Farewell Amy Winehouse

The death last week of singer Amy Winehouse probably didn’t come as a thunderbolt from the blue, but it hit me hard nonetheless, and it stung deeply.

Even those not familiar with her work were familiar with her demons – addiction ran deep in her bones, and she was seemingly incapable of the kind of surrender you need to really begin to heal. Perhaps it was the flame of fame she was thrust in to at such a young age. The woman was a brilliant singer and an even more brilliant songwriter. She established a sound that shook the world’s rafters; seduced both the young and the old with a sound jarringly fresh but somehow familiar. Her lyrics were raw, bold and beautiful, with no polish or mercy, much like she seemed to be herself.

The saddest part of all is that, brilliant as the album Back To Black was, it was clearly only the beginning of her blossoming. There was much more this woman had to do, many other directions to take us with her wit and imagination.

But crack and heroin took her in another direction, took her away from us. She tried to stop a few times, reportedly, but from the descriptions of those efforts it didn’t seem like a very heartfelt attempt. She was caught, and caught hard.

Since her death, there have been a lot of comments posted on news sites, and so many of those comments are cruel. As though she deserved to be in pain, to be addicted, to finally be destroyed by her demons. Amy Winehouse had a terrible disease, and you don’t just decide to use your will power to get over cancer or liver disease. It’s the same with addiction – you need to start somewhere with healing, but it takes forces far beyond will power and intention. Those who believe otherwise have never suffered the pain of addiction.

I just wanted to acknowledge here that a great flame was snuffed out too soon, and I for one am going to miss this woman and her wry, sexy, in-your-face approach to songs and songwriting.

Goodnight, Amy. Sleep in peace, at last.

WEATHER:

Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs in the mid 80s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph...becoming west 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

MEETINGS:

Today – The Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 525 Henrietta St. The only item on the agenda is a proposal to construct a shopping center on a 1.5 acre parcel on Arnold Drive, including a drive-through Starbucks and other stores.

Wednesday – The Civil Service Commission meets in a special session at 5 p.m. in the 2^nd floor boardroom, City Hall, 525 Henrietta St. The items are two appeals from Water Treatment Plant operators regarding the recruitment and hiring of the Water Treatment Plant supervisor.

EVENTS:

TODAY IN HISTORY (from Wikipedia):

1878 - 1878 – In California, the poet and American West outlaw calling himself "Black Bart" makes his last clean getaway when he steals a safe box from a Wells Fargo stagecoach. The empty box will be found later with a taunting poem inside.

1947 - Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act of 1947 into United States law creating the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the United States National Security Council.

1948 - U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981 desegregating the military of the United States.

1989 - A federal grand jury indicts Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing the Morris worm, thus becoming the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

1990 - The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is signed into law by President George H. W. Bush.