Amy Winehouse

[Venuslurker]

Amy is one of the only celebrity deaths that I've actually cried over, loved her music and style and she was so funny and witty. The way she died was so sad. I love Camden and always think of her when I visit.

 

[clueless]

Can’t believe it’s been ten years

I wasn’t keen on this new documentary at all. Loved seeing the previously unseen footage and photographs (what a beautiful girl she was, stunning) but that was all. Felt like a bit of a PR exercise to clear the family and I don’t think it’s done them any favours. That’s not to say I don’t feel for them, it must have been absolutely awful watching it all at that time and of course they will never get over her death. And it’s absolutely true that addicts can only help themselves. But to me it felt like they were really trying to hammer that point, insisting on how good a family they were; but in my mind there is no doubt that Amy had daddy issues, with him leaving the family home in the way he did, not spending time with her, and mum not being more firm. Children need boundaries and she was never given any nor disciplined; her mum herself said in the Asif doc that she wasn’t strong enough to stand up to her and Amy herself said her mum was too soft and she should be tougher on her. She also said herself that her dad was never there for any of those important bits like when her and her brother were acting up.

Amy didn’t organise the gigs herself or have any involvement in that side of things; so I don’t buy it that Mitch and her manager didn’t make her do them. They could have been cancelled and that would have been that. Even if she wanted to do them, they could have insisted upon her not by cancelling as looking out for her well-being. I still believe 100% that she was pressured into performing when she wasn’t well.

Didn’t get good vibes or sincerity from these other “friends”. Who were they? Naomi was her stylist and it would seem that she’s trying to make more of their relationship than it really was. Very easy to claim. Seen she has a book coming out this year on Amy’s birthday, so cashing in on her.

I really get the strong impression that Catriona was a hanger-on who is trying to claim they shared this deep and profound friendship. The only photos of them together are when Amy was at her worst and they were out on the sauce. Enjoying and encouraging the party lifestyle that was so harmful to Amy doesn’t really tally up with being so concerned about same. Amy seemed very sociable and made easy friendships with people, so just because they spent some time partying together doesn’t mean anything IMO. I don’t buy it.

Thought it was a disgrace how she said they slept together too. It was so disrespectful. And implying that Amy was mentally battling with her confusion over her sexuality and that was a factor in her downfall. The only person who could confirm or deny if they slept together is Amy and she’s not here; I call BS. The fact her parents allowed this to be included shows some desperation on their part. Even if it were true, it’s a private matter that has been disclosed without Amy’s consent, it’s so disrespectful. The last piece of her privacy disclosed, and under her parents watch. Zero benefit for Amy for this to be public knowledge, yet this girl was almost boasting about it for her own ends. She knew fine rightly that it was a scandalous revelation and is now acting all pious and faux shock that it was commented on by journos. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Honestly, none of them said anything we didn’t already know. Their saying that the Asif doc didn’t do her justice and painted her as a caricature wasn’t true at all in my view- I think that doc really did do her justice and it was very much on her side. I believe the accounts given by her true friends on there - Juliette, Lauren, Nick, Tyler. None of them had any involvement with this new doc which in my opinion is telling of its credibility.

 

[dollyac]

I recently read both of Mitch’s and Janis’s book and the difference between them was so striking.

Mitch constantly trying to defend his behaviour and whatnot, only seemed focused on getting her back to work in her lowest moments.

Janis’s book was written so much better and had much more about her childhood (assuming because Mitch was barely there?) that showed that probably, sadly, she was always going to run into these problems. If it wasn’t Blake, it would probably have been someone else.

Her mum also wrote that Amy had told her quite a few years before Blake that she had tried smoking Heroin but her mum questioned how much of that was true.

I adore her music and I’m just so sad she experienced so much pain and sadness in her short life.

 

[squeeze1]

He fucking fed her heroin when she was at her lowest fucking hell

Her Dads a cunt too

 

[Foxvint]

I feel like it was always gonna be slated- some ppl find it in poor taste (the OD scenes and involvement of mitch), it's too soon for some, no one is ever gonna look and especially sound like Amy. So there's legit objections. I just reject and am annoyed by the sort of self-righteous high horse declarations that are all-over SM about no real fan of Amy should go and see this film. Scuse me? Off you fuck determining whats acceptable culture. I'll watch anything about Amy and make up my own mind. My daughter and me both big fans- I'm gonna watch it, she would never. Its all good. But make up your own mind and don't pretend you're some sort of purer pedigree fan if you don't imo.

 

[Sideboard Bob]

I loved Amy she was a star in the true sense of the word.
I do wonder how she would have fared in this crazy world today. Since she died anyone who is influenced by black music and her voice was Billie Holiday/Sarah Vaughan like in style and being white, would she have been accused of apporiating those artists, she was Jewish which is problematic amongst media types now and her song Stronger Than Me she sings about ladyboys so she would probably not be able to sing that because of transphobia. Oh boy how the world has slid of the rails in such a short time.
I'd like to think in true Amy style she'd stick her tongue out at them all and be unapologetic.

I think that’s a really fair point. What I would say about Amy though, is that she always acknowledged and referenced the black singers and musicians she was influenced by. She didn’t try to pretend she came up with it.
She’d talk about these singers in interviews, bringing them to the attention of a whole young audience. Her love and respect for the artists and the genres was always so clear.

Dusty Springfield was another white artist who got popular singing soul music, and she was the same, she got Motown acts booked on UK tv shows, and used her fame here to promote these amazing singers who weren’t yet known in the UK at the time. Again, it was all about her love and respect for the music she was influenced by.

 

[PeteM]

I see the statue of Amy Winehouse in Camden has had a Palestinian flag placed over her Star of David necklace, I can't link the article it's on the BBC website.

That is disgusting.
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The sticker has been removed
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It is very problematic and Amy was a down to earth North London girl and probably never gave the government of Israel a second thought, this is nothing to do with the war on gaza its a blatant hatred of Jews and no one can convince me otherwise.

I've seen a bit of casual antisemitism in London over the last few months. The sad thing is that it's coming from teenagers.

 

[Blockster]

That is disgusting.
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I've seen a bit of casual antisemitism in London over the last few months. The sad thing is that it's coming from teenagers.

It just shows you how an ideology can suck people in, the most depressing thing about this is when the young kids are questioned about what their marching about they can't answer, infact it's cringe to watch.

 

[Flowerpotgirl]

I was re-watching the film ‘Amy’ about her the other night. It mentioned that Rehab was written about an attempt to get her into rehab pre-Blake and pre-drugs to deal with her alcoholism. It was alcohol that liked her, she hadn’t taken drugs in a long time, and also the bulimia pre-dated him too.

Plus it’s easy for the press to point fingers at him when I remember how dreadfully the press hounded Amy, which definitely added to her problems, distracts from their role.

I think the thing with Blake is that a lot of people don’t realise he and his brother went through a lot and had a fucked up childhood. So if you’re pointing fingers of blame, someone fucked him up too.

I dunno. He did his rehab in the city I live in and I used to see him around a lot in the period around Amy’s death. He was a bit of a sad, pitiful and lonely character with a boatload of issues, not the demon he’s sometimes made out to be.

Nope, sorry. Not buying into it about poor Blake. He fucked Amy about, and was bad news from square one. Then when he had totally ruined her, he moved on to his next victim and did the same shit. And added a kiddie to the mix that time He is a waster, and never has dealt with any of his own problems and has projected them onto everyone else he can.
Everyone has problems, its how they work through them and deal with them that counts. There were many factors with Amy, of course-not even mentioning the eating disorder too. But Blake? Fucking waste of carbon. STILL.

 

[Sideboard Bob]

There’ll be a new documentary about Amy from the BBC soon, with her mum involved.
What‘s everyone’s thoughts? I think it will be lovely to hear more from her mum‘s perspective.

“The BBC said her story would be told in the new documentary "primarily through her mum", whose version of events "often differs from the narrative we have been told before".
Janis will be joined by family and friends, and the film will offer "a new female-driven interpretation of her life, her loves and her legacy", the announcement said.”

Amy Winehouse's mum Janis makes documentary 'to save memories from MS'

Janis Winehouse is to tell Amy's story in a new documentary on the 10th anniversary of her death.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[YeahBrackie]

We were in London at the weekend and walked past Amy's statue. Loads of people there taking photos with it. There's a gold sheen to her shoulder from so many people putting an arm around it for a picture. I actually felt immensely sad. It was almost as though, even in death, she still can't escape the cameras and everyone wanting something from her.

 

[Blockster]

I loved Amy she was a star in the true sense of the word.
I do wonder how she would have fared in this crazy world today. Since she died anyone who is influenced by black music and her voice was Billie Holiday/Sarah Vaughan like in style and being white, would she have been accused of apporiating those artists, she was Jewish which is problematic amongst media types now and her song Stronger Than Me she sings about ladyboys so she would probably not be able to sing that because of transphobia. Oh boy how the world has slid of the rails in such a short time.
I'd like to think in true Amy style she'd stick her tongue out at them all and be unapologetic.

 

[Foxvint]

I think it’s clearly a good thing that we’ve become less tolerant of transphobia though! Not sure how being Jewish is problematic now either?

I think the posters point was that trans activists will find offence where none was intended. Amy's tounge in cheek lyrics, glorification of old London gangster aesthetics that enshrine strict gender roles and a traditional wife persona weren't at all woke. It's interesting to speculate where she'd have fitted in today, if she'd have grown out of that posturing etc. And posturing it was. It's easier to talk about dying for Mah Man than to be keeping the home fires burning when he's in nick, which she didn't do. Amy was a creation a bit like Marilyn imo. A buffer zone between the real person and the world. Missing out on the music of a mature older wiser Amy is a loss we can't fathom.

 

[LennyBriscoe]

Completely.

I don't even think that her parents could have done more, she was an adult after all and living by herself.

But what I find hard to deal with, in hindsight, is that there were so many photos of her in newspapers, demonstrating how derailed she was, and we all looked at them and didn't do anything. I cannot even say what could have done by "the public", but it feels extra cruel that the whole world watched her collapse in a way.

I don't think I am expressing myself very well. I think that maybe some pictures should not have been printed and that her management should have been alerted (it probably was), maybe there could have been some sort of intervention, I don't know.

I know what you mean but if those closest to her - who had her genuine best interests at heart - couldn’t help her then the wider public wouldn’t have been able to. I’m a recovering alcoholic and I know that if I was a famous person when my alcoholism was at it worst, if someone saw me drunk on the front of a scummy tabloid and offered to pay for me to go to rehab for six months - I may accept and go, but if I wasn’t ready to put everything I had into recovery, I would have started drinking as soon as I got out.

The tabloids fed off that kind of story back then. I don’t what it is about the British media, they build someone up and then revel in their downfall. People saw it unfolding in front of their eyes and it was awful to see

 

[clueless]

Some Amy fans are nuts and take things too far sometimes!

I have an Amy Instagram account on the side and one of the big accounts on there (amywinehousecommunity) was posting all this stuff that Amy was bi-sexual, Amy was an ally etc. for pride, and everyone was commenting omg wow, so excited to find this out, they didn't know etc... someone commented that that was rubbish and she was straight and I agreed with them and I've been immediately blocked! It's not for anyone to surmise on her sexuality over ten years after her death, how dare people do this, it makes me angry. A lot of Amy fans are so obsessive and seem to think they actually really know her, and are almost competitive in how much they know her more than others. It's bizarre.

Anyway this account is spreading this because of that Reclaiming Amy documentary where her "friend" Catriona claimed to have slept with her, ten years later. Other commenters were actually using it as a source "if you'd watched reclaiming amy you would know" - yeesh. We chatted on this thread before about how disgraceful that programme was; Amy can't confirm or deny anything, and I personally don't believe it but even if it were true, it's the last piece of her privacy to be sold off by, guess who, Mitch and fake friends, as always. The Asif Kapadia is the only trustworthy documentary (you know, the one with her actual friends?) and I stand by that.

 

[Sideboard Bob]

I’d never heard this before, the demo version of Rehab.

I‘d love to know what others think of it, because it’s a bit different to the standard version. I really like it, the guitar style is gorgeous, and her voice sounds wonderful.

 

[shellie]

It's approaching 10 years since Asif Kapadia's documentary film, hard to believe... it was the best that's ever been produced IMO. Interesting insights into the making of it:

Who Killed Amy Winehouse? Asif Kapadia on the Case of the Dead Singer, and the ‘Really Heavy’ Version of ‘Amy’ His Wife Preferred

British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, who won an Oscar for “Amy,” approached the film as if he were a detective investigating a crime.

variety.com

Her family seemingly hated it which usually means there was more fact than fiction in it. It was certainly better than the one Janice did a while back on BBC. I think she honestly did do the best she could considering her own issues and illness. Anyone who is related to or friends with an addict knows trying to help them is like trying to run in quicksand. You can be there 24/7 but unless they themselves admit they want help, it's pointless.

One thing I wasn't keen on was her and her husband acting as if Mitch always did his best and was only ever looking out for Amy even though we now know that wasn't always the case. That and her friend revealing she and Amy had a thing which I don't think was right for her to say when Amy was unable to say whether she was okay with it being made public or not.

 

[Tweacle]

I can't believe that she didn't want to buy a drink. I would have thought that she was buying round after round, no even realising how much she spent. I just had that impression.

I am kind of glad that she didn't allow everyone to take advantage of her. It seemed a bit like it to me and this made me sad.

Did she sometime sing when you went out (I heard that she sometimes liked to break into song)? Was she always dressed up in her usual style?

I cannot believe you knew her and spoke to her. I kind of want to shake all your memories of her out of you, haha

She never shut up she quite often burst into song. She loved company too, especially those who didn’t give a fig who she was. Honestly she would disappear rather than buy a round. She was good fun, but she had a serious side too. Most people think of her as a loud mixed up girl. And she could be. But she was also really kind, she loved hearing other people’s good news too.

 

[shellie]

She was an alcoholic by the age of 14 ?
I’ve never seen this claimed before .

Where did you read this ?
If true , it’s utterly shocking .
Where on earth were her parents ?

You can learn to hide it. I had a drinking issue at 13 because of issues/problems and not only managed to fool my parents, but go to school daily and no one knew, even though I always had a half bottle of vodka in my bag that I drank from whenever I could. It was only when I realised myself I was in trouble I told them and they found out.

 

[H1988]

This is exactly what I think too and it really annoys me ha! It seems everyone wants to claim that they were her “best friend” but I would be inclined to believe that her best friends were Juliette, and Lauren, and maybe Tyler who I believe did live with her a couple of times and at the last. The Asif Kapadia documentary is the only source I really trust.

And didn’t Tyler say in his book about Catriona living with Amy’s druggie hairdresser or something? And the only pics of Catriona and Amy are when they’re out on the drink. I get hanger on vibes from her, happy to go along with the party lifestyle. And all this talk about being lovers and Amy being confused about her sexuality literally over a decade after her death is just despicable and attention seeking.

Funny we were chatting on here about Naomi and Catriona selling her belongings just yesterday, there’s an article in the Sunday Times supplement today about how Mitch is taking legal action against them and the story around that. Have any of you seen it?

I was giving them the benefit of the doubt for a minute, and I do think Mitch is miffed and thinks that he should have that money. But they say these were things gifted to them, and that Amy would have wanted them to sell them. If true and they were strapped for cash then fair enough, but it says they gave 156 items for the auction. That’s a lot of things to have been gifted, I’d be curious to know what they were as there was a lot of rubbish sold at that same auction - a used candle, a tube of Simple moisturiser, empty perfume and body wash bottles, half-used makeup bits to name a few. It just looked like a total raid of her house, like someone had taken every little thing. But the one that grabbed me the most was a Polaroid photo of Amy and Catriona, I find it shocking that it was being sold. Why would she want to part with that? If it were me I would never want to sell that, I would treasure it. Especially as it’s a personal photo, with my so called “best friend” - to me that tells me exactly what to think of Catriona.

I agree the only doc I found believable was the’Amy’ one by Asif. It was brilliant and all felt really true. I think I might have to re read Tyler’s book now. I found the ‘reclaiming Amy’ by the mum just felt strange. Don’t get me wrong I feel bad for the mum but she seemed on another planet a bit and that she was talking about Amy as a little child rather than an adult. I mean they all just talked about how wonderful she was and how well she did and just brushed over the fact that her life went into a total car crash. She was a bulimic for years and years, alcoholic and drug addict and it was just barely mentioned when actually it’s pretty relevant because it killed her at 27. Also no mention of the fact that she was allowed to do lots of performances where she was obviously completely out of it.