Self Perpetuating Notoriety
Amy Winehouse is all over the usual news outlets. She blew off her American tour because of exhaustion. She collapsed following three days of hard partying. She was recently photographed with her husband of three months covered with blood and scratches. She either did time or is doing time in rehab.
Much gossip, much chatter, much tabloid dishing. The IMDb has awarded her the coveted adjective of “troubled pop star,” taking the sobriquet from “troubled Mean Girls star” Lindsay Lohan, who herself took it from “troubled rocker” Courtney Love.
But the best part: I have NO IDEA who Amy Winehouse is.
I had to look her up online to discover she is a buxom, sort of bandy-legged pop singer from the UK. She is apparently well-known in Britain, and was set to hit the charts and tour on the US when her latest “troubles” began.
Turns out I’ve heard quite a bit of her music on Virgin Radio UK, which is always a treat. I now know she is charting mildly in the US, and she performed at the 2007 MTV Movie awards. I never watched “Grey’s Anatomy” or “Men in Trees” so I haven’t heard her contributions to their respective soundtracks, though I’m gonna guess she’s a lot like every other songster featured, Starbucks-ready and easy on the ear.
This is definitely a point-of-view thing. I am positive she has a following and is quite popular in some circles, but from my perspective her “troubles” came over the horizon first.
The thing about hearing about Amy the scandal first: There’s no disappointment attached to her “troubles.” I can look at Lindsay Lohan and think “Wow, she was so good in Herbie Fully Loaded” or Paris Hilton and think “wow… Uh, I have reason to think she’s good in bed.” But Amy: Nothing. Just “Troubles.”
If disinterested third parties such as yours truly are writing about Winehouse, I guess it proves the “no such thing as bad publicity” adage.
“They tried to make me go to rehab, I said ‘no, no, no.’”
–Amy Winehouse, “Rehab”
–Skot C
August 28th, 2007 at 9:58 am
I’m surprised they didn’t take the “troubled pop star” title from Pete Dougherty, who is more famous for being f****d up than he is a a pop star. Amy, at least, has a US hit.
By the way, Winehouse album is FABULOUS. Seriously, brilliant on all levels.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:53 am
Yeah, now I’ve tuned into Amy Winehouse’s singles and sound she’s quite good. She sounds a bit like a drunk Norah Jones, but she’s definitely got “it.” I’m guessing you connect with the theatricality of her ouvre more than I.
The latest, courtesy of Virgin Radio UK News: Amy Winehouse’s parents (who are NOT show-biz types) have made a statement imploring the public to STOP buying her records. They said the money and fame that comes from that revenue source enables her substance-abuse problems. This is unprecedented. Where’s the silent enabling, the icky money jockeying from star parents? Man, are those Brits ever behind the curve. –S
April 24th, 2008 at 10:23 am
[...] I previously mentioned how Winehouse was known to me primarily for her personal “troubles.” I’m in the US: I cannot imagine how she is perceived in the UK. The article provides a peek into the hysteria: Over the past few months, she [Amy Winehouse] has become such a worshipped and tortured enigma that her appearances now seem like visitations from some sort of mythical figure. [...]
July 11th, 2008 at 7:04 am
[...] singing talent, but one that is weighed down with an stupendous amount of personal problems. As noted here months ago, from my perch in the US I heard about her f***ups long before I heard any of her music. [...]