Amy Winehouse and other victims, whose life is it anyway?

So another artist died. Off course it’s not sure if she died because of drugs… yet. However, even if drugs weren’t the cause now, they surely didn’t improve her health and without a doubt helped Amy leave this world. Now I understand from online communities and social networks that we do not have to feel sorry about Amy dying, it’s her own fault right?

Well, besides the fact that she left a family and friends, the world has lost one hell of an artist. I picture a little Amy, a small girl with a talent, wanting to become famous, just like almost everybody at that age. She isn’t dreaming of touring schedules, 99% of the money she makes going to other people or the pressure of having masses of people watching you. Little Amy doesn’t know that she won’t be giving one show a week but will be doing 14 shows in 7 night all this besides appearing in t.v. shows, doing interviews and guarding how her image comes across 24 hours a day. Little Amy just wants to sing.

What we expect from our idols is not human, we want them at the top of their game and we want it around the clock. Musicians, actors, athletes all are under the watchful eyes of the public. These modern day Olympians have to be perfect. Add the sex, drugs and rock & roll lifestyle we expect from musicians to the mix, because let’s be honest when you sing about being trouble and refusing rehab you have to show you’ve lived a little, and you’re headed for disaster. Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison the tragic fallen heroes should have been a warning, but we actually seem to need a tragic ending of our youthful heroes it ads a certain tragic mystique, like they were something this world should not have too much of, as if fate decided we could not have too much of a good thing.

In reality it’s us, managers, record labels and fans. We drive our idols to extremes but take no responsibility. We want them to perform, so managers want them to perform. One way to manage those 14 shows in seven days, touring all over the world and doing everything that we want them to do, is by adopting cocaine or other drugs as a food supplement and few managers will wipe the dollar signs from their eyes to see where this is heading, they won’t say no.

Yes little Amy made all those choices herself, but we can feel sorry and perhaps a little ashamed for how things turned out, we have some, however small amount of responsibility for our heroes and we should own up to it.

Except for Kurt Cobain, he was an ass.

Related, here’s the 27 club, all died at the age of, 27… Amy’s the newest member.