DIANA writes:

I do not think Amy Winehouse’s death is any kind of watershed. The monstrous machine will go on and on, until the entire economic system crashes. The possible rewards of show business look so glittering that there will always be legions of young dummies willing to sacrifice their youth for them.

The reader who wrote, don’t let your kids grow up to be pop…rock…sports stars, spoke words of truth.

Having worked in sports management, I have seen how young athletes are eaten up and spat out by the system. As soon as they get injured, and they will get injured, they are useless horseflesh. You almost hope that it happens quickly, before they get totally sucked into the system and turned into monsters.

Regarding pop and movie stars, it’s much worse. The system has now become so distorted that talent is completely divorced from being successful. Once, back in the day, a pop singer had to be able to sing live in front of an audience. Once, back in the day, an actor started out treading the boards: on stage, where an actor really shows his chops.

Example: Henry Fonda, not exactly Mr. Nice Guy, was an accomplished stage actor, and always returned to the stage. After World War II, in which he served with distinction, he appeared for four years without one absence, on Broadway, in Mr. Roberts. Stage actors are notorious for alcoholism and going on benders, but that is when they are off duty. You simply cannot be a stage actor and be unreliable. There are no second takes on stage.

So nowadays you’ve got a “property” who is “salable” for some reason having very little to do with actual singing talent. In the case of Amy Winehouse, I suspect that, as the correspondent who met her indicates, she was an accomplished impersonator of a beloved style, in a cultural wasteland. Say what you will about Billie Holliday, she was the real deal. She truly suffered in her life, and she paid for her sins. But at least she lived until 44, and gave us great music both original and definitive interpretations.

Deep down, I’m sure that Amy always suspected she was a fraud. She knew she wasn’t Billie Holliday. She wasn’t even Dusty Springfield, or Petula Clark. She was just a girl who could carry a tune. She was completely inauthentic. She probably hated performing on stage, and she found a way to rebel against her fate. I’m not saying she actually meant to kill herself, but she certainly loved the oblivion drugs and drink gave her, and eventually they killed her.

I would never recommend that any young person go into show business. I would sooner recommend that they commit suicide early, and save everyone the trouble of watching the train wreck. If that sounds harsh, so be it.

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