In what may be the least-unexpected news out of the music world since the last time the Rolling Stones announced yet another world tour, troubled chanteuse and Jewish role-model Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London home, a likely victim of a drug overdose. Herewith, an open letter to Ms. Winehouse's fans:
While you rend your garments and bewail the loss of whatever future music might have come from your fallen star, we ask that you also consider the cardinal sin of Amy Winehouse. Not her use of drugs--which may or may not prove to be the cause of her death (as of this writing still officially classified as "unexplained"). If drug use among musicians merited instant condemnation, we'd all have nothing to listen to but the Osmonds and Linkin' Park (those kids are so squeaky-clean it's obnoxious). Her great sin was her unprofessional attitude toward her own talent. No matter how much a performing artist craves her bottle or her pills, the one thing she must do is show up sober for her audience--for you--something Winehouse failed to do on more than one occasion.
Your-Not-So-Humble-Correspondent has some experience in the performing arts, and he has worked with his share of actors with substance-abuse issues. Years ago, we did a show with a leading man who was a hardcore alcoholic. Every night after the show, he would tend to his needs as he saw them. He was middle-aged and lonely and, frankly, sad. But every night he was on time for curtain. Every night he said his lines word-perfect. He never missed a cue and never blew a scene. He may very well be dead by now, quite possibly a victim of his own self-destructive habits, but while he might have had contempt for himself, he had great respect for his craft and, by extension, his audiences.
Amy Winehouse had nothing but contempt for you.
Winehouse does leave behind an impressive artistic legacy. Not just in her music, but in her popularization of a style of jazz and soul-inflected retro-pop--a popularization that has paved the way for such Winehousian acolytes as Duffy and Adele. If it's any comfort, we're sure Adele can do the entire Amy Winehouse catalog as well as, if not better, than the originator. She'll probably manage to show up sober for concerts, too.
Amy Winehouse the musician was a considerable talent. Amy Winehouse the person deserves little of your sympathy.
The Solipsist
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