...

Not unexpected. But sad. She had a lot of talent.

Trooper York said...

Very inappropriate Amy Winehouse poll.

Let's honor her memory by acting like an idiot.

Anonymous said...

I had heard of her troubles but I had never heard her music until today.

Her appearance bespoke a deep self hatred but she had a true gift. Her death is a loss. I pray for her and her family.

grackle said...

I was aware of the name but had never seen a performance until I caught her on a MTV special last year when I was channel-flipping. I was totally caught off guard, her performance was stunning. Here was a unique voice, unique vocal phrasing and unique presentation. For all the overt sexuality there was a fragility, a vulnerability that came through. May she rest in peace.

The Crack Emcee said...

bagoh20,

"Should I stay or should I go?" is a logical question for the truly engaged among us."

I would only consider suicide if I was prevented from engaging in the world, i.e. prison, terminal illness, paralysis, or life in a leftist utopia.


The truly engaged among us know we have been living in a leftist utopia.

Phil 314 said...

From the linked article:

"She didn't want to be controlled,"

Irony can be lethal sometimes

write_effort said...

Norway.
The debt ceiling.
I didn't think I could get any more depressed this weekend.
Then AW's death hit me in a whole new place.

Mike said...

A performer with a drug habit like Ms. Winehouse has a better chance of "riding the needle" out of this life than a convicted murderer on Death Row at San Quentin. Not that any of the guys waiting there mind Ms. Winehouse beating them "outahere".

kjbe said...

I first heard her on a park shuttle bus in Glacier NP (college student driving). Great sound, I loved it.

This just makes me mad - fucking disease.

Hank Rearden_WI said...

Some die tragically:

SRV
Holly
Rhodes
Chapin
Croce
Dio
Van Zant
Gaines
Will Rogers

While some live tragically:

Hendrix
Moon
Bonham
Adamson
Allman
Cobain
Belushi
Scott

and die the same.

And as much as many think they can legislate outcomes,fairness is not a part of life.
But some Stevie, and his Fender, will
always be a part of mine.

MarkD said...

She had talent and was destined for greatness. You could say the same thing about a lot of my generation. They came back in body bags, hundreds a week.

Is it wrong to hope LBJ is burning in hell? I hope not.

Fiftyville said...

Saw both videos. Amazing. The Democrat party personified.

Mark said...

"Lady Gaga has no discernible artistic talent. If she "dies", it will be a performative marketing stunt, complete with wacky costumes."

She may spend a year dead for tax purposes.

Skyler said...

"She definitely spearheaded the movement for new female artists. At the time it was male dominated music or male-fronted bands."

Good grief. The woman was only 27. Women had been in the music business for sixty or seventy years as powerful forces.

Men will always dominate because that's the nature of men and women, but women have been succeeding long before Amy Winehouse came along.

Sprezzatura said...

Is it in poor taste to note the obvious connection to the hostess?

Amy is to Winehouse

as

Ann is to Winebox

Curious George said...

My son "Amy Winehouse was still alive?"

He wasn't trying to be funny. Says alot.

write_effort said...

I think Amy Winehouse would be shocked at the variety of people discussing her death. Most of them with genuine sorrow. She'd be WTF?!

MadisonMan said...

If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one night stand
If there's a rock and roll heaven
Well you know they've got a helluva
band

Band

BAND!

Clyde said...

I just think it's sad that people like her have such huge holes in their lives from pain or boredom or whatever, that they have to try to fill them up with booze and drugs. Obviously the fame and success weren't the right size or shape to fill the void. May she rest in peace.

virgil xenophon said...

Obviously late to the party here, but y'all left one person off the "Club of 27" list: Lead singer of band "Badfinger" Pete Ham who committed suicide 3 days before his 28th birthday.Does it take a 67 yr-old in mid -geezerhood to inform the hipster musical cognescenti branch of the Althouse clan? Come ON y'all, get with the program!

Anonymous said...

Dust Bunny Queen said "They were throwing her off of the ability to be creative with her timing and voice. You could see the annoyance and dislike of the audience in her eyes.

As a former professional musician, I can tell you from my own experience that there is nothing more gratifying than having an audience singing along with your songs, so I really doubt that was the problem. Also, on-stage or in-ear monitoring systems (when properly set up) generally prevent the performers from hearing much of what's going on in the crowd anyway, certainly not to a degree that would throw a performance.

No, unfortunately what you saw in that video was an extremely wasted Amy Winehouse unable to perform because she was, well, extremely wasted.

-c

jamboree said...

@Joe

I never drank regularly in my teens/ 20s, but when I did I could process quite a bit for a slight female. I started getting the reactions you describe in my early 30s. Suddenly, I'd feel bad the next day. Not a killer hangover, but not good.

But then I started working out again, especially cardio, and w/i a few months I noticed I could process just as much as I could at 15 w/ little to no ill effects ...still can and I still do about 50 minutes of cardio a day.

I think the metabolic rate might slow down without help as you age - therefore slowing your bodies' recovery period.

It's just a theory.

I never could eat anything I wanted so I have no comment on that. It's probably more obvious for guys, since they generally have less metabolic limitations when they are younger.