Amy Winehouse

[Gre]

It is obviously sad that she ended up the way she did, and I have great sympathy for those close to her.

BUT, as others have said, she had the opportunity to get the best help in the world for her addiction/illness. And I find it hard to believe that those closest to her wouldn't have tried to make her take that route. For whatever reason, she didn't, so it's hard for me to have sympathy for her. She lived the life and paid the price.

[feral chile]

I get annoyed when people confuse legality with morality. Alcohol's been assessed as the most dangerous drug if you take into account the impact on others of alcohol abuse, and the fact that it's so widespread. Nicotine's the most addictive.

Most of us are likely to die of an illness related to our lifestyle, whether it's from alcohol or tobacco related illnesses, or from obesity, or aggravated by the stress of modern day living.

So I don't find it constructive to cast moral judgment on the basis of a historical anomaly which has resulted in certain substances being classified as illegal, while other, equally dangerous substances, are classified as legal.

All premature deaths are to be lamented.

We can't judge Amy, we don't know what her stressors were. I doubt I'd handle the pressure of fame well. And most creative people seem to have their inner demons. Whether that's as a result of being publicly recognised, or part of the necessary components for creativity, who knows?

What I do know is that it's widely recognised that people turn to drugs, legal or otherwise, because they relieve pain.

Edited July 24, 2011 by feral chile

[VCK]

Whilst I wasn't a fan of her music (and I'm not going to pretend to be, like a lot of people no doubt will now ) I did acknowledge that she had a lot of talent and a great singing voice, and like people have said, she threw it away. She may well have brought it on herself by choosing to get addicted to drugs but whatever, a young person with talent has died. A waste if you ask me. RIP

I also don't understand what Pete Doherty has to do with this, considering how people seem to be talking about him as much as Amy Winehouse herself regarding the matter. Yes, they were mates and like him, she was a modern British singer who had drug problems, but this doesn't involve him at all.

[Kowalski]

But to be fair you can say that she has had more access to help than most addicts and made a clear choice not to use that for her benefit. Outside of her obvious addiction it is hard to say what mental issues she may or may not have had, after all some people are addicts because they enjoy the effects of drink/drugs gives them.

However that may overwrite the fact that it is a tragic death of someone at a relatively young age, and hopefully the press from this could be used to a greater good to highlight the issues and dangers of addiction (If that was the cause)

[The Nal]

Very sad but was inevitable.

I'm a bit gutted to be honest. I was a fan from the very start, really liked the first album, her voice and attiutude. She seemed like the real deal. I saw her at Glastonbury in 2004 and she was terrific, no f**king about, stood up there during a biblical rain shower too as I ducked into a hammock stall for cover, no moaning from her and she sounded great. I was convinced she was going to be singing Cole Porter or Duke Ellington classics in the Royal Albert Hall in 2050.

[rexclark]

But to be fair you can say that she has had more access to help than most addicts and made a clear choice not to use that for her benefit. Outside of her obvious addiction it is hard to say what mental issues she may or may not have had, after all some people are addicts because they enjoy the effects of drink/drugs gives them.

However that may overwrite the fact that it is a tragic death of someone at a relatively young age, and hopefully the press from this could be used to a greater good to highlight the issues and dangers of addiction (If that was the cause)

[dondo]

As with others- wasn't a huge fan of her music at all nor the way at times the papers seemed to glorify her addiction/recovery but it's still someone passing away so is still sad.

Eerily I was only saying to my wife last week or so that I reckoned she would probably pass away young

[Ed209]

Of course she is less deserving of sympathy...

I won't document all her wrong doings as they are clear to everyone. How can you suggest that her passing deserve the same amount of sadness and sympathy as someone who did good with their lives and lived by the law and society.

Unless of course your in a similar mindset as Winehouse who thinks drug misuse and a lack of respect for the law is ok...

[rexclark]

You're such a tit

[Ed209]

Can you imagine the number of crackheads who would turn up if they cremated her

[Katster]

oh dear, drugs are wrong blah blah blah...what you on? a mary whitehouse campaign?

[The Nal]

Autopsy today. Heroin/crack/ketamine apparently.

[eFestivals]

/index.php?app=blog&module=display&section=blog&blogid=1&showentry=1460">What kind of f**kery is this? - Amy Winehouse RIP Edited July 25, 2011 by eFestivals

[The Nal]

/index.php?app=blog&module=display&section=blog&blogid=1&showentry=1460">What kind of f**kery is this? - Amy Winehouse RIP

Edited July 25, 2011 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

I saw her at Glastonbury in 2004 and she was terrific, no f**king about, stood up there during a biblical rain shower too as I ducked into a hammock stall for cover, no moaning from her and she sounded great.

I would have been stood next to you in the hammock stall!

There's no doubt in my mind at all that Amy was the biggest talent around in 2004. Here's a pic from that gig.

[The Nal]

I would have been stood next to you in the hammock stall!

[eFestivals]

Very good Neil. I remember that 04 Glasto set well. I was blown away too by the authenticity of it, and the voice of course. I had been looking forward to seeing her that year, I liked Frank and had been listening to it since it came out. Her interview on Jonathan Ross confirmed by faith in her. She had a great understanding of what came before her and she wasn't chasing fame. It was all about the music.

The sad part (one of many I suppose) is that she hasn't exactly left behind a great body of work. 2 albums, containing 24 songs, clocking in at just over 90 minutes between them. Hardly a prolific output from someone so talented over an 8 year career.

But this is how she should be remembered.

Your thoughts sound very similar to my own.

And thanks for digging out that Jonathan Ross clip - that was my first experience of her, from which my appreciation of her music came.

[The Nal]

Your thoughts sound very similar to my own.

And thanks for digging out that Jonathan Ross clip - that was my first experience of her, from which my appreciation of her music came.

Edited July 25, 2011 by The Nal

[t8yman]

I was initially in the "couldnt give a f**k" camp. But having read Neils blog on the subject, I'd say thats a very fair appraisal of the situation. I'm not gonna mourn her passing personally, and this is one of those times I'm glad I didnt chime in with "couldnt give a f**k" earlier, favouring the "if you cant say something nice - say nothing at all" mantra that barry fish might like to take heed of.

without wishing to be a grammar/spelling nazi, theres a coupla typos in there Neil. "facination" and "disappoinmtment"

[eFestivals]

without wishing to be a grammar/spelling nazi, theres a coupla typos in there Neil. "facination" and "disappoinmtment"

thanks - will correct them.

[lifelessfool]

I was never a massive fan of her output, but I could recognise the talent she had and when I watch interviews of her or even the never mind the buzzcocks I can see how much of a great loss it is. Completely dissagree with everything Barrythefish had stated self inflicted or not death is still a terrible thing and his viewpoint just echos some of the stupid comments added to the Sun and Daily Mail articles. I hope the tabloids leave her family in peace.

[The Nal]

I hope the tabloids leave her family in peace.

Edited July 25, 2011 by The Nal

[brighteyes]

There was a girl sitting near us at Truck who was properly sobbing for about half an hour after hearing the news of her death, a quite hilarious overreaction to watch. I was tempted to ask her if she'd just heard the news about the Norway attacks. Truck really was full of quims this year.

Personally, I'm not sure who her death is a 'great loss' to, except her friends and family.

[The Nal]

There was a girl sitting near us at Truck who was properly sobbing for about half an hour after hearing the news of her death, a quite hilarious overreaction to watch. I was tempted to ask her if she'd just heard the news about the Norway attacks. Truck really was full of quims this year.

Personally, I'm not sure who her death is a 'great loss' to, except her friends and family.

Edited July 25, 2011 by The Nal

[brighteyes]

I don't get the comparisons to the Norway attacks? Why are people comparing the two? They're not comparable in the slightest.

The girl you're referring to may have used Amys music to get through a difficult time and she may have felt a close connection with Amy Winehouse which is the case a lot of the time with musicians.

Norway was a horrible case of right wing terrorism leading to a tragic and heartbreaking loss of life - the girl you refer to most likely found it sad but doesn't have the same personal emotional connection with it.

16,000 children die from hunger related issues EVERY DAY. Thats the number of dead in Norway x 160. Do you cry about that every day? Are we wrong to mourn the passing of one family member when thats going on elsewhere?

How do you even get yourself out of bed in the morning knowing thats going on with your superior and crippling conscious and moral compass?