Russell Brand has a point in saying it’s time the media and the public change the way addiction is perceived “not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill” . The music industry ought to work on that perception as well.
Giving 3 Grammy awards to Rehab“, as much as I loved the song, surely validated drug addiction as condition worthy of the angsty and talented, glamorizing a condition that is anything but glamorous. The song didn’t make us feel the pain, sadness, desolation, and despair, of drug addiction as much as it approved, or at least authenticated, the condition and whatever choices are made regarding it, no matter that the choice makes death more likely.
I’m torn of course. Not sure I care. The congregation of musicians dying from drugs and suicide is long and impressive but the list of children, in this country alone, who become drug addicts because this country does not protect or educate it’s weakest members is staggering, the number of children in this country who go to bed hungry is unacceptable. There are better things to care about. So, yeah I’m not sure I care so much …..but still.
If I ever suffer the addiction affliction, say to…. heroin, I imagine that’s the way I’d go, loving jazz as I do, I would be grateful if those who loved me (or even liked me a little, and or respected my work), would go through the difficulty of a group intervention. I’d want a few very strong people to put me in a straight-jacket and send me somewhere for a solid year. This, no matter the strength of the protest, and despite the cyanotic hue of my face as I scream for my lawyer.
peace
It is not pretty to watch someone you know struggling with heroin addiction after rehab. Everyday you greet them with a smile but you look for that sign they have fallen. You look for those twitches of withdraw, the clouded eyes. You don’t want to accuse them of a false positive, because they get tired of that. You trust, you hope and you worry.
Bathwater recently posted..Honesty
It sounds horrible for those involved that is for sure.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
“Back in Black” a great first effort but it’s the times and the industry and sometimes you just can’t help someone.
I’d try to help you for sure and fuck the potential of litigation. Though I assume once you were clean you’d be forever grateful.
I’ve known only two drug addicts. One a talented fellow student when I was at MICA, in grad school i suspected but never was sure of another, and one a not so close relative.
There probably are better concerns, but you can’t help but mourn.
ben recently posted..Reading
That’s the way I look at it, a fleeting sadness.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
Russell Brand used to give me the creeps, he can be funny as shit though. Then he married that brunette not so talented pop star and now he gives me the double creeps, but he’s right and so are you.
I did an intervention ( with others) once in college. The guy never came back to school, but last I heard he graduated from some other school and was doing well. I I’m not that familiar with Winehouse except for her troubles. I think some people cannot be saved. I know that is a cynical way to think but I think it. I think it’s worth it to save the starving uneducated children and to ponder the tortured drug addicted artist.
I’d save you though. Most who know you would I bet.
He irritates me but evidently has struggled himself so feels he can speak to it.
I really didn’t listen to her music much, her addiction dominated her talent as far as I could tell. I see the tweet sphere full of tweets on Amy and I have to ask, where were these people prior to her death? Was Russell Brand’s caring hand there for her as she struggled, I don’t know. What I do know, is that Amy Winehouse is dead, and regardless of the cause she always seemed to walk the fine line, we are each responsible for the risks we are willing to take in our lives.
Life is for the living, and there are so many people out there, who given half a chance would never squander anything as precious as their life. So I’m with you Cooper, I feel bad but I’m not sure how much I really care, or if I care at all. Compared to the events in Norway, this should be a mere footnote.
I saw her in NY when I was at school, early on, she was great actually but there was only one album, she never approached the potential…sadly.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
She had a great talent but seemed to always be spiraling out of control. Is this mandatory for talent? I don’t think so, though it’s not uncommon. I think people tried to help her, but like has been said sometime there is nothing to be done, and no one can really be blamed. It’s the culture of the music industry as far back as the 20′s . I don’t think it’s going to change, as a matter of fact the internet has made it worse.
I’d hope someone would try to save me, despite potential litigation, too.
kait recently posted..Diesel
I think some people can’t be saved.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
“If I ever suffer the addiction affliction, say to…. heroin, I imagine that’s the way I’d go, loving jazz as I do”
For this I read you.
You are easy to please…..the best kind of reader.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
Singer famous for drug addiction dies of drug addiction…
Jackass-star dies being a jackass…
Racecar driver, dies driving race-car…
Crackhead dies, being a crackhead….
Stuntman dies, being a stuntman…
Shall I continue? No. I’ll spare you further simplified analogies. This is perhaps the easiest conclusion ever. Don’t care, and see no reason to. Not even a second’s worth of concern.
I’ve known lots of people that have died doing lots more for people than comforting shallow drug addicted egos many of whom have NEVER received a word of respect for their struggles, therefore I see no reason that she should deserve any.
Sometimes, when Mr.Obvious comes a knocking at the door so loudly its best not to answer it. Isn’t it obvious?
Bennet recently posted..What is this feeling in the air?
The human condition has been a topic for pondering since history began, the topic of novels and essays and ..blogs, and I don’t expect it will end anytime soon, no matter how many people tire of it.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
I don’t see it as an issue of being tired of.
I’d might as well sympathize for those who pick up a revolver, and play Russian Roulette.
Bennet recently posted..RED ALERT!!! Captain:" Set course directly for the middle of the sun! WARP 10!"
It’s certainly situational, there are figures that appear to prompt more consideration but either way the human condition is fascinating to me, the whole why her not me and so on.
I knew a girl who died playing Russian Roulette. It was in high school and she was a friend of my brothers. I did feel some sympathy for her and her people.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
Well, yeah if you’re directly connected to the person by relative or friend, or even friend of a friend then yes I can see having concern.
I live a certain way knowing the dangers I face, but if choose to live risking my life with obvious danger than I can’t expect sympathy.
Regardless I always sound like a grouchy old man..blah
I so badly want to find a sunny beach to lay on half naked with some tropical drinks, with fruit.
Bennet recently posted..RED ALERT!!! Captain:" Set course directly for the middle of the sun! WARP 10!"
I’ll intervene, just call me the great interventionist. Like Dr. Drew but cuter.
casey recently posted..Clear The Bench
Dr. Drew is more of an exploiter now..he was cool when I was in high school though.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
I’ll come to the intervention and then probably say something useless about how I’m not the boss of you.
I don’t really know who Russell Brand is, but I get into full skeptic armor when people talk about how things should be discussed. I wouldn’t want to give back Lou Reed or Hank Williams for the sake of impressionable children, mostly in their twenties.
eh he is a comic but also a drug addict so he speaks from the heart. ;)
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
I’m pretty certain I probably don’t care. I’m what they used to call a “Seinfeld Liberal.” http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/06/seinfeld_liberals.html
Chris-The Fold recently posted..Things You’re Not Supposed to Say When Talking About the Debt Crisis
Yea you are a pretty uh a classic Seinfeld Liberal.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
I never followed her. Just remember being a little sad that her death would likely replace Norway in the news cycle. Maybe sad isn’t the word.
Also, I have been trying to place Russell Brand, and up until your reply to a comment above, this whole time I think my mind was trying to make him into that actor who threw the phone. But something never seemed quite right. So thanks for that.
I always thought I’d lean more towards LSD. Of course, I’ve never even smoked a cigarette.
Bone recently posted..Dashboard confessional
I care almost as little about Norway as putting them side by side I’m not sure one holds more credibility on the “worth it to care” scale.
I’m glad you are clean Bone. ;)
I kind of loved her but she was a mess. Russell Brand is funny, admit it. lol
To each his own concerns. I don’t think her issue deserve less attention that the issue of starving children, I’m not sure. Who is to judge. Those of religion say we are all God’s children.
exactly
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
Thankfully, my daughter recently permanently ditched her heroin-addicted husband. A counselor told her that in his 30+ years of treating addicts, ZERO have successfully kicked the heroin habit. Not a path any sane person would ever want to take.
Good for your daughter. I am all for getting rid of anything or anyone in your life if they are bad for you. It’s much harder said than done I hear though I never seem to have issue with it.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
R.I.P. 27 Club: Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse.
Can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about…at age 27.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
James Taylor was a heroin addict at one time wasn’t he? On methadone maintenance for a long time . I wonder if he is clean today. I read somewhere that nicotine is more addicting than heroin. Or is it more addicting than cocaine? Can’t remember, don’t do any of those.
john recently posted..Stayin’ Alive
I don’t know was he?
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
We mirror celebreties. Not you or I personally but most people in the world. To understand why they become addicts helps us learn why so many “regular” people do. What’s magic about the age 27? Obviously there’s something about 27 that we don’t understand yet. Could it be that the brain just stopped growing and people are beginning to understand there are consequences to their actions, and perhaps can’t face them. Or maybe their bodies just give out faster and because they’ve abused them so much….
So much as I hate the cult of celebrity I think we have much to learn from them
Yeah can’t wait for 27..
We do study the celebrity as if under a microscope, the media our lab teacher requiring us to think for ourselves once again.
cooper recently posted..Rehab or the Slab
I wonder what would happen if they drug tested these people like the NFL tests people for illicit performance enhancers.
I heard somewhere that 3/4 of children are authority resistant…meaning they want to deviate from authority. I think in popularizing some artists as “acceptably” naughty, meaning authorities don’t proactively prosecute users, allows impressionable children/teens to follow alpha-authority-resistants and fall into the sway of these destructive compounds.
If the authorities actively prosecuted users, namely stars and other “untouchables” maybe things would change.
I mean proactively, not reactively. Meaning they’d be ideally caught early on.
Whether they want to be role models or not, they are.
I imagine this to be wholheartedly naive notionally..but I tired…tried.
Don’t see prosecution as much of a deterrent to addiction but then again I’m not well versed in addiction. I’d like to see prevention of many kinds of unnecessary deaths but I don’t think laws help, policy solutions could if there was early implementation and evaluation for what works.
cooper recently posted..Ain’t No Cure For the Summertime Blues
Agreed. But prosecution of the gateways, that is the role models… I’m not so sure I’d want to model someone whose 30-city tour was cut short due to his/her arrest. Not to mention all he ensuing litigation for lost revenues. I mean these role models are presenting a fantasy world to these impressionables. Their fantasy would go “pop” and probably their desire to follow these stars-become-asteroids.
Analagously truck drivers who get caught for DUI…If you don’t think this is a deterrent- the loss of their livelihood, I beg to differ.
Get a felony as someone whose livelihood depends on a security clearance…kiss your job and career good bye.
Oh, and the 1990 Mr. Olympia.