I take your point, but not sure anyone is being cajoled. One can switch off or read something else. Which is what I’m doing based on what I’ve heard so far from the examples I mentioned. Unless its celebrating the music
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Agreed. I chose the wrong word in an attempt to convey my disquiet with this kind of thing.
Radio Times review for the Reclaiming Amy doc showing tonight
Reviewed by David Butcher
Good luck finishing this in one piece. Marina Parker’s film does a moving job of bringing a new perspective to Amy Winehouse’s story, showing us the Amy that family and close friends knew. From her childhood snaps and home movies you get a sense of her innocence, but also of her wicked side.
It’s great to see her blow the candles out on her fifth birthday cake, hear her school reports or see her singing in a school production of Grease. Friends talk about her bulimia, her bisexuality and recurrent alcoholism. “Seeing a friend slowly kill themselves is as bad as it sounds,” says one.
But more than anything, this feels like her mother’s film. Janis has multiple sclerosis now and believes this may be her last chance to set the record straight. At one point, clearing out Amy’s old clothes, she says simply, “How I miss that child.”
ABOUT THIS PROGRAMME
To mark the 10th anniversary of the death of the singer, Amy Winehouse’s closest family and friends reveal the truth about her and the impact that her loss has had on them. Janis Winehouse-Collins aims to reclaim the legacy of her daughter by celebrating her as a complex and strong woman, giving a different version of events from the story of the singer so often told. With access to never-before-seen family archives and rare musical performances.
All sounds rather voyeristic to me, like I said I’ll stick to listening to the music.
I found nothing to like about her songs, presumably hits, I heard from time to time during her life. Then interestingly maybe a couple of years ago there was a documentary about her on TV, which I was going to turn off but something hooked me and I watched it, quite fascinated - and liking much of the recorded live performances.
After that I tried sampling a few things of hers on Spotify, but simply couldn’t get on with anything, and dismissed. Then this evening I saw the documentary about an acoustic performance in Dingle: leaving aside that it wasn’t acoustic, I again was hooked, and enjoyed most of her singing (odd because a jazz singing style, and as a generalisation I don’t like jazz!). My conclusion was that at least at that late stage of her career her live performances worked, but not recordings.
(Reflecting on the jazz angle, I can tolerate jazz live as long as not brassy, whereas virtually every time I’ve heard recorded jazz (on any system) it has just jarred with me, so perhaps its a style that needs the live atmosphere to take the edge off it, and company to enjoy rather than focusing on the music.)
Regardless, always a tragedy when someone young dies, especially when talented as I have come to recognise she was.
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I watched the reclaiming Amy film earlier and if nothing else it gave her friends and family a chance to tell their story and their memories.
When I become emotionally invested in an artist the way I was and am with Amy Winehouse I think it’s natural to want to know what made them the artist they are. For me when an artist opens themselves up through their music in the way that Amy did then it can feel incredibly personal and for me at least it can effect me on quite an emotional level.
And so I don’t personally find it mawkish or hagiographic (I had to look that one up) at all to want to commemorate her life it’s much more personal than that.
So I for one will continue to commemorate and celebrate her life each every time I listen to her sing.
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Sales of >16 million copies of Back to Black might suggest otherwise.
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Worked in triggering appreciation from me. In other words there was something about her as an artist that I appreciate, even though I disliked all the music I heard during her life.
Much music achieves millions of sales but absolutely does not work for me.
The song for me which catapulted her into international stardom and music history was simply ‘Back to Black’ On its own its a brilliant song, has an old fashion riff which sort of hints of impending tension of losing something special together with her lyrics blended with her Jazzy voice created pure raw magic with verve… A talent gone too soon…
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That’s a great video, Bob: Amy at her jazzy best. Thanks for posting.
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Heads up!
Tonight on Sky Arts at 10:30pm, Amy’s set from the Isle of Wight Festival 2007.
I was at that concert but have never seen a recording of the whole set only clips. Unfortunately I’m away at the moment so will have to try and catch up with it when I get home.
There appears to be a number of ‘new’ videos appearing on YouTube lately, or at least some which I’ve not spotted before.
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