In a stunning display of reckless and unforgivable idiocy, Amy Winehouse has been nominated for three prizes at this year’s Ivor Novello awards.
Two of her tracks are up for the Best Song award (Love Is A Losing Game and You Know I’m No Good) while the aptly titled Rehab is up for the Best Selling British Song prize.
Maybe it’s just me, but I always thought that the Ivor Novello awards were intended to honour the very best in British music publishing, songwriting and composing. While there is no question that Winehouse is a talented and captivating performer, I have to call into question the decision to honour and recognise someone that is so clearly bent on a path of public self-destruction.
If she wants to kill herself slowly in the privacy of her own home, fine. That’s her prerogative. However, when she does it in the full glare and exposure of the media, with many young, even teenage, fans looking on, it seems inappropriate to heap awards and honours upon her like she’s a conquering hero.
What kind of message does it send out to kids and young aspiring musicians? Do we really want them to think that the kind of manic, drugged-up, barely lucid behaviour that Winehouse has become renown for is acceptable? Do we want them to think that such conduct is de rigueur if they wish to be successful and acclaimed in the music world?
I realise that some will say the the Novellos are awarded on musical merit alone and that lifestyle should have no part in the decisions of the panel. Usually, I’d agree completely. But Winehouse is a special case. Her spectacularly stupid behaviour and refusal to change has been so public, so pronounced (even down to the fact that she has railed against going into rehab in one of her songs), that it has to be taken into account. In this case, the merits of the music cannot be divorced from the mania of the artist. Most artists (Pete Doherty excepted) have the decency to implode privately; or at least give the impression that they want to change and recognise they have a problem. Winehouse willfully thunders down the road to her own annihilation - it’s like watching a train-wreck in slow motion.
As I said, she’s a stunning vocalist and talented writer and I truly hope she can recover from her current problems and enjoy the tremendous success her career is bringing her, without killing herself. However, by pandering to her very public self-destructive tendencies and by not taking a stand against the fact that she appears to be completely unwilling to change, the Ivor Novello Awards have effectively condoned her life course. And that is something I simply cannot go along with.
Jim
UPDATE: It just keeps getting worse...
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COMMENTS / 14 COMMENTS
Bugul added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 12:38 pmI have to disagree with you here Jim.
As has been the case with countless significant artists of the last 100 years, personal problems are often an impetus or a motivation to express themselves artistically. Does Lou Reed writing a song called “Heroin” make his contribution to 20th Century music (Rock ‘n’ Roll in particular) any less influential or worthy of recognition?I also take serious issue with the idea that Amy Winehouse is a role model for any large majority of young people, women in particular. Rather she is an object of ridicule among most groups that you encounter. Public self destruction has been a corner stone in more important and popular bands than I’d care to mention. Also your interpretation of “Rehab” is awfully one dimensional, don’t ya think?
More than anything I don’t think that awarding her a musical award for the music she makes gives fuel to the public nature of her breakdown– articles like this are perhaps more responsible for that.
Ignoring the musical or artistic worth of people in bad situations is to ignore most music and art, unfortunately. Glamourising is inevitably more in the hands of those perceiving said actions, than anything else.
Would you object to the Rolling Stones receiving a similar award? Led Zeppelin? Pink Floyd? Syd Barrett! Come on! How many times have articles like this been written? Amy Winehouse has opened up the debate of drug abuse more than anyone in recent memory. If anything she has scared people out of following in her footsteps.
That doesn’t mean that her music can’t have a positive influence on those coming up or that it isn’t accomplished. Interpretations and the “meaning” behind art is a multi-tiered beast.How many young people would even hear about this award? If it was an award from a magazine for girls under 14, I could possibly see your point.
These outbursts of “concern” always seem to reoccur more frequently when it is a person of the female gender committing these heinous crimes against society.People should be focusing on her music and not worrying themselves with what she’s doing on Saturday night, in my honest opinion.
Jim added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 1:07 pmThe fact is, many youngsters will see is a smack-head that’s being “rewarded” (money, publicity, fame, awards). Is this the kind of message we really want to send out? Granted, it’s more of a problem in the modern day - when Keith Moon was destroying half of England, there weren’t a gaggle of photographers and journos tracking his every move. I also appreciate that there have been some wonderful, wonderful tracks written from the depths of an artist’s personal lows.
However, the very fact that this is being played out so publicly (for whatever reasons) means that, in my opinion, before heaping awards on her (and I do feel she deserves awards for her music - vocally she’s amazing), the industry should be making it very clear that her PUBLIC behaviour is simply not acceptable. Of course, what she does behind closed doors is her own business.
Bugul added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 1:17 pmIt’s not the Industry’s place to make moral proclamations on her personal life. How her image is manipulated and used by the media is something that is something that disgusts me far more than her problems or the music industry rewarding a musician. I would argue that the image of the drugged up musician was far more appealing for young people when there wasn’t as much information and 24 news services to cover every aspect of their lives.
I also think that someone who makes the connection that being a heroin addict= dollaroos is probably a tad slow in the head. Maybe the tabloids should just stop hammering this issue into the ground? The Music Industry is rewarding a very successful musician. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
Jim added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 1:24 pmI certainly agree that the tabloids should stop publicising her antics. But do you really think that youngsters that see her hammered out of her face one minute, then being applauded and rewarded the next (and they already know she’s a millionaire) won’t start to think that such behaviour is socially acceptable?
If she was an actor or writer I’d say the same thing. In fact, if she were an actor, Hollywood would ostracize her until she cleaned her act up - seeing her as a liability and a poor role-model (see Lindsay Lohan or late-90s Robert Downey Jr., for instance).
It’s clearly something we won’t agree on, anyway.
Bugul added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 1:34 pmWell, you may not see any difference between her and other number of Tabloid happy sorts but in my experience many do, purely based on her gender. I think many youngsters wouldn’t need any excuse to think that it’s socially acceptable to act like that personally.
It’s a deeply rooted social problem, not something that an Amy Winehouse is really going to have an overly influential position on in my opinion.I also don’t agree with the Hollywood system of which you speak of! I believe primarily in personal accountability and adequate parenting, not peer pressure from an otherwise vicious and immoral system.
Jim added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 1:43 pmThe problem is, dude, most people don’t believe in any form of accountability (don’t even get me started on parenting standards today) - even when they’re role-models or are in positions where the young and easily-influenced may imitate them. In such cases, society at large has a responsibility to act to protect its weaker members.
I’m not saying that youngsters would use her (or anyone else) as an “excuse” either; I’m merely saying that when someone in the public eye sets such a bad example, everyone - especially their peers and industry - should make it very clear that such behaviour is not acceptable. In my opinon, anyway.
Mister Fusty added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 1:56 pmSorry dude, I’m with Bugul on this one.
If you stopped giving awards to people who had drug problems, there would be no Oscars, Novellos, BAFTAs, Grammys etc.
Mister Fusty added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 1:56 pmMind you, that might be a good thing as award ceremonies are the dullest thing created by man.
David M added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 1:57 pmI have to agree with Bugul for the most part here. The people I have the least respect for out of the whole escapade is her record company. They appear to be the ones directly playing up all her promotional material using the whole addict angle. As her “employer” I think their actions are disgusting. They should be doing all they can to help her get off the gear, not playing up the wasted look in every other promo shot.
Jim added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 2:21 pmAgain, I’m not saying that people with drug problems shouldn’t get awards (almost no one in the industry would, otherwise).
What I am saying is that someone who clearly doesn’t want to change and is so very, very public about the whole thing shouldn’t.
As David said, her record company are hugely culpable too - and probably responsible for promoting her in regard to awards.
Staff writer added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 2:42 pmYes, I agree with David’s point.
Staff writer added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 2:42 pmThat was me by the way. Curse you staff writer.
Bugul
Jim added these pithy words on Apr 23 08 at 3:45 pmCome on Deputy Editor, learn to use the site. Tsk. I’m tempted to fire you…
Jim added these pithy words on Apr 24 08 at 5:31 pmThe article has been updated - check out the link at the end.
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