Amy Winehouse

[Phil Anne Throw Pee]

For all that drugs were a part of her story it was the pedestrian old ale that killed her. She'd been clean of class A's for a long time before she died and she hadn't been around Blake for years either. I bet some of those cunts who stuck half litre voddy bottles in the impromptu shrine outside her house are the same people who'd have Mitch and Blake in the pillory over her death.

We want simple answers to tragedy. She was a stubborn wealthy woman with agency. Hagiography springs up when someone dies young. Like all addicts she put her family through hell. I always wonder what amazing music we missed out on by her dying but it's equally possible that she might not have done anything else but be papped looking a mess in grotty pubs. The press were always speculating that she wouldn't make any more albums, treating her like a has been, treating her like the punchline of a sad joke. It must've seriously affected her as a woman with an eating disorder and poor self imagine. There's a little story in Tyler's book about a girl in the loos saying to her omg you look just like Amy winehouse except you're a lot prettier. He said she was crushed by stuff like that. Anyway I'm rambling. See the film or don't but I didn't find it gratuitous myself.
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I don't think he did come off well in it. He just wasn't a 2D villain either. It also shows her dad letting her down, not going to one of her early gigs. No one comes out of it smelling of roses. It's not the simple black and white thing some people who haven't seen it have decided it is.
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Does anyone have the tea on all her clothes currently being sold on ebay? That's presumably one of her 'friends' doing. I assume I can't post ebay links but for example there's a pair of her ballet pumps for 7.5K. Not being sold for charity either.

I personally think it wasn't just one thing that killed her. I mean, technically, yes, she died of alcohol poisoning but her organs must have been shot to shit for years when you combine the drinking, the drugs and probable malnutrition due to the size of her. I think she would have died at some point after she did even if she hadn't been caning the booze - her poor tiny body was subjected to so much.

I haven't seen the film but I think I will. Amy was a unique, once in a lifetime talent and she was let down by everyone around her. She was a fucking Queen.

 

[orlyb1310]

I wonder about her relationship with Mark Ronson. He obviously cared about her, made a record with her that is a future classic and seemed to bring out the best in her talent and writing. The record also made his career as well I think. As a friend I don’t think he had much influence over her especially with the drugs and alcohol and husband choices but it must be hard for him to think of how the third album could have been. When she sang with Tony Bennett she seemed so happy in the film. I remember watching it and being so sad for her friends and so cross with her dad. Her father and husband manipulated and abused her.

After writing Rehab she should have been put in rehab. The tortured artist trope should be dispensed with, Adele writes soulful songs and is perfectly happy with her life.

Mark and Amy were a force to be reckoned with. The way he was in awe of her talent was so beautiful to see and the magic that they created together will be hard to ever replicate. He’s such a talented producer and I so wish Amy was still with us. I always say that if I could bring back any musician who is no longer with us, I’d choose Amy

 

[Flowerpotgirl]

When I saw that last auction that was done of her things, I just about lost my shit.
single earrings, bits of eyeliner, DRIVING TEST MANUALS.
You know who was clearly behind that mess…
I just can’t believe they are still making money from her like this. Thank god the hologram tour got shot down.

 

[FrostyChops]

The documentary film made a few years ago is a real eye opener. Her poor friends.

 

[Peterboroughmum]

Loved her - loved the music and how funny and sweet she was. Never saw her live and I'm kinda glad I didn't.

RIP Amy

 

[clueless]

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.

BIB: but it wasn’t pre-Blake, when he broke up with her and went back to his other girlfriend was when she really went off the rails, Amy said this herself. She also said the turning point for her was when she started writing the album Back to Black, writing those songs helped her feel better and she then “had something good out of something bad”.

She had another boyfriend and was doing well, Back to Black was really taking off… then guess who comes crawling back. I wish Amy had have been stronger; Blake said in an interview around that time “it’s taken tenacity and fucking perseverance, but there was no way we were never going to be together” - funny how his feelings changed when he seen her growing success, fame and money.

Blake introduced her to crack and heroin right after they got back from America married, she had never done either before. I really feel that he waited til after they were married to do this so they were more tied together in a sense, as he had already used before.

 

[PeteM]

Am I the only one who thought she was overrated, she had a good voice but I couldn't take to her songs with the exception of F*** Me Pumps and Rehab.

You aren't.

Amy couldn't really get any traction with her first album. I liked a fair bit of it - You Sent Me Flying is probably the standout.

But I found even then listening to more than ten minutes of her voice a bit hard going. It was very mannered and derivative of Billie Holiday, let's face it.

As I've said elsewhere on this thread, she never had a good reputation for being a dependable performer, or even getting to the gig. Her management in the Frank era did well to cover this up. Her later management did the right thing in seeing this as a strength - well, the right thing if you're OK with exploiting someone who had stage fright and was essentially damaged goods. And, as we all know, a person who's damaged does translate to a hell of a lot of press coverage.

It's a very sad ending to her life but, alas, it was predictable.

 

[madgirlcity]

I watched the new Documentary on iplayer and it was sad to say the least. Whilst I don’t believe that anyone is innocent, I also agree that there is only so much parents, friends and family can do. Addiction is stronger than love is a term that hits me. It doesn’t matter who loves you when you have such strong addictions / mental health problems. They still exist. My parents have claimed to love me a million times and have been forceful with getting me help but that didn’t stop me and those addictions and mental health problems are as strong as ever to this day. I feel like Amy was a very troubled soul, perhaps even cripplingly insecure. I was so surprised to hear her say she was insecure in the documentary “I’m a musician, not a model”. She was so beautiful in a very unique way. I think the fame came so thick and fast, too much to handle in such a short time. Constantly being harassed and followed by the paps, pressure about her marriage, addictions, mental health struggles…I think it would be too much for many of us.

 

[Harlot O'Scara]

I wonder about her relationship with Mark Ronson. He obviously cared about her, made a record with her that is a future classic and seemed to bring out the best in her talent and writing. The record also made his career as well I think. As a friend I don’t think he had much influence over her especially with the drugs and alcohol and husband choices but it must be hard for him to think of how the third album could have been. When she sang with Tony Bennett she seemed so happy in the film. I remember watching it and being so sad for her friends and so cross with her dad. Her father and husband manipulated and abused her.

After writing Rehab she should have been put in rehab. The tortured artist trope should be dispensed with, Adele writes soulful songs and is perfectly happy with her life.

This is going way back in the thread I know but I just read the whole thing today.

I may be completely misremembering this but I believe I once read that Amy and Mark argued towards the end of her life because he was supposed to produce her third album but basically told her she was in no fit state to be recording.

He seems like one of the few of her friends/colleagues who was an actual friend and not just a hanger on/enabler.

He dedicated his last but one album to her, as well.

 

[James.P.Sullivan]

I remember reading some interviews with her in glamour when her first album came out and couldn’t believe the change in her by the time back to black came out. I was never a huge fan but her talent was amazing, she could have gone so far. Its really sad that she’s gone

 

[DCICassieStuart]

Very sad. Don't like the blogger. She was excited and would have flogged them all on ebay. It's sad, not thrilling. All that money and talent and Amy was still a little girl thrilled about ballet shoes.

Caroline Hirons is a nasty piece of work. Stooping even lower than usual here

 

[Tweacle]

I cannot believe she wouldn't want to buy a round She was so rich, this is really funny!

Did you have the sense that she was lonely or sad?

What was her serious side like, did she talk about something specific?

Were you and your friends shocked when she died? I remember I was and then I felt stupid for being surprised, given how she spiralled out of control

She wasn’t lonely, she was often in a group of people. She spoke a lot about the future, she wanted a family and had a lot of hopes. You know I wasn’t shocked when she passed but others were. She seemed to be calming down. But who knows ? She really was beautiful inside and out.

 

[SamFoxStuckinaCloak]

Around mid 2006 I was at Koko in Camden as a friend was DJing- we were on a VIP balcony, and there was a tiny woman in the corner who was so drunk she was being sick on her shoes. Took us ages to realise it was Amy Winehouse. Pre Back to Black release, so she hadn’t blown up the way she went on to. Such a talent. The documentary is heartbreaking.

 

[Boredofgrey]

I’m watching it now and the dialogue is so clunky, it’s making me cringe. I do think Marisa Abela does a decent job as Amy, but it’s a shame she didn’t have a better script to work with.

I just don’t get how such an extraordinary life can lead to such a mediocre (and I’m generous) film.

 

[shellie]

Yeah, it’s currently at 50% on Rotton Tomatoes (which is another 3% down since I last looked about an hour ago lol).

Back to Black | Rotten Tomatoes

Discover reviews, ratings, and trailers for Back to Black on Rotten Tomatoes. Stay updated with critic and audience scores today!

www.rottentomatoes.com

From what I've read, they seem to sugarcoat Blake which has pissed off Amy's friends. She also seems to have made Mitch look like Dad Of The Year while those who helped Amy like Mark don't even get a look in. The only one who seems to get a decent review is the girl who plays Amy.

 

[hypoharpy]

I loved her. What a talent. Her dad is a piece of work though, definitely lived his fantasies though her-they should have got her into rehab sharpish at the first signs of drug abuse- but they were too busy pushing her to do gigs and promotion. RIP Amy.

 

[12055584]

I still struggle to watch or listen to her music. Tried to watch the new doc last night but I couldn’t last more than 5 mins. Not even tried to watch the first doc. Is that weird? she’s someone I have never met or even got the chance to see live, so surely I shouldn’t feel so strongly? But she felt so relatable, something about how openly fragile she could be was so endearing to me. Very honest & witty. It’s crazy that my perception of her was strong and outspoken at times, when really she was the opposite. Not the first time I’ve totally miss read someone
I remember buying Frank.. I wish I could remember how I came across her. Maybe saw her on tv? Jazz type music is not my thing at all but the lyrics and the way she sang had me hooked.
Looking back now, it’s vile how much her poor mental health and addiction issues were monetised for back to black. I feel a bit gross for going along with that at the time and not fully seeing how odd that was.
I think I viewed it as she’s been at her lowest but now she’s up top and wrote songs about it all.
I feel like she was a caricature in those days, maybe that’s why it didn’t sink in plus I was in the midst of a quarter life crisis around the time of back to black/her death, heavy drinking (thank god drugs were never on my radar) desperately in love with someone who wasn’t my bf and really not handling it well at all. Maybe it was easy to romanticise both our situations. I guess.
Sorry for the essay - thanks for the therapy ha ga

 

[shellie]

Sounds to me like they ve romanticised the relationship and maybe also the addiction side of things. When we know the truth it’s hard to watch something that glosses over the harsh realities.

Sam was asked about it at the premiere and this is her answer :

‘We had to understand why Amy fell in love with him, so it wasn’t about making a one-dimensional villain.

'We had to fall in love with him to understand why she wrote one of the greatest albums about their love.

‘In terms of Blake, it wasn’t my place to cast judgement on somebody who was obviously an addict, and on the two of them having this intense, albeit toxic, love affair.’

If you have to sugarcoat something so much that they are a caricature...or Disney Prince as some called him, rather than the person they are supposed to be, it's fiction and shouldn't be called a biopic. If you want to show why she fell in love with him then you also have to show why she ended up the way she did and it's not villainising him or casting judgement on him when he actually copped to some of the stuff he was accused of and others who were there confirmed the rest. Maybe if it had been a more willing director fine with going there and showing it warts and all it would have come out better. As well as them having people involved who wanted the true story out there and not those who just wanted to make themselves look better regardless if it was the truth or not.

 

[Sunshine&clouds]

One of the tragedies with Amy is that she went from being so beautiful, a healthy weight and full of life to almost skeletal and virtually dying in front of us. I'm actually surprised she didn't die before. It was devastating seeing her spiral completely out of control. I know she had her demons, but Blake was like the Grim Reaper. He destroyed her.

As well as overwhelming sadness, I find is horrifying that this was allowed to happen. I don't mean that people didn't try, especially her mum, but personally I think that she should have been sectioned. She was a clear danger to herself and as well as alcohol and drug addictions, I'm certain she had an eating disorder too.

One last thing is how much I cringe when people say "Rehab" is their favourite song. How anyone can enjoy this song is beyond me. The popularity of it must have reinforced Amy's belief that she didn't need to go to rehab, when she so obviously did.

 

[Flowerpotgirl]

I will never stop hating Blake