I'm sorry but, I'm really sick of people giving this woman the benefit of the doubt...how much more black and white does she have to make it...the alcohol, the drugs, the racist comments...why is everyone always making excuses for this chick?

"So much betta, I'm for you"

You know, I also felt the same thing about AW. I don’t pay too much attention to celebrity news, but I think that they too often label stars as “addicts” when they aren’t (e.g. Lindsay Lohan). People can use and be out of control with their behavior, but it doesn’t make them addicts.

But AW is the real deal; there’s something serious with her going on. I saw a picture of her the other day, and she was so skinny, and it wasn’t just the skinny, but the whole thing, it was like death. I also heard that she recently got paid $2 million just to sing at a birthday party and she couldn’t even function. $2 million. More than most of us will see in a lifetime. Of course money can’t buy happiness and I’d rather be happy than have a lot of money, but she has such an opportunity to make something with her life and enjoy it. One would think that at least that might be able to provide her with motivation, a light at the end of the tunnel.

And yes, the press loves to build people up just to tear them down, (and then talk about their “recovery” only to have the person fall again) but I didn’t see this with AW and I don’t see her coverage as glamorized or trivial, like most starlets. Celebrities come in all shapes and sizes; some hate the fame and attention, others seek it and live off of it. Nonetheless, AW did this to herself. We all can come up with reasons, external forces, things to blame, why we are victims, to explain or “justify” behavior that isn’t justifiable.

In some bad news, I just heard today that AW’s been diagnosed with the early stages of emphysema due to smoking cigs and crack and that she has an irregular heart rhythm. Drugs kill. Though I do know that there’s a hereditary form of emphysema that strikes people when their young, like in their 20’s, and even if they hadn’t smoked. I don’t know how old she is but maybe if she makes changes now, she won’t get full blown emphysema. Plus I have heard that diagnosis before in young people who smoke; I actually think that most people who smoke are technically in the early stages of emphysema, but when you don’t eat and do drugs, you have no defense and speed up any disease or condition you have.

I agree with many others here; there are a lot of artists and talented people who aren’t self-destructive, have mental problems, or do drugs, and I know people who are all of the above who aren’t artists or famous. AW has a nice voice and is talented, but I wouldn’t call her an artist. I don’t find in anyway what’s happening to her as interesting, just sad. Just plain sad. I’ve seen it happen to too many people. I think with the media people often get desensitized and don’t realize that this isn’t a movie they’re watching or a “story”, but real life, real people. I don’t think it’s funny that Britney Spears is “crazy;” I think it’s fucked up that late night talk show hosts and others trivialize and dismiss mental illness and have no sympathy for the person experiencing it. Don’t they realize that it can happen to them? Or someone close to them? Have they ever experienced mental illness or watched someone else?

The best advice I could give to someone in her position, or to anyone, is to not run away from yourself or your emotions. Everything inside of you, good and bad, make you you, it shapes you, infleunces you, gives you character and a greater depth of emotion and understanding of yourself, others, and possibilities. In order to deal with pain, in some way you have to appreciate it; see how it makes you a better person, wiser, more compassionate and empathetic; it's an opportunity to prove to yourself your strengths, to find strengths you didn't know you had. Realize that it's a part of being human and gives you your own unique beauty. It gives you a greater understanding and appreciation for happiness; you experience happiness differently than other people; it allows you to experience different ways of being, feeling, thinking, that are profound. It's an opportunity to grow, to expand your mental horizons, and in a way, make life more interesting.

You can't hide from yourself and it's the trying to that only causes more pain. Be kind to youself and realize that emotions are fleeting, that there's a completely different way of being and looking at any situatuon. Have compassion for yourself and allow yourself to feel when you want/have to feel; recognize that it's only a part of you and coming from a place inside you that hurts, that it can and will pass.

Alcoholism and drug addiction aside, there are mental health professionals who actually hold a conference each year on the subject of creativity and madness. While struggling with ways to treat mental illness with less barbaric approaches (drug the hell out of them), they are acknowledging the unique gifts of their patients.

Many who head out to the far reaches of planetary reality and bring back descriptions that find their way into print, paint, sculpture and performance art (and other arts) do so in defiance of consensus reality. (Consensus reality after all, is pretty insane. Psychosis could actually be a form of spiritual clarity.) Many in that state wind up being treated because they are suffering, but their perceptions are also unsettling and challenging to the status quo. Although that may not be the case with AW, I believe it could be the case with many others who use drugs/alcohol to relieve their psychic pain and numb their sensitivities. It's sad that the medical field uses the same approach.
Lezbeth

Unfortunately, as talented as she is, Amy Weinsteinowitz has all the makings of her extraordinarily talented, drug infused rocker friends of earlier days (Janis, Marilyn, Mama Cass, shoot- we can list them forever).she'll be dead unless she gets her act together soon. My thoughts ARE with her, though... it would be a shame to lose a woman with such potential.

Thanks Lenelle for thought-provoking and well-written blog. This topic has always fascinated me.

I think part of the problem is that society in general has a tendency to put artists up on a pedestal, almost to the point where we don't allow them to be human. I might be in the minority in that, aside from admiring people for their talent and being thankful for the entertainment and inspiration, I have never bought into the whole idea that celebrities are somehow better people than everyone else. People are people to me. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses (it's what we do with those strengths and weakensses that counts.) Why should artists who put themselves out there for the world to see be any different?

You mention addiction and fame. Addiction is the same no matter who you are or what your socioeconomic status is. I remember how I felt when I saw Whitney Houston's mother using the media to ask her fans to "please pray for her." I was put off because she seemed to be implying that she deserved prayers more than the millions of others who suffer from alcoholism and addiction. Why should she? Because she's attractive and can sing? How ridiculous.

I believe in the inherent worth of every human being, so rather than wish the best for Amy Winehouse let's say a prayer today for everyone who suffers from alcoholism or addiction.

I loved this article. Awesome. But my question is why are there so many artists who are self-destructive?

When I'm watching all of these videos of Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears, it becomes apparent that they are eerily similar to Judy Garland's story and like you have mentioned, so many others. It's painful to see these individuals who were born with such talent, slowly losing their life in front of the public eye. Unfortunately, I believe there's nothing we can do or say for these people. It's them that has to want to change and they are the only ones who can set things straight. You can't change a person if they don't want to change. It's so sad. Much love to all. --Britt

it doesn't interest me that much. i don't really know what's going on with her or why, other than she's a junkie, and junkies have serious issues that hitting bottom will begin to sort out - or being completely removed from her environment and having to face a different reality every day.

i watched the hulk hogan interview for 5 minutes on youtube yesterday - the interview with larry king about hulk's son nick. i wrote hulk a letter via his contact me info on his website... i am consistently appalled by "stars" for their insistence upon preferential treatment even when they've completely killed or destroyed another person's life. ie his friend who he caused brain injury to by wreckless driving under the influence... poor hulk is worried for his son that he's in a regular jail (or was in a regular jail like a common criminal). i say leave him there for his full term - reality check! (how weird to be named HULK! it is goofy as shit to have that as a name, but that's beside the point)

these superstars live some sort of altered reality - and we let them. and we feel sorry for them when they go astray. kind of weird.

does that mean we are compassionate? or are we selfish because we love their tortured lives entertaining us?

I like your lines:
"Elegant decay."
and "shiny denial."

there's no doubting her brilliance musically, perhaps if she had less talent to waste people would care less about her downfall.
i hear she and blake are starting a family once he gets out of prison; that could be what's needed to sort he out. or it'll kill her.
the whole thing's just really tragic tho innit.
but if we look at amazing tortured singers/actresses in the past, lots of them died young/tragically and are all the more famous for it.

Has anyone seen the recent racist video on Youtube? Her husband taped her whiles she made racist and antigay comments. She has since apologised but that girl has got some serious issues.

I think to be able to help any addict overcome their addiction be it an artist or an ordinary individual, that person has to be ready to get the help and everything else that comes with it to overcome it. You can take a horse to the river side but you cant force it to drink.

dIZZY

getting into her music, I couldn't. Yet I am oddly fascinated with her self destruction. She is undeniably beautiful, and the prototype (mentally) of every woman I have dated and been insanely in love with......one of whom I frequently blog about.
Yes, I do worry about Amy Winehouse, why? I don't know.....

N!k