Amy Winehouse

[flat-top]

Anybody dig her music?? It's a mix of 50's-60's girl group sounds, with some Aretha thrown in. "Rehab" is my favorite song at the moment:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=21621016

[Miss Neecerie]

Anybody dig her music?? It's a mix of 50's-60's girl group sounds, with some Aretha thrown in. "Rehab" is my favorite song at the moment:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=21621016


Do I ever!

Its just great stuff.


:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

[imoldfashioned]

I first heard Rehab at the Colbert Report taping I went to--they were blasting it on the loudspeakers during a commercial break and several of the staff were doing the twist to it! Colbert was singing along and pointing at the audience during the "no, no, no"s. Too much fun. Great song in heavy rotation on my ipod. I haven't heard any of her other stuff though, I should investigate.

[flat-top]

I first heard Rehab at the Colbert Report taping I went to--they were blasting it on the loudspeakers during a commercial break and several of the staff were doing the twist to it! Colbert was singing along and pointing at the audience during the "no, no, no"s. Too much fun. Great song in heavy rotation on my ipod. I haven't heard any of her other stuff though, I should investigate.
Click on her Myspace page for a sampling!

[Salv]

I haven't heard all of the latest album, but her first album Frank (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frank-Amy-Winehouse/dp/B0000DIXN7/ref=sr_1_3/203-0432106-1277529?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1181317563&sr=1-3) is great. Jazzy arrangements with some hip-hop beats, and cynical lyrics about love and relationships sung in a gutsy, world-weary voice.

[Miss.Beast]

Amy Winehouse is just amazing. She mixes old blues, with jazz and soul with a bit of her own style into the bowl. It's genius, if you ask me. Getting everyone bopping along to the old stuff now :D

[Shearer]

Love her! She's continuously on my iPod when I work out. When I first heard her a while ago, I fell in love with her voice and was reminded a little of Shirley Bassey.

Back to Black, You Know I'm No Good, Me and Mr. Jones and Tears Dry On Their Own are all worth DLing.

Oh, and she does a great cover of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.

[Miss.Beast]

Back to Black, You Know I'm No Good, Me and Mr. Jones and Tears Dry On Their Own are all worth DLing.


The album is amazing isnt it?
My faves gotta be: Me and Mr. Jones and Tears Dry On Their Own...
I cried to that song one day, as it reminded me of my boyfriend at the time, as we were breaking up. Then my friend and I changed all the lyrics...ha

[Shearer]

The album is amazing isnt it?
My faves gotta be: Me and Mr. Jones and Tears Dry On Their Own...
I cried to that song one day, as it reminded me of my boyfriend at the time, as we were breaking up. Then my friend and I changed all the lyrics...ha

Yes! And Mr. Jones, Tears, and Back to Black are all great contemporary takes on the "I Will Survive" theme lol

I have to admit I'd seen pictures of Amy Winehouse before I knew who she was and when I finally put 2 and 2 together, I thought "I can't believe that voice is coming out of that little girl!" :p She's awesome.

[MrBern]

cover duel (http://idolator.com/tunes/magazines/who-wore-it-better-special-not-going-to-rehab-edition-264744.php)
Spin & rolling stone are in a catfight over dueling AmyWInehouse covers
http://cache.idolator.com/assets/resources/2007/05/duelingwinos.jpg

[Miss.Beast]

I think she is beautiful

Some magazines in the UK present her in a horrible manner, and show some horrible pictures of her. And thus people think shes nasty.
Shes actually gorgeous, when you see pictures like these. Or, her wedding pictures! (her dress was amazing btw)

[thebadmamajama]

Love her! She's continuously on my iPod when I work out. When I first heard her a while ago, I fell in love with her voice and was reminded a little of Shirley Bassey.

Back to Black, You Know I'm No Good, Me and Mr. Jones and Tears Dry On Their Own are all worth DLing.

Oh, and she does a great cover of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.

Read my mind. And where can I see her wedding dress? I searched but no luck...

[Shearer]

Read my mind. And where can I see her wedding dress? I searched but no luck...

Hee! I tried looking, too, as soon as Miss.Beast said that... Couldn't find anything and then I quit after some site sent my Mozilla crashing :(

[Brooksie]

Ooooo I love Amy Winehouse, I first read about her in my Bust magazine. We listen to a sattlelight station (sorry i cant spell worth beans tonight - i had surgery 2 days ago and have been on vikadin) at work which plays a few of her songs and everybody (including me) at work is now hooked on her music! For a while i even had Rehab on myspace as my music.

LB

[Miss.Beast]

http://i14.tinypic.com/63hwbo3.jpg

It was a long white dress, with little red anchors everywhere.
But you know Amy, she wanted to make it her own style.
So she tied it up, and made it small.
Its very cute, and still classy.
Blake looks handsome too...

Sorry guys, this was the only picture I could find.

_ Naimah

[RetroModelSari]

I´ve never heard about her before, but I´ll check out her songs when I´m back home :-)

[Marty M.]

I play her at my store. She's got style.
Marty Mathis

[RedHotRidinHood]

I have a total girl crush on her...I love "Back To Black", it reminds me of the Phil Spector sound. Something about big hair.... and I just love her voice.

[flat-top]

I have a total girl crush on her...I love "Back To Black", it reminds me of the Phil Spector sound. Something about big hair.... and I just love her voice.
I think I like "Back to Black" more than "Rehab" now. It definitely has the Phil Spector sound, but also something sorta ominous about it too. Amazing song.

[Edward]

I think she is beautiful

Some magazines in the UK present her in a horrible manner, and show some horrible pictures of her. And thus people think shes nasty.
Shes actually gorgeous, when you see pictures like these. Or, her wedding pictures! (her dress was amazing btw)

She is a very attractive young lady for sure. A little more heavily tattooed than I would personally go for (though I'm cdertainly not opposed to a lady with ink!), but she really is pretty. I do lean to the view that she could do with gaining a bit of weight again, as she didn't look well the last few shots I saw in the newspaper, but hey ho... I love her face, she has such a striking look - great eyes, and all that liquid eyeliner (damn, I wish I was as good with it as she is!). The big hair is fab too.

(BTW.... your Avatar photo looks great. You bear a strong, almost unsettling, resemblence to a friend of mine - you don't have any realtives in the Six Counties by any chance?)


I have a total girl crush on her...I love "Back To Black", it reminds me of the Phil Spector sound. Something about big hair.... and I just love her voice.

Oh, yes! Spector sure knew what he was doing behind that production desk. And the writing....

[Fleur De Guerre]

Are we talking about the same Amy Winehouse here? Classy??? I really like her music, but my lord is she a mess. She constantly looks like she needs a wash. With a jet spray. Her hair looks like a stinky, greasy bird's nest and she has prison tattoos, missing teeth and does interviews on TV off her face on alcohol/drugs. The last thing I saw her on last week, she paused mid-sentence to spit on the floor of the studio.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when people are individuals, she does have a very strong sense of style and she is extremely talented but she really needs to sort herself out, give up drinking and also eat something. She just looks ill. If you saw her a couple of years ago, now that was a gorgeous girl.

[J. M. Stovall]

Are we talking about the same Amy Winehouse here? Classy??? I really like her music, but my lord is she a mess. She constantly looks like she needs a wash. With a jet spray. Her hair looks like a stinky, greasy bird's nest and she has prison tattoos, missing teeth and does interviews on TV off her face on alcohol/drugs. The last thing I saw her on last week, she paused mid-sentence to spit on the floor of the studio.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when people are individuals, she does have a very strong sense of style and she is extremely talented but she really needs to sort herself out, give up drinking and also eat something. She just looks ill. If you saw her a couple of years ago, now that was a gorgeous girl.

I agree. Great artist, but I'm worried about her.
And fyi, the photo on the right is the "before" shot. :(
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/07/winehouse270706_544x600.jpg

[J. M. Stovall]

I know we had a big discussion on her in the "What are you listening to?" thread also.

[Edward]

Are we talking about the same Amy Winehouse here? Classy??? I really like her music, but my lord is she a mess. She constantly looks like she needs a wash. With a jet spray. Her hair looks like a stinky, greasy bird's nest and she has prison tattoos, missing teeth and does interviews on TV off her face on alcohol/drugs. The last thing I saw her on last week, she paused mid-sentence to spit on the floor of the studio.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when people are individuals, she does have a very strong sense of style and she is extremely talented but she really needs to sort herself out, give up drinking and also eat something. She just looks ill. If you saw her a couple of years ago, now that was a gorgeous girl.

Don't hold back, now, tell us what you really think. ;) Yeah, I know what you mean. I agree that thed tats are a little much. I don't know about the hygiene things.... but then I've not seen many photos recently. Didn't know about the spitting, that is vile. Yeah, it is a shame when she appears on TV out of it - it was a real car crash syndrome when she was on Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

The photos above are what I meant about the weight issue. Hopefully she'll get over trying to be all rock and roll soon!

[Warden]

Mrs W loves Amy Winehouse, plays her music so often I can't stand hearing it. Shame when that happens to a tune you like.

She certainly is the sort of girl your mother told you stay away from, but who ever listen to mother?

Harry

[lindylady]

I just purchased her album off of ITunes. I've been hearing "Back to Black" on the new Mad Men show and everyone I know constantly raves about her. She might be a tad controversial, but at least she's something different from the mainstream drivel that we've had to suffer through for years now.

[imoldfashioned]

I succumbed to purchasing the whole album too and I'm glad I did. Great arrangements and she's got such a distinctive voice--a touch of Billie Holiday I always think. "You Know I'm No Good" is in heavy rotation on my ipod this week. I'll have to check out her videos--any vintage styling in them, I wonder?

[Katie Brookes]

is it wrong that i love her even more because shes a carwreck?
don't get me wrong, i've got everything she has recorded, she is amazing


but you have to watch my favorite Youtube clip of her trying to sing Michael Jackson's "Beat It" on the Charlotte Church show to really understand the magic that is Amy Winehouse. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJbutdZZmyQ)

(http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJbutdZZmyQ)

[Flora]

I don't like this Amy Winehouse so much. I find her very annoying in every way. [huh]

[imoldfashioned]

is it wrong that i love her even more because shes a carwreck?
don't get me wrong, i've got everything she has recorded, she is amazing


but you have to watch my favorite Youtube clip of her trying to sing Michael Jackson's "Beat It" on the Charlotte Church show to really understand the magic that is Amy Winehouse. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJbutdZZmyQ)

(http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJbutdZZmyQ)

Whoa! Quite the contrast between Charlotte posing as the "bad girl" and the real thing standing next to her. Trainwreck indeed. I hope she gets some help.

[Dread Scott]

I *love* her music, but liked her look better before she responded to criticism about her weight by maniacally going to the gym every day.

However - I like music for the music... her voice is what truly gets me. I'm a sucker for an evocative voice.

[princessofcandl]

Sorry... I don't care for her music at all. I can handle naughty lyrics and contraversy (I don't think thats spelled right). But I have to draw the line somewhere (hahaha). I would rather rap curse words than sing about rehab. And she is a total mess right now. She reminds me of pics of crack whores (not to be harsh).

Although I do like Lily Allen. And I think they're rivals or something? Like Brittney and Christina??? I don't know.

Oh but my SIL loves her so I know she has her peeps.

[Feraud]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070817/ap_en_mu/people_winehouse


Ailing Winehouse cancels month of shows

When Amy Winehouse said, "no, no, no" to rehab, she meant it. Taking better care of herself is a different matter, though. The 23-year-old British soul singer has decided to cancel her scheduled August concerts for health reasons, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

"Amy Winehouse is putting all her touring commitments for this month on hold until further notice in order to address her health issues," Tracey Miller said in a statement. "Amy will now not be performing at this weekend's V Festival in Chelmsford and Staffordshire. Her family has requested that the media respect Amy's privacy at this time. There will be no further comment."

Winehouse was hospitalized last week for "severe exhaustion." She is scheduled to begin a North American tour in September.

[LocktownDog]

Doesn't surprise me. She looks like she woke up in a gutter.

My son has me listening to Lily Allen. She's okay. But for modern female singers, gimme Madeline Peyroux and Diana Krall anyday.

Richard

[J. M. Stovall]

Amy Winehouse ordered to cancel US tour
Wednesday, August 22 2007, 13:55 BST
By Kimberley Dadds

Amy Winehouse has been ordered to cancel her scheduled US tour, which was due to begin next month, because medical professionals have advised her to.

The troubled singer had cancelled a number of performances, including the weekend's V Festival, following hospitalisation earlier this month when she allegedly took a drug overdose.

A statement has now been released that announced that she would be postponing her American tour as well.

Winehouse's publicist, Tracy Miller said: "Due to the rigours involved in touring, Amy Winehouse has been advised to postpone her upcoming September US and Canadian tour dates.

"Amy's European and UK tour dates in October and November remain in place. Plans are being made to reschedule her US tour for early 2008.

"Until then, Amy has been ordered to rest and is working with medical professionals to address her health."

[Hemingway Jones]

Amy Winehouse is probably the most exciting and talented force in pop music right now. I simply cannot get enough of her album. She has brought an edginess, relevancy, and an entire new life to the Motown sound. This is no easy feat. I am amazed at her range.

I could care less about her personal life and I separate that entirely from her music. Most celebrity stories and incidents are generated by PR firms to seduce a gullible public. I have a friend who works for a PR firm in LA. You would be amazed how almost nothing you know about a celebrity is true; their backgrounds, the little stories they tell on ET, the chance sightings, all of it is entirely manufactured.

[MrBern]

Is it possible to separate an artist's personal life entirely from their art?

Doesnt th audience feedback encourage or guide an artist or at least the way the PR firms spin a personality?
Look at Christina Aquillera's 180 change from the negative response on her 'DIRTY' image.

[Shearer]

Amy Winehouse is probably the most exciting and talented force in pop music right now. I simply cannot get enough of her album. She has brought an edginess, relevancy, and an entire new life to the Motown sound. This is no easy feat. I am amazed at her range.

I could care less about her personal life and I separate that entirely from her music. Most celebrity stories and incidents are generated by PR firms to seduce a gullible public. I have a friend who works for a PR firm in LA. You would be amazed how almost nothing you know about a celebrity is true; their backgrounds, the little stories they tell on ET, the chance sightings, all of it is entirely manufactured.

This may be true in some cases, but I think it's become impossible in regards to Amy Winehouse. I'm a fan... I love her voice, I think she's a great talent. But the truth is, she canceled her tour for a good reason. At times, she's barely mumbled her way through a few songs before leaving the stage. She's sobbed over her husband's incarceration, been booed off the stage, and thrown fits at the audiences coming to see her.

As for stories being generated by the press, she and her husband have been photographed leaving a hotel bloody and bruised after a fight, she's overdosed on a cocktail of ketamine, cocaine, and heroin (admittedly), and recently fell asleep several times in the middle of a Blender interview!

Unless she pulls it together in a very big way, she's going to end up dead and she'll go down as a talent that 'could have been.'

[Edward]

Alas, yes. Flashbacks to Johnny Thunders and the likes. It's such a shame, not least because unlike that other celebrity addict Pete Doherty, Winehouse's talent is very genuine, not simply another new outfit for the emperor.

[Naama]

I also like her music, not THAT much, but I like some of the songs from her CD (which I borrowed from my sister :p )

Anyway, I think it's a bit unfair to judge someone..... She hase some issues for sure, but I don't think that she is killing herself for fun.....



Naama

[Alan Eardley]

I take it you have never been to an Amy Winehouse concert? I'm not sure you can 'separate her personal life from her music' when she falls about on stage, is incoherent in song and speech and doesn't finish her set, as happened at a concert in the UK recently. I understand that it has happened before. A complete waste of money - I, for one, won't be a fan anymore.


Alan


Amy Winehouse is probably the most exciting and talented force in pop music right now. I simply cannot get enough of her album. She has brought an edginess, relevancy, and an entire new life to the Motown sound. This is no easy feat. I am amazed at her range.

I could care less about her personal life and I separate that entirely from her music. Most celebrity stories and incidents are generated by PR firms to seduce a gullible public. I have a friend who works for a PR firm in LA. You would be amazed how almost nothing you know about a celebrity is true; their backgrounds, the little stories they tell on ET, the chance sightings, all of it is entirely manufactured.

[Hemingway Jones]

Is it possible to separate an artist's personal life entirely from their art?

Doesnt th audience feedback encourage or guide an artist or at least the way the PR firms spin a personality?
Look at Christina Aquillera's 180 change from the negative response on her 'DIRTY' image.
A fantastic academic question.

Yes, you can and I'll tell you why. I have no idea what is going on in the world of entertainment on a personal level of these artists. I don't watch the nightly entertainment shows, and I don't go to pop concerts, I also don't listen to the radio. I'm not saying this is good or bad; it's just how I live.

My information about pop music and whatnot comes from the incidental mentions I do get, what is reported on NPR, which I listen to religiously, and from my favorite publication in the world: The Sunday NY Times.

I was exposed to Amy Winehouse by Cheryl. She had heard the song on the radio. I went to iTunes and downloaded the entire album and made my judgment based on what I heard. Does her personal life affect it? Not for me.

If I were to based my listening on these sorts of arbitrary notions, could I listen to Screamin' Jay Hawkins? Barbara Streisand? The Dixie Chicks? Ted Nugent? Even Shostakovitch, Wagner, and Mozart??? How about Paganinni? You can take stands on all sorts of artists.

I still love Woody Allen movies and I'll still celebrate the unmitigated talent of Amy Winehouse.

I will admit this; her life certainly colors her music and I wish her no malice. I would hate to see another Jim Morrison or that fellow with the Dalmation from Sublime! ;)

[Baron Kurtz]

Not only can you, i believe you really must separate the artist from the art. Thusly one can enjoy art produced by anyone, providing it's good (subjective), without worrying about peripherals like someone's politics (i was pretty much hounded on that one - support the artistic abilities of a anti-semite/Fascist! how dare you!) - see a very long thread from a while back re: the art of Louis-Ferdinand Destouches - or apparent* drug addictions. There is an apparently popular school of thought in this Flounge of ours that those with obnoxious views/politics/personal lives are incapable of artistic merit. I do not subscribe to this view.

Amy Winehouse i can take or leave. Not great, not terrible. Middling . . . middling.

bk

* I am unconvinced that the current spate of "drug addict" or "alcoholic" pop musicians is anything more than hype. Don't believe the hype!, as the prophet Chuck D. once spake. It's all (or a lot) marketing.

[MrBern]

At the NYC Halloween Parade, I saw a few different women dressed up like AmyWinehouse. Faux tatooes, piled high hair & acting drunk & outrageous.

It was pretty funny. BUT.

We all have sympathy for pain, but should we tolerate a public meltdown.
Its obviously not PR hype if she's blowing concerts.

Keith Richards has become something of a joke because of his persona. He was one of the preeminent substance abusing musicians of the 20th century.
But he never cancelled a tour or messed up a performance. He lived for the stage performance.

I'd also like to point out that just this year, TomCruise was basically fired from Paramount for his eccentric interviews & statements to th press. He was often petty & condescending & even abusive.
The studio realized that even bad publicity can drive away a potential audience.

Woody Allen does make some brilliant films. But in light of his personal life, its a bit awkward to view his depictions of asians & underage women.

[Hemingway Jones]

Woody Allen does make some brilliant films. But in light of his personal life, its a bit awkward to view his depictions of asians & underage women.
"Manhattan" has never quite been the same has it?

[MrBern]

"Manhattan" has never quite been the same has it?
Sadly....

BTW, I just wanted to note that Winehouse's In-laws had urged for a boycott of her music to halt her decline. Her father believes this would do no good. All involved seem to be concerned about a suicide.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6966640.stm

[Alan Eardley]

If anyone bought a CD of her music and it kept 'cutting out', falling out of the CD player and only played a half of the tracks expected I think they would be entitled to expect their money back. Well, that's what many of her live concerts are like. I just happen to believe in live music, professionalism and value for money, all things that Ms. Winehouse is apparently incapable of delivering. Thousands of young people have saved pocket money to attend her concerts in the UK and been disappointed. That sucks.

Just my opinion.

Alan

[dr greg]

OK the CD sounds good you say, so did the chipmunks to a lot of people...the point being: that's a STUDIO effort, live performance being something else again, and what indicates your true worth.
I'm a professional musician and although never having been a "star" I've earned a living of sorts from it for the last 25 years or so, but I can tell you, that I'd never work again round here if I put on a show like the ones I've seen her stumbling through on youtube, what a joke, unprofessionalism is unprofessionalism whoever does it, and is unforgivable, there are plenty of talented hardworking singers out there who are not getting a break because of jumped-up crap like this. She's living her image, let's not forget, and who cares where it leads her unless it's out of the way to make room for someone who wants to work at their craft.

[Shearer]

OK the CD sounds good you say, so did the chipmunks to a lot of people...the point being: that's a STUDIO effort...

I'm glad dr greg brought this up. If anyone's interested, the fabulous band that backed up Amy Winehouse on Back to Black is Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings :)

[Alan Eardley]

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't work again if you insulted the audience with the sort of language that Ms. Winehouse used at her (failed) concert in Birmingham last Wednesday. At least the people who bought tickets for her concert in Manchester the night before got their money back when she pulled out of that gig.

Over the years I've attended concerts involving people like Keith Moon, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix and Peter Green (all of whom had a certain reputation for ingestion) but they were all capable of putting on a great live performance while 'under the influence'.

In my book, if you can't 'gig', for whatever reason, you shouldn't be in the business.

Alan



OK the CD sounds good you say, so did the chipmunks to a lot of people...the point being: that's a STUDIO effort, live performance being something else again, and what indicates your true worth.
I'm a professional musician and although never having been a "star" I've earned a living of sorts from it for the last 25 years or so, but I can tell you, that I'd never work again round here if I put on a show like the ones I've seen her stumbling through on youtube, what a joke, unprofessionalism is unprofessionalism whoever does it, and is unforgivable, there are plenty of talented hardworking singers out there who are not getting a break because of jumped-up crap like this. She's living her image, let's not forget, and who cares where it leads her unless it's out of the way to make room for someone who wants to work at their craft.

[Edward]

* I am unconvinced that the current spate of "drug addict" or "alcoholic" pop musicians is anything more than hype. Don't believe the hype!, as the prophet Chuck D. once spake. It's all (or a lot) marketing.

I'd have to agree with you on that. If some of them - especially Doherty - were donig anything like the quantity of drugs that are calimed in the press, they really shouldn't be alive by now. I've never had any first hand experience of the narcotics world, but I do gather that the stuff that is available now is much deadlier than it was back in the day: one of the reasons Keef is still alive is that at least when he was on the skag he had access to the better, purer stuff than is apparently available now.

[nulty]

I love Amy's stuf. She's a throwback in the best sense of the style. Sadly the using can be a hazard of the creative process and bad mentoring. There's no point in going down the list of artists that have gone by the bottle or the needle. So though much of the use and public image might be hype it's a clever game the PR suits have done with her image.

There is a u tube vid out there where she does "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" with Paul Weller..She is barely coherant and seems ready to fall over while Paul just keeps hanging in with her...someone should keep her from going on like that..

[Edward]

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs every day.

And there's also a bad side."

Hunter S. Thompson

On the one hand, I do think anyone who gets into substance abuse of whatever kind - legal or illegal - these days for the most part has only themselves to blame as they cannot be ignorant of the dangers. On the other, however, it does bug me how the management / labels often seem to prefer to exploit the hype caused by this sort of thing rather than to step in and try to help the artist who is, after all, paying their way. Still, this is the same industry that pays lip service to artist's interests when people are illegally downloading, but behind the scenes is busy screwing the artists over harder than anyone.

[nulty]

Substance Use has it's place in normative behavior. Society though has boundary issues. There are strong and influential attitudes that don't respect boundaries and these influences exponentially reach out into all aspects of behavior. So children learn how to just self indulge to unbelievable degrees. Use becomes a behavior instead of an activity and becomes abuse. You can know the dangers but not realize it will happen to you.

If you use the same drug as your hero you will become like your hero. Drugs make think you are going to get some chunk if information for free, rather than getting it through experience and living your life..

A corporate entity is designed to perpetuate and grow market share. People commodities either as employee or agent. The artistic process, as it were, is a means to an end for a record company. If they can pimp an image to sell records they will do it as long as it sells. Who knows how long it will be before Amy crashes. They will suck her for as much as they can get.

[dr greg]

[QUOTE=Edward]"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs every day.

And there's also a bad side."

Hunter S. Thompson

QUOTE]

THat's not quite right, he was talking about the TV business, and it's become a bit of a catch-all quote. The point is valid though.

[MrBern]

Heres a sad littl article on SlyStone's unfortunate current state. And how it impact's the fans & live performances.

ARTICLE:For $103.35, You Take What You Can Get (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/arts/music/22ston.html)

"He is 64 now, and his best songs — exuberant and sometimes unsettling funk hits and experiments from the late 1960s and early ’70s — haven’t aged a day, though the same can’t quite be said of the guy who sang them. He hasn’t released an album of new material in nearly a quarter-century, and his occasional live shows have sometimes made fans wish they were even more occasional. "

“Is the show starting?” Then: “Hold up, hold up.” Then, seemingly to an assistant: “I don’t want to fall.”

' during “Sing a Simple Song,” he excused himself, saying he had to urinate. His band killed time until he returned for “Family Affair,” ending it with an excuse: “There’s two shows tonight, and sometimes you gotta get off the stage.” '

[Badluck Brody]

I wonder how hard it would be to use "Beat it" fiasco for a ring tone????;)

That would be hot[huh]

[MrBern]

Well, she made the cover of the Post today
Shirtless & barefoot
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12042007/img/front120407.jpg

Full story (http://www.nypost.com/seven/12042007/news/worldnews/amy_just_cant_get_her_shirt_together_653814.htm)

[Feraud]

What a wreck.

[Baron Kurtz]

That's what you're supposed to think.

By the way, it was not freezing on sunday in London. Even at 5am.

bk

[Badluck Brody]

I've heard some of her music and think it's just sad that there are thousands of talented young (and old for that matter) who will never be given the opportunity she has.....

Is that what it means to be successful???

It looks more like a typical arrestee on a rerun of COPS....

I would simply be...... ashamed...

[eightbore]

Not only can you, i believe you really must separate the artist from the art. Thusly one can enjoy art produced by anyone, providing it's good (subjective), without worrying about peripherals like someone's politics (i was pretty much hounded on that one - support the artistic abilities of a anti-semite/Fascist! how dare you!) -.


If Picasso had painted a calm and beautiful representation of the Spanish landscape in 1937 rather than "Guernica", would this have been any less of a political statement? Even sometimes in its apathy, ALL art is political. Of course, the same is true of those who view it.

[Edward]

[QUOTE=Edward]"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs every day.

And there's also a bad side."

Hunter S. Thompson

QUOTE]

THat's not quite right, he was talking about the TV business, and it's become a bit of a catch-all quote. The point is valid though.

Ah! Thanks... I read it in an article (Wired, i think?) aboutg p2p and the music business... I'll have to check out the accurate wordage. :)

[deadpandiva]

I like Back to Black as a CD on its own without any of the hype about her personal life thrown in. I would not see Amy Winehouse in concert based on what I've heard and the few television apperances I have seen which have been lackluster. My favorite song on the CD is Love Is a Losing Game. I don't really know if love is indeed a losing game but it's a great song.

I'd take Amy over the horrid, fog horn sounding Disney creations anyday. Teenager who have shows on the Disney Channel should be barred form singing for the good of all mankind.

[pretty faythe]

I'd take Amy over the horrid, fog horn sounding Disney creations anyday. Teenager who have shows on the Disney Channel should be barred form singing for the good of all mankind.

Hey!!!!!! Not all of those "teenagers" are teenagers:p and I happen to like a few of them:p

[Warden]

Hey our Amy has a new look, she has lost her trademark back comb black hair

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2008/01/WinehouseWENN_450x500.jpg

According to the press she partied until the early hours before she checked into Notting Hill's K West Hotel and Spa – complete with a bunch of bananas.

Harry

[Woland]

Amy Winehouse is IMHO one of the few really good musical acts to surface in the last few years.
Her live-performances is lacking in quality, but her session work is absolutely amazing.
Great compositions, great lyrics & great production.

Am afraid she will do a Holiday/Hendrix/Joplin in not to long...
Cant really blame her for her self-abuse.
I truly dislike that the parasites are so intent on feeding on her failure when it comes to living a sensible life.
She seems to be going down, and that is very sad.

Hopefully she will leave us even more great music in the process.
The girl is living a myth she has adopted as her own.
The notorious drug/alcohol abuse amongst the musicians of the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s etc is a well known fact...

Anyone seen "Stardust" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072201/combined) with David Essex?

Nice sequence where he is shooting Heroin, locked in the basement lavatory of his mansion, terrified that his servants is gonna find out.
Rags to riches can demolish a personality in no time...


My two cents.

[scotrace]

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/07/winehouse270706_544x600.jpg

Holy Smoke! (on the right)


http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2008/01/WinehouseWENN_450x500.jpg

Not so much.

Now, off to give her a listen.

[Bassman]

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/07/winehouse270706_544x600.jpg

Holy Smoke! (on the right)



That's not A.W. on the right, is it?
If so..."Wha' happen?"
-Guy

[Woland]

That's not A.W. on the right, is it?
If so..."Wha' happen?"
-Guy

It is indeed Amy Winehouse.
What happened was snide remarks about her weight and a history of minor eating disorders.

[SamMarlowPI]

she needs to get back to that weight...

[Bassman]

Now...that's a doggone shame.:(

[SamMarlowPI]

hard livin' will do that to ya'...

[Edward]

It is indeed Amy Winehouse.
What happened was snide remarks about her weight and a history of minor eating disorders.

If she has indeed been dablbing with hard drugs and / or drinking excessively (though I share Baron Kurtz' cynicism as to the extent of her substance abuse being less than the media would have us believe), this won't have helped, but the impression I've formed is that it has much more to do with what you say. It's amazing how the celebrity world thinks - most of the women celebrated as "fuller figured" in the media in reality are anything but. The current cause celebre in the catwoalk world, whose name escapes me at this moment in time, is being feted as "bringing back curves", and much made of her figure. She is a UK size eight. The average size in the UK is a UK16....

Amy Winehouse was a healthy UK size 14 in the picture on the right, above. She is now, if memory serves, a six.

[Fletch]

More to the point, on the "10" scale, she was an easy 8 and now she's about a 4 1/2.

PPIPWN* that fashion and beauty are not the same thing.

*Proof Positive, If Proof Were Needed

[Marty M.]

More to the point, on the "10" scale, she was an easy 8 and now she's about a 4 1/2.

PPIPWN* that fashion and beauty are not the same thing.

*Proof Positive, If Proof Were Needed

Drag, does that mean that I have to go back to being just" homely ole Marty"? Instead of "the guy with the nice clothes" [huh] ?
Marty Mathis

[Fletch]

At least your prison tats aren't visible. lol

[Pilotguy299]

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/07/winehouse270706_544x600.jpg

Holy Smoke! (on the right)


http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2008/01/WinehouseWENN_450x500.jpg

Not so much.

Now, off to give her a listen.


Great voice and she used to be stunning. What a shame! [huh]

[Baron Kurtz]

I notice that London Lite is now nicknaming her "Wino", which i find hilarious.

bk

[SamMarlowPI]

I notice that London Lite is now nicknaming her "Wino", which i find hilarious.

bk

i was kind of waiting for that to happen...

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Ah, I dunno. Too easy.

[catsmeow]

Great voice and she used to be stunning. What a shame! [huh]
Drugs!:)

http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/amy-winehouse-filmed-smoking-crack/2008/01/23/1201024933190.html

[Miss Brill]

They now have video of her smoking what is said to be crack.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article710911.ece

[Miss Brill]

I notice that London Lite is now nicknaming her "Wino", which i find hilarious.

bk


Sites like Dlisted have been calling her that for months.

[SamMarlowPI]

going to end up another Dean...Live Fast, Die Young...

[Feraud]

Amy is in rehab.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080124/ap_en_ce/people_winehouse
Let us hope she gets better soon and back to making music.

[Miss Brill]

Shocking (not).

[pretty faythe]

Let's see if that will actually work or no.[huh]

[Miss Brill]

Does rehab ever work? If someone really wants to get clean, can't they do it on their own? One of my cousins was a cocaine addict during the late 1970s-late 1980s, and then he fell in love & has been totally drug free ever since. He is now a born-again Christian & won't even drink beer. My aunt was a heavy drinker for about 15 years & gave it up cold turkey about 30 years ago & hasn't touched another drop. It seems like rehab is just a way for people to get attention, not help. [huh]

[BellyTank]

He is now a born-again Christian & won't even drink beer.

That's absolutely terrible!
What a way to go.


B
T

[Smithy]

I can't see old Amy Wino going that way :D

[pretty faythe]

All depends on the person and their types. Some people can do it themselves and others need the support and help of others. Thats just the make up of their pyche. Thats what places like AA and NA are for.

[Miss Brill]

I can't see old Amy Wino going that way :D


Oh, it was a surprise that my cousin straightened himself up. It seems like some people just grow out of it, or it gets old...

Amy looks like she has had a rough life, and no one in my family ever looked like her, like a hobo, or a wino, for lack of a better word.

[SamMarlowPI]

takes some growing up...group of kids during and after high school did nothing but work construction, smoke weed and drink. just found out the one probably most likely to do that the rest of his life is in a JC working to get into a university and doesnt hang out with any of the old group b/c they havent changed at all. i think its all up to the person. kind of like in Diary of a Mad Black Woman where Tyler Perrys wife had to eventually go to the rehab center herself and not be taken by someone else...[huh]

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

It seems like rehab is just a way for people to get attention, not help. [huh]

I'm afraid this is wrong. Apart from the fact that for some addicts, attention alone can have an immense impact and help them get rid of their addiction, I suppose.

Also, it ignores the non-psychological part altogether, which is different for each person and kind of addiction. I suppose heroine or cocaine addictions or even cigarettes typically have a much higher physical part involved than gambling.

At least for the physical part, a rehab therapy isn't so different from other therapies. Not that I haven't seen stupid or uneducated people say juvenile diabetics should pull themselves together, then they wouldn't need the insulin shots. And all those attention-seeking veterans should simply let their amputated leg grow again, instead of whining in wheel-chairs. [huh]

[Foofoogal]

If you use the same drug as your hero you will become like your hero.

What an intelligent post the way you put this. As entertaining as it all can be sometimes do we really want this to be the mantra for our future. People idolizing Amy or Paris or Britney is truly scary stuff IMHO. I know every generation mostly sooner gets it together when they start having kids and such but is this particular generation of Britney peers going to? It is like they are all so bored and have seen it all, done it all that they have gone way overboard and numb themselves at all times. A recent movie is making people sick for example as it is in motion constantly.
When your life starts determining my life is when I get concerned. Sooner or later these kids will be the judges, doctors, lawyers, and maybe president. :eusa_doh: and will be making decisions about me and you.
Not to say all of this generation is like this I am sure but with less and less grounded role models hey!

Side note: I have spoke to many crack addicts and meth addicts who have cried they want to get off of the stuff but it is so addictive. It is said one time with meth and you can be hooked. It affects your pleasure zones and after you come down life looks all gray. Who wants the color out of their world? So incredibly sad!!

[Dr Doran]

Finally listened to her yesterday because, solely, of this thread. Loved "back in black," the rehab song did nothing for me, liked "i'm no good" a lot. Agreed with the men that she looked MUCH better fuller-figured than now as a drowned rat. Must correct that those are not prison tattoos, which look much worse.

Kurz, I cannot find the Destouches/Celine thread. As I love much of his work, I'd love to find it.

The point Eardley is making is good -- that regardless of the person's private life (for which Hemingway makes a reasonable case that it is unimportant) bad professionalism is unprofessional and not worth the concert ticket; but we can still listen to her studio music and like her skill.

I cannot stand the idea of liking someone's music (or film directing or acting or novelwriting or teaching) a lot, then finding out that their politics don't match mine, and then deciding I don't like their art because of it. But I think everyone would agree to this, more or less.

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

I cannot stand the idea of liking someone's music (or film directing or acting or novelwriting or teaching) a lot, then finding out that their politics don't match mine, and then deciding I don't like their art because of it. But I think everyone would agree to this, more or less.

Yes, but interestingly, it has happened more than once that I either can't endure an artist or actor or acknowledge the art while disliking the person, only to read later on that (s)he has political or other views that are very different from mine. Nearly scaring.

[Feraud]

Yes, but interestingly, it has happened more than once that I either can't endure an artist or actor or acknowledge the art while disliking the person, only to read later on that (s)he has political or other views that are very different from mine. Nearly scaring.

It is an interesting idea to note. I think we do not want to judge a person from their art but how can we not? We all draw a line somewhere whether it be drug use, spouse abuse, possession of weapons, etc.
I might not take offense to a musician doing drugs because it is "his business" but someone else might take offense to the behavior. It happens.
This discussion reminds me of the films Powder and Jeepers Creepers directed by Victor Salva (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0759207/). The guy is a convicted child molester who served time. Should we see his films?
Roman Polanski (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000591/) is a fugitive from the U.S. but we generally praise his films..

[Dr Doran]

It is an interesting idea to note. I think we do not want to judge a person from their art but how can we not? We all draw a line somewhere whether it be drug use, spouse abuse, possession of weapons, etc.
I might not take offense to a musician doing drugs because it is "his business" but someone else might take offense to the behavior. It happens.
This discussion reminds me of the films Powder and Jeepers Creepers directed by Victor Salva (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0759207/). The guy is a convicted child molester who served time. Should we see his films?
Roman Polanski (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000591/) is a fugitive from the U.S. but we generally praise his films..

I love Polanski. Knife in Water was great. As I'm Polish by marriage, I'm a big Polophile. A fictionalized version of the Sharon Tate murder by Manson (Polanski's wife) is told in Polanski's buddy Jerzy Kosinski's novel about the skier. I didn't know that the Jeepers Creepers guy was a child molester. I didn't like that film anyway.

I like it when someone has different politics, etc. than me and can make a perfect perfect expression of those in art. Like Ayn Rand's Fountainhead. I'm not a libertarian at all but I like it when someone can explain that. As for child molestation, I don't suppose I'd rather see a perfect expression of that. Then again, I am reading Plato's Republic now, and in Book 5 or 6 (I cannot remember) paedophilia is explained quite well -- but that was classical Athens and autres temps, autres moeurs I suppose.

[Smuterella]

I haven't read the thread but i love Amy, shes gorgeous, sexy and very talented. Yes, she is having drugs problems, I've had drugs problems (not as bad, no way, but a little drug induced madness has occurred in my past).

Lets just hope she gets over it.

[Dr Doran]

I haven't read the thread but i love Amy, shes gorgeous, sexy and very talented. Yes, she is having drugs problems, I've had drugs problems (not as bad, no way, but a little drug induced madness has occurred in my past).

Lets just hope she gets over it.

I've done a few too. I'm pretty limited to Scotch now.

Hey, I'd like it if someone would tell me what are the most vintage-inspired songs Winehouse has done so I know what to look for. What are the influences on the albums? I hear some Motown and I like it. A lot.

[Smuterella]

It is mainly Motown, I'd start with the Isley Brothers, the Four Tops, the Supremes. Perhaps get a Motown best of album and see what you like best. Its wonderful music.

[flat-top]

Hey, I'd like it if someone would tell me what are the most vintage-inspired songs Winehouse has done so I know what to look for. What are the influences on the albums? I hear some Motown and I like it. A lot.
Amy does two amazing covers, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", and "To Know Him is to Love Him", which are not on her CD's, but possibly bonus tracks on CD singles. I would imagine they would also be on iTunes. You can really hear how great her voice is on these tracks.

[Fletch]

La Trainwreck Anglaise has a really hot voice. Damn shame how she's screwed herself up tho.
I'd hope the first step after she gets thru with her dry-out would be to ditch the Cleopatra eye-wings and the bird-nest hair.
Without those, she cleans up nicely in a seamy bohemian kind of way.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/Saltlick/Sub3/AmyWinehouse01.jpg

[HungaryTom]

Seeing her previous photos I am really sorry for the demise of such a gorgeous looking and talented woman.
Now she is a wreck - half way between her glory and her tombstone.
I sincerely hope she gets away from the grip of alcoholism and drugs.
And I would not walk in her parents' shoes.

[pennycarrol]

I have to say that I'm I'm not a big Amy Winehouse fan.... I don't really like her voice... Well, it's just my opinion you know...
[huh]

[Dr Doran]

Seeing her previous photos I am really sorry for the demise of such a gorgeous looking and talented woman.
Now she is a wreck - half way between her glory and her tombstone.
I sincerely hope she gets away from the grip of alcoholism and drugs.
And I would not walk in her parents' shoes.

Good point, Hung. Whenever I see a scantily clad female who looks sexually desirable now, but in a trashy and overly seductive way, I think to myself that her parents probably feel uncomfortable. I only started to think this way when I got a daughter.

[FedoraGent]

Doran,

I watched the E True Hollywood story on her recently because I was rather bored At any rate, it almost seems like her family didn't give her what she needed as a child...hence her being as screwed up as all the rest of the other entertainers today.

FG.

Good point, Hung. Whenever I see a scantily clad female who looks sexually desirable now, but in a trashy and overly seductive way, I think to myself that her parents probably feel uncomfortable. I only started to think this way when I got a daughter.

[Dr Doran]

Most people can make this complaint ...

[HungaryTom]

Doran,

I thought the same way as you...as a loving and caring father.
I imagined how I would feel if my son whom I adore and cherish would become a handsome and talented man and then destroy himself with dope (Seemingly it is not only alcohol) within a few years....

Fedoragent,

I did not know how the Winehouse family and her upbringing really was. Wikipedia tells the parents were musicians. Anyhow it is never a good feeling to see your charming daughter falling apart.

Alcoholism to increase awareness? I think only the addicts themselves think to have their addiction(s) under control - hopefully Amy really could be persuaded finally that she can not. If she dies at the end of the day - she can not do much with the awareness.

Regards

Tom

[Feraud]

Amy Winehouse is reportedly set to launch her own line of clothing and cosmetics so fans can emulate her signature look.

“Amy’s distinctive style has been copied by girls around the country and there’s a lot of money to be made,” says a source. “She wants to bring out a range of cosmetics and fashion products. There could be hairspray, head scarves, eyeliner and perfume. All the things that make her who she is.”



The singer's signature style includes her beehive hairdo and heavy winged eyeliner.



Meanwhile, the 24-year-old has allegedly left rehab after seeking treatment for her drug addictions.


http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=38217&cat=2

[Nigel Fisher]

I'm actually listening to Back to Black, her CD, at the moment. Incredibly talented.

[Smuterella]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-23465787-details/Amy%27s+friends+fear+the+worst+as+she+appears+with +her+face+covered+in+scabs+and+spots/article.do

oh dear :(

[celtic]

i enjoy her music.

and like a lot of other artists who make in what MY opinion are bad choices (billie holiday, keith, joplin, hendrix, morrison....endless list) i try to enjoy the art they've decided to share and not dwell on what I wish them to be.

[KittyT]

Amy's has a compelling voice, but what I've heard of her music seems to lack any of the original emotion that the motown and soul greats had. One thing I do respect about her is that she is mostly singing original material as opposed to other popular soul artists such as the Detroit Cobras, who are mostly singing covers.


Does rehab ever work? If someone really wants to get clean, can't they do it on their own?

Some people need the support services offered by rehab, but the real key is that someone has to want to come clean first. Rehab never works - if you're not there of your own volition. Some people CAN do it on their own and others don't have the strength to do so. I have an ex who was a heroin junkie when he was 14. At that same age, he locked himself in his room to detox and it was a long and painful process for him. But he has an iron resolve and strength of character that many others don't possess.



Side note: I have spoke to many crack addicts and meth addicts who have cried they want to get off of the stuff but it is so addictive. It is said one time with meth and you can be hooked.

This is true - but it depends on the person. I have seen people whose lives have been destroyed by meth and its addictive grip, and tried to help one of the best friends of my teen years get his act together. He's a wreck. As for myself, I did a lot of drugs, including meth, and I got lucky. It depends on the person and their own psychological makeup, but I think I was the exception rather than the rule, at least from what I've seen.

[KittyT]

Also, here's another old photo:
http://www.andrewkendall.com/images/photographs/bandshoots/amywinehouse_v2004/main/amywinehouse_v2004_2.jpg

[Smuterella]

phwoar

I too have done a lot of drugs, and to be honest I still dabble every now and then. It is possible to use drugs recreationally. certain drugs anyway, for certain people.

Not that I advocate drug use, certainly not.

[KittyT]

I too have done a lot of drugs, and to be honest I still dabble every now and then. It is possible to use drugs recreationally. certain drugs anyway, for certain people.

Absolutely. The point being that it's possible for some people to use drugs without destroying their lives (not Amy Winehouse, obviously). It just depends on the individual, their psychological make-up, and their outlook and attitude. For some people, there's no option, but for some of us, there is. Thank the lord, because there's a lot of fun to be had in recreational drug use. lol


Not that I advocate drug use, certainly not.

I don't either. Yes, it's breaking the law, but I do advocate an individual's right to make that decision for him/herself, as long as he or she understands the risks and consequences and is willing to take responsibility for them.

[ShortClara]

I'm really getting into Back to Black now, and wow. What a voice, what phrasing, what emotion, what writing! I'm in love. I hope she gets it together, I really really do. I don't even care that she looks crazy with the insane beehive or anything, I don't need her to conform for me - I just need her to record more!

[Smuterella]

I'm really getting into Back to Black now, and wow. What a voice, what phrasing, what emotion, what writing! I'm in love. I hope she gets it together, I really really do. I don't even care that she looks crazy with the insane beehive or anything, I don't need her to conform for me - I just need her to record more!

I think she is immensely talented in an almost savant way (having seen her interviewed she doesn't come across as very clever)

but she can certainly put feeling into a lyric in a way that I haven't heard in a long time

of course the production is 100% Mark Ronson, that boy great at recreating that Motown big band sound

[Naama]

I think she is immensely talented in an almost savant way (having seen her interviewed she doesn't come across as very clever)


I guess it's hard to come across as very clever when you're under the influence of some drugs all the time.... Don't you think?

But great music, for sure! When I first was listen to back to black, I only liked one or two songs, but now I love it and also bought her first record! Hope she will be back on track soon, because I think if she is going on like that for any longer, that won't end good... :(



Naama

[Smuterella]

I guess it's hard to come across as very clever when you're under the influence of some drugs all the time.... Don't you think?



I didn't mean to sound like a snob, she is a working class girl from a similar but much happier background than mine (or so it seems) and I don't want to put her down. I just don't think she is very academic and also perhaps not very conscious of the repercussions of her actions. Obviously its hard to have any idea of the real world when you are surrounded by drugs and sycophants.

[ShortClara]

Not terribly academic, no. But they way she expresses ideas is intelligent, to me. She couches her ideas in vulgarities, sometimes, but it makes it almost more poignant and raw. And I confess, I find myself thinking "What kind of fu**ery is this?" all the time now. :D

[Smuterella]

Not terribly academic, no. But they way she expresses ideas is intelligent, to me. She couches her ideas in vulgarities, sometimes, but it makes it almost more poignant and raw. And I confess, I find myself thinking "What kind of fu**ery is this?" all the time now. :D

oh yeah, I think she is a bit like eminem in a way - he is brilliant lyrically (no nice - but clever) but awful interviewed, just awful

[artful dodgette]

i can't deny that 'Back to black' is a good album, but i don't know how her and Mark Ronson got away wit ripping off so so so many motown classics!!! without barely changing them apart from the lyrics!!!:rage:

[Dr Doran]

i can't deny that 'Back to black' is a good album, but i don't know how her and Mark Ronson got away wit ripping off so so so many motown classics!!! without barely changing them apart from the lyrics!!!:rage:

Ripoff or homage?

[Fletch]

Also, here's another old photo:
http://www.andrewkendall.com/images/photographs/bandshoots/amywinehouse_v2004/main/amywinehouse_v2004_2.jpgHmmmmm...no, not conventionally beautiful...but damn, there is something hot about those exotic, Semitic features, large intense eyes and full sensuous mouth. Sadly all that's now overshadoed by her ratty dreads and wasted, hollow look.

[Feraud]

What's up with Amy? The poor girl cannot keep out of trouble...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080425/ap_en_mu/people_winehouse
And she supposedly head butt some dude!

A man was quoted in tabloid newspapers as saying he was hit by Winehouse when he got in her way while she was playing pool at a bar in the Camden neighborhood and then head-butted another who was trying to hail her a cab in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

[fortworthgal]

I love her music, even though she's a trainwreck. I really wish she would get her act cleaned up and just keep recording - she has a fantastic sound! Very motown, so soulful.


And she supposedly head butt some dude!

I know this is terrible, but I actually laughed out loud when I read this. Something about the idea of a tiny girl with a massive beehive headbutting someone makes me laugh. lol

[Feraud]

I know this is terrible, but I actually laughed out loud when I read this. Something about the idea of a tiny girl with a massive beehive headbutting someone makes me laugh. lol That is why I posted it! :D
It is probably totally untrue but funny as heck to imagine. lol

[Fletch]

Quotable quote from that evening: "'I am a legend, get these people out. I want to take drugs. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=561401&in_page_id=1773)"

She wants to be famous in the worst way. And that's exactly what she's doing.

[Ada Veen]

look at the photos of her in the above article! oh my gosh, she looks terrible. My boyfriend used to see her round camden all the time, apparently she looks even scrawnier in real life :(

[altamari22]

Amy Winehouse sounds just like her name Winy
If you want to listen to good music there is nothing like the classics.
Try some Frank, Dean or the Andrews Sisters. and you can never go wrong with Glen Miller.
I just feel like she is making money off being a drug addict.

[Smuterella]

oh come on, addiction and talent seem to go hand in hand a lot of the time. As Julie burchill said in the paper today - Amy is like the reverse Madonna - lots of talent little work, Madonna - no talent - huge back catalogue.

Amy was brilliant singing for Nelson Mandela tonight.

but then I am a little in love with her

oh and that Daily Mail article

"a marijuana "spliff""

*chortle*

[byronic]

i hope she gets her act together in time to record the new bond theme, she has a kind of underlying menace in her voice, and that 60's-ish sound that makes her ideally suited for it.

[TheDutchess]

I love Amy she is more talented that a lot of people give her credit for. Americans usually don't get to see her in all her awesomeness (yes I said awesomeness!) because they only seem to play "Rehab" here, which is not one of her strongest songs, not by a long shot. If you haven't heard her her album Frank yet, its a must. Instant classic. Very rarely can i find a modern day artist who's album has strong songs from beginning to end.

But yea, I'm totally not a fan *cough*

[ShortClara]

I love Amy she is more talented that a lot of people give her credit for. Americans usually don't get to see her in all her awesomeness (yes I said awesomeness!) because they only seem to play "Rehab" here, which is not one of her strongest songs, not by a long shot. If you haven't heard her her album Frank yet, its a must. Instant classic. Very rarely can i find a modern day artist who's album has strong songs from beginning to end.

But yea, I'm totally not a fan *cough*

I need to visit me some Frank....

[InspectorMorse]

I dearly love the classics (popular American Standards) and I have a vast collection of standards & jazz as well, but I keep my ear open to new talent as well- there is a great deal of talent coming out of the UK still, and Amy is but one example! I was once disheartened by what the US music industry was delivering, but then I started looking at UK music & indies as well. (Plus The Brits still use the term "records" for songs played!) Good music is good no matter the decade- and also have you noticed how many aging rockers have recorded standards now?

[K.D. Lightner]

I have been concerned about her drug addiction and now that I read she has lung problems due to smoking cigarettes and crack, I worry that she will have a short life.

Hope she can beat the addiction and live long enough to enjoy her life and realize how talented she is.

karol

[Airshowgal]

I too enjoy Amy! She has a very different sound & look. I am concerned though that one of these days I will wake up & find out she is no longer with us. Her lifestyle reminds me too much of the way Janis Joplin led her life. :(

[byronic]

i just read that she is slightly peeved at being dropped from recording the new bond theme in favour of jack white and alicia keyes. rumour has it that she will release her intended song on the same day as the official theme, to annoy the bond producers, one assumes - it will be interesting to compare the songs, if this is indeed true.

[T.E.W.Clough]

Shame... I think a Winehouse Bond theme would have been a grand idea.

Well if this does ring true I will be very interested in comparing the two. Thanks for the heads up on this one!

[cooncatbob]

I too enjoy Amy! She has a very different sound & look. I am concerned though that one of these days I will wake up & find out she is no longer with us. Her lifestyle reminds me too much of the way Janis Joplin led her life. :(


Back in the late 60s Rock Stars like Janis Joplin didn't make the mega bucks that todays stars bring in.
Also recovery centers for drug addiction were few and far between.
Janis didn't have the opportunities for treatment for her drug addiction that
Amy Winehouse has thrown away.

[scotrace]

She has left the stage.

[HadleyH]

What an amazing delivery! Among the best of the best! A voice like that only comes once in a while ...:eusa_clap

It's so sad she didn't know how good she was.... Etta James and Amy are up there with the best of them!

I am not judging her... no way...

TY Amy.

[J. M. Stovall]

I really had hopes that she was going to clean up and give us some more great music, very sad.

[Tomasso]

The age of 27 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club) is not the best year for musicians.....:eusa_doh:

[Amy Jeanne]

It has occurred to me that I have never, ever heard an Amy Winehouse song! Not because I am "too vintage" (because I LOVE Lady Gaga and Ke$ha!) -- I just never sought her out.

We have (had) the same name, too. And I LOVE girl singers (way more that guy singers). You'd think I would have investigated by now. lol

[RockyHorror]

I've been saying for years I wanted her to get her act together long enough to put another album out before she died. Truly a wonderful talent. It's very sad.

[Chas]

I wouldn't call it sad. It's more pathetic than sad.

She had more talent in her toenail clippings than all the current crop put together do in their whole bodies. Instead of taking full advantage and using her time on earth to create timeless art, she chose to flush it all down the toilet in favor of getting high. Her colleagues, friends and family had to endure the misfortune of having to sit back and watch her destroy herself.

She won't have to go to rehab now. No, no, no....

It's such crap that some artists still define themselves by their misery. Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson never did that (for example). Having a long, successful career of preforming and making music means so much more than having a top ten posthumous album.

[Rudie]

Did it ever occur to you that people like Amy Winehouse don't have this kind of self-destructing behaviour because they like it so much but because they received a powerful self-punishing subconscious programming when they were a kid and had no means to block the suggestions that led to this programming?

[Guttersnipe]

For the life of me I cannot understand what is wrong with people that they think it's alright to sit in smug, self-righteous judgment about those who suffer from the debilitating disease of addiction.

Would you blame a person for dieing of cancer? Of course not!

[Travis Lee Johnston]

Also sometimes a person gets to a point in life where they feel like they have nowhere else to go with their craft. Like they don't care to see themselves get old and become embarrassing. Doing Superbowl halftime shows with Elton John.

And people around you even when they kiss your ass all day and night simply just want something from you. You feel empty inside and alone in the universe. This coupled with having a bad month or year on top of it can make you wanna take the plunge. Just something to think about. I never walked in someone elses shoes.

[lolly_loisides]

I've been thinking a lot about Amy Winehouse today & I know one of her musical inspirations was Donny Hathaway. Donny died early too, he was 33. This (I think) was his masterpiece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv1B0ejhFVE&feature=player_embedded

[Woland]

R. I. P...

[Woland]

I've been saying for years I wanted her to get her act together long enough to put another album out before she died. Truly a wonderful talent. It's very sad.

I suspect she have been working between the bouts of substance abuse.
There will be another album, I am quite sure...

[Edward]

There's a good analysis of the whole thing in The Guardian today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jul/24/amy-winehouse-a-losing-game

While it seems to me from limited, second hand experience noone can be fully helped until they want it, I can't help but feel that had so many not simply stood by and watch her decline, maybe something might have changed.

[hatophile]

I too enjoy Amy! She has a very different sound & look. I am concerned though that one of these days I will wake up & find out she is no longer with us. Her lifestyle reminds me too much of the way Janis Joplin led her life. :(

Someone predicted it 3 years ago.

[Drappa]

Chilling to hear what her greatest fear was (at that moment anyway)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ISw4yuM4io&feature=fvst

I loved both her albums and was rooting for her. But then I also love Janis Joplin and she reminded me of her.

[Edward]

Someone predicted it 3 years ago.

And that's the tragedy: everyone saw it coming, but how many of them genuinely tried to prevent it?

[LizzieMaine]

I don't know her music or anything about her other than what I read -- but I agree with those commentators who've pointed out that the modern media culture has as much responsibility for her death as she herself does. A drunk, drugged-out star makes far more compelling copy and a far more exciting image to sell than a sober, serious-minded one any day of the week. and the media and music-business parasites who surrounded her and no doubt helped egg her on have her blood on their hands. Until we, as a society, reject the idea of glamorizing and romanticizing the tortured-artist image to sell music and concert tickets, there are going to be plenty of other talented young kids who'll follow in her footsteps.

And yes, there were plenty of Golden Era artists who threw their lives down a bar drain. "Bixing" isn't a new concept, but nowadays people seem to *expect* it. If you aren't badly messed up, you aren't a legitimate artist. If you're happy and well-adjusted and take your work seriously, you're a commercial hack.

[Marc Chevalier]

If you're happy and well-adjusted and take your work seriously, you're [perceived as] a commercial hack.

Case in point: Celine Dion (although she does well enough).

[Feraud]

"Bixing" isn't a new concept, but nowadays people seem to *expect* it. If you aren't badly messed up, you aren't a legitimate artist. If you're happy and well-adjusted and take your work seriously, you're a commercial hack.
Sad but true. The Hip-Hop genre also suffers from industry pushing the gangsta image to the detriment of the artists.

[Edward]

I don't know her music or anything about her other than what I read -- but I agree with those commentators who've pointed out that the modern media culture has as much responsibility for her death as she herself does. A drunk, drugged-out star makes far more compelling copy and a far more exciting image to sell than a sober, serious-minded one any day of the week. and the media and music-business parasites who surrounded her and no doubt helped egg her on have her blood on their hands. Until we, as a society, reject the idea of glamorizing and romanticizing the tortured-artist image to sell music and concert tickets, there are going to be plenty of other talented young kids who'll follow in her footsteps.

And yes, there were plenty of Golden Era artists who threw their lives down a bar drain. "Bixing" isn't a new concept, but nowadays people seem to *expect* it. If you aren't badly messed up, you aren't a legitimate artist. If you're happy and well-adjusted and take your work seriously, you're a commercial hack.

Unfortunately, Lizzie, this does indeed seem to be the case. The big difference is that whereas back in the day the artists / record labels and even, often AFAIK, a compliant press would go out of their way to hush these things up, now they're all over it as a publicity machine. The people who buy all the papers and read the stories so they can tut tut at another dead junkie are al too often the same people that complained about "media exploitation" of Diana Windsor, while buying all the photospreads, magaizines and souvenir plates they could find.

I remember even the hip NME editorial staff being unsettled a few years ago when Pete Doherty* was voted top of the "cool list" of the year by the readership. All credit to them, the NME ran an editorial piece in which they pointed out all the reasons why this was not a desirable state of affairs.




*A sometime acquaintance of Amy Winehouse; they shared a mutual interest in narcotics and alcohol, and had similar tabloid notoriety; difference was he was a clear case of Emperor's New Clothes, while she was a genuine talent.

[LizzieMaine]

And the industry and the media keeps selling that image because people keep buying it. The audiences themselves who buy into these images also have blood on their hands, I think. It's a self-perpetuating cycle, and how many more dead young talents will we need before people wise up about it? We can certainly blame the Daily Mirror for such a state of affairs, but people might also take a look in their *own* mirror.

[MissChloeCorville]

Funny, when she was alive, everyone,made fun of her. And of course now that shes dead shes some "amazing" talent. I guess that s the way it goes, you have to be dead to be somebody amd have people respect you.

[hatophile]

It seems that folks enjoy seeing the downfall of those with fame and fortune, ie, "they're like us poor regular slobs after all". All you have to do is look at the supermarket tabloids to see stories of celebrity divorces, fights, alcohol, drug use and rehab failures. It must somehow be programmed into our baser nature to want to see degradation of these famous people.
In the long run, the lesson is: money and fame can't buy health and happiness, and in fact, can lead to ruin just as easily.

[Edward]

And the industry and the media keeps selling that image because people keep buying it. The audiences themselves who buy into these images also have blood on their hands, I think. It's a self-perpetuating cycle, and how many more dead young talents will we need before people wise up about it? We can certainly blame the Daily Mirror for such a state of affairs, but people might also take a look in their *own* mirror.

Bingo.


Funny, when she was alive, everyone,made fun of her. And of course now that shes dead shes some "amazing" talent. I guess that s the way it goes, you have to be dead to be somebody amd have people respect you.

Yip, it's Diana Windsor syndrome all over again. You probably wouldn't have seen The Sun on the day after her accident, with it's headline "Queen of Hearts", but it was everywhere over here. Of course, virtually nobody saw the original Sun front page for that day (which was printed and ready to go out): "Diana the leech", an attack story on her for being on her third (broadly taxpayer funded) holiday in a month). The best comment on the whole thing - and by extrapolation all such scenarios was in Private Eye, which published a satirical editorial, apologising for "anything derogatory we may have said over the years about the late Diana, Princess of Wales. In the light of last Sunday's tragic events we have now realised that she was, in fact, the most saintly person who ever lived, and we would like to express our deepest hypocrisy to all our readers".
As Meyer Wolfsheim once said, "Let us learn to show friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead." Amy Winehouse reminds me a lot of Gatsby in some ways.

[Chas]

For the life of me I cannot understand what is wrong with people that they think it's alright to sit in smug, self-righteous judgment about those who suffer from the debilitating disease of addiction.

Would you blame a person for dieing of cancer? Of course not!

Addiction is not a disease. It's a medical condition, but it is not a disease. There is no single causative agent. Cancer is a disease. Lupus is a disease. Diabetes is a disease.

There is no identified gene, virus or whatever with addiction.

There are innumerable cases of people walking away from addiction- albeit with some slips and struggles. Nobody walks away from pancreatic cancer. It is 100% fatal. Addiction is not even in the same room as something like that. When one calls addiction a 'disease' they essentially give the addict a pass- and excusing them from responsibility for their own life; which does not help them in the long run.


Funny, when she was alive, everyone,made fun of her. And of course now that shes dead shes some "amazing" talent. I guess that s the way it goes, you have to be dead to be somebody amd have people respect you.

Yeah, I always wondered about that too.

I always thought that she was talented and all that- I just wasn't into her thing. The vast crowd of vocalists these days are a pretty sorry bunch when it comes to ability. There's not a single one among them who would be making the kind of money or holding the same status if they were working in the same era as Nat King Cole or Billie Holiday. They'd all be rated as the second-class acts that they are.

[Tomasso]

If you aren't badly messed up, you aren't a legitimate artist. If you're happy and well-adjusted and take your work seriously, you're a commercial hack.When Alicia Keys' theme song for the Bond film Quantum of Solace was chosen over Amy's she said, "I guess they are going for clean-cut and boring".

Alicia Keys was born and raised in Hell's Kitchen by a single mother. She said: "I had to decide if I was going to do the right thing or the wrong thing, take drugs or not take drugs, or end up getting in the wrong scenario".

[Atticus Finch]

Addiction is not a disease. It's a medical condition, but it is not a disease. There is no single causative agent. Cancer is a disease. Lupus is a disease. Diabetes is a disease.

There is no identified gene, virus or whatever with addiction.

...When one calls addiction a 'disease' they essentially give the addict a pass- and excusing them from responsibility for their own life; which does not help them in the long run.

I totally agree with you. I’ve listened while addicts excused their criminal behavior with this argument way too many times. But in all fairness to those who refer to addiction as a "disease"….I think they are more likening it to mental illness than to physical illness such as cancer or lupus.

AF

[Chas]

This clip will interest anyone with more than a passing interest in addiction. Brilliant stuff, really.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EREriwV71mA

[Guttersnipe]

Addiction is not a disease. It's a medical condition, but it is not a disease. There is no single causative agent. Cancer is a disease. Lupus is a disease. Diabetes is a disease.

There is no identified gene, virus or whatever with addiction.

There are innumerable cases of people walking away from addiction- albeit with some slips and struggles. Nobody walks away from pancreatic cancer. It is 100% fatal. Addiction is not even in the same room as something like that. When one calls addiction a 'disease' they essentially give the addict a pass- and excusing them from responsibility for their own life; which does not help them in the long run.



Yeah, I always wondered about that too.

I always thought that she was talented and all that- I just wasn't into her thing. The vast crowd of vocalists these days are a pretty sorry bunch when it comes to ability. There's not a single one among them who would be making the kind of money or holding the same status if they were working in the same era as Nat King Cole or Billie Holiday. They'd all be rated as the second-class acts that they are.


I totally agree with you. I’ve listened while addicts excused their criminal behavior with this argument way too many times. But in all fairness to those who refer to addiction as a "disease"….I think they are more likening it to mental illness than to physical illness such as cancer or lupus.

AF

Both the American Psychiatric Association, since 1965, and American Medical Association, since 1966, have classified addiction as a disease.

[Atticus Finch]

Both the American Psychiatric Association since 1965 and American Medical Association since 1966 have classified addiction as a disease.

'Tis true. It is also true that in order for most health insurance policies to pay for treatment, the treatment has to be of a "disease".

AF

[Chas]

That doesn't mean that it is a disease. A disease has an underlying pathology. Addiction doesn't.

And, judging from http://www.recoverytoday.net/articles/143-dsm-v-major-changes-to-addictive-disease-classifications?format=pdf&ml=5&mlt=&tmpl=, it appears that the APA is revising that position that addiction is a disease.

That position is not concrete either; there is a lot of dissension among the academics of the medical and psychiatric professions that addiction qualifies as a disease.

[V.C. Brunswick]

Both the American Psychiatric Association, since 1965, and American Medical Association, since 1966, have classified addiction as a disease.

If its a disease then it's the only one I know of that's self-inflicted.

[Guttersnipe]

I highly recommend this (http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/is-addiction-a-disease.htm), this (http://www.duke.edu/~asf11/articles/addiction%20is%20a%20brain%20disease,%20and%20it%2 0matters.pdf), and this (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.117.5235&rep=rep1&type=pdf) for a better understanding if addiction. In bullet points:

* Decades of clinical research shows a propensity for addiction is strongly linked to genetics.
* Similar to other disease in which genetic propensity plays a roll (e.g. diabetes, heart disease, and cancer), lifestyle choices also play a significant roll.

I don't mean to sound combative but, as the grandson of an MD who was a pioneer in the area of addiction medicine specialization, this is an issue very important to me.

As long as there is a stigma that addicts are somehow mentally weak, lacking in moral fiber, or otherwise somehow deficient, it will only add to the cycle of shame and self-loathing that helps to perpetuate an awful cycle.

[Atticus Finch]

I don't mean to sound combative but, as the grandson of an MD who was a pioneer in the area of addiction medicine specialization, this is an issue very important to me.


I don't think that you are being combative. I respect your opinion and applaud the work of your grandperson. That's the great thing about forums such as this...it is possible to disagree about the substantive issues in a discussion without being personally confrontational.

And I have to admit that I am a bit of a cynic when it comes to addiction. I believe that the reason addiction has been embraced as a disease by some (not all) in the medical profession has more to do with compensation for treatment than anything else. I also believe that the concept of addiction being a disease yields itself too well to being an excuse for all kinds of abhorrent, criminal conduct. I wish I could count the times I have heard a defense lawyer stand before a court and claim that his or her defendant was less culpable...or even not guilty...of some crime because of his defendant was addicted to drugs, or to sex, or to gambling or to whatever. It really become a tiresome tune after a while.

AF

[hatophile]

However it's classified, most would agree that addiction has a medical component and should be treated as such. Unfortunately, as Atticus pointed out, the condition of addiction contributes to significant criminal behaviors to obtain and or use the addictive substance. Thus, there are also legal and penal issues to be addressed along with the medical issues. This, I think, makes it difficult for many people, medical practitioners included, to have the same empathy with addicts that they have for other types of patients.

Nonetheless, it is important for any individual with a medical condition to contribute to their own care and try to take some personal responsibility for the treatment, be it taking medication, following a diet or excercise program, or attending therapy or medical appointments. Once again, however, the condition of addiction tends to be associated with a certain amount of denial and irresponsibility. Ultimately, until the question of cause can be answered with a satisfactory scientific explanation, the treatment of addiction will continue to be a major conundrum for health policy and medical practitioners.

Added:

To contribute to the complexity of addiction treatment, many addicts have associated serious psychiatric and emotional conditions.

[flat-top]

I've always loved this song. The video is especially sad to watch today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJAfLE39ZZ8&ob=av3n

[flat-top]

Here's a short preview of Amy doing "Body & Soul" with Tony Bennett:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR0vhRDpckQ&feature=player_embedded