Amy

   I am a fan of Amy Winehouse. I am very saddened by her death although not surprised. Rarely does that much talent come without a price. Now that she has passed I am finding all these different reports of different issues she had. One said she had been anorexic her whole life. Another said she was a cutter. I read one that said she was diagnose "Manic/Depressive" (bi-polar) but wouldn't take her medication because it inhibited her creativity. If any of these are true, I couldn't say. There is one that I'm sure is true, if not in her case, with many other talented souls that are surrounded by those who wish to profit.

   She released her first album "Frank" and was quite successful in Europe. She was under an immense amount of pressure to produce the next one.  She had writer's block. I read that at one point, she was even asked if she wanted to make music or just waste everyone's time. She broke through her writer's block while using marijuana. She gave us "Back to Black". It gained her world wide success. Critical acclaim as well as opened the door for similar female artist we may not have had the privilege to hear otherwise. Not without frequenting grungy English pubs full of hard working men and women not there to appreciate the music.  

   Now after the whirlwind of that album was over and the dust settled, what do you think probably happened? The pressure for the next one started baring down on her. Not only that pressure but now the pressure from us. The glutenous but fickle fan base. We hound and scrape and demand more and more and not just music. We want every tiny piece of life we can get our hands on. The one group an artist really doesn't want to disappoint. 

   Then, we turned on her. When we saw little clips here or there about how, she was staggering when leaving a club, or seen in the bathroom of a club smoking crack and scolding her self about it, what did most people do?? Did most people send blogs and Tweets and texts of support or encouragement? NO. Most people scrambled to find more. 

   We are what fuels the media. If there was no market for the ugly side of fame, it wouldn't be chased so aggressively. We create these tortured souls and then condemn them. Then we are cold and judgmental as we watch them spiral into the abyss. Say things like, "well they wanted fame and they just couldn't handle it" or "should have stayed away from those influences" or the every charming, "who cares? fuck em" Well, that is exactly what we did isn't it?   
   What would the every day person do if they were hounded and put under the radar that celebrities are? How would you handle it? We are all so full of wisdom and insight in our judgement of them but do we really have any clue what kind of pressure and strain they are under? Do we know what we would do?  Most likely exactly the same thing. They are human, as are we. We can all implode. We need to start to remember that.
   I will miss Amy Winehouse. She is free now.