A lot’s been written about Amy Winehouse over the past few months. Tales of drug abuse, beatings, alcoholism, arguments and all manner of other dreadful things. Many’s the newspaper that’s featured articles droning on about how close to dying she is and that somebody should do something about it before it’s too late.

Bollocks. Keep it up I say.

Artists since time immemorial have fought inner demons, Amy Winehouse is no exception to this. Just because she’s young, gifted and jewish doesn’t mean she can’t have a raging junk habit does it?

The problem with the modern media is that it, rather hypocritically in my eyes, moralises about drug use and how very, very bad it is. Piffle. It’s nothing new and you’re never going to stop it.

Let’s take a look at jazz and soul musicians in particular, after all this is what Winehouse models her self on, and let’s see exactly what’s happened over the decades to the various proponents of the art.

• Billie Holiday
  Well known drug addict, died of cirrhosis of the liver.
• Nina Simone
  A raging alcoholic, who once shot her neighbour’s son because his laughing disturbed her concentration.
• Charlie Parker
  Died of pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, a death that was hastened by his drug and alcohol abuse.
• Bix Beiderbecke
  Alcoholic, drank himself to death on bootleg gin.
• Miles Davis
  Drug addict, eventually overcame it. Then died anyway.

My point is that none of this is new, artistic types have been taking drugs, drinking too much and fighting forever. The only difference now is that the public has a morbid fascination with celebrity tittle-tattle that is catered for by newspapers, television shows, magazines, websites and a host of other media. A picture of Amy Winehouse covered in blood, stumbling out of a London hotel at half three in the morning isn’t going to do any of these media outlets any harm is it?

Add to this the fact that today’s view of drug and alcohol use is much more liberal than it was even twenty years ago, it’s clear to see that the desire of the record companies and agents to cover up their star’s rampant benders just isn’t there. In fact it might even be considered to carry a little kudos with The Kids if they are seen to be living on the edge.

We need to put it into perspective, she isn’t doing anyone any harm, she might be living a life that’s a bit short on meaning but by fuck I bet it isn’t short on experience. And isn’t that what being an artist is all about; conveying your life experience to others through your art? Compare these lyrics:

For you I was a flame,
Love is a losing game
Five story fire as you came,
Love is losing game

One I wish I never played,
Oh, what a mess we made
And now the final frame,
Love is a losing game

And:

As time goes by I probably will
Meet a girl and fall in love
Then I’ll get married have a wife and a child
And they’ll be my turtle doves

But until then I’ll be a bachelor boy
And that’s the way I’ll stay
Happy to be a bachelor boy
Until my dying days

Which would you rather listen to, a young woman singing about regret at having loved and lost or a twat in a suit crooning about maybe marrying someone. Possibly. Someday. Maybe. If he could get over his Christian guilt at being gay.

I’ll leave you with this Keith Richards quote.

‘I’ve never had a problem with drugs. I’ve had problems with the police.’

Quite.

Filed under: Music, People, Ranting