I cannot help but notice the outpouring of emotion regarding the death of Amy Winehouse. Not only can I not help but notice, but you cannot get away from it. I only have one emotion regarding this. Anger. It pisses me off. No, her death doesn't make me mad. Any time someone kills themselves with drugs, I just don't get it how everyone sees it as tragic.
Do you want to know what a real tragedy is to me? A bus accident. Having a bus roll over multiple times and come to a stop on top of a band member. A shooting. A gunman jumping on stage and shooting a guitar player several times in the head. It it one thing to have a life taken and another thing to give it away. Which is more tragic?
When a musician makes the choice, when they would rather kill themselves then create and play music, the end is inevitable. As fans, we have to see it coming, sooner or later. I'm not saying the music they created wasn't good or even great but we should be mourning the music more then anything. Where is the line between a great musician and a great person? They are not always the same and we should not try to sugar coat someones life just because they pass away.
I loved the music that Layne Staley made with Alice In Chains. They were one of my favorite bands growing up. Layne had a huge drug problem. It was around that time I started to notice that many musicians can create great works of art and at the same time, slowly kill them selves while doing it. You could see the progression. They started to tour less and less. He was not seen in public very much. When he passed, they say they found his body after he had been dead for 2 weeks. Drug overdose. I was more hurt knowing that he would not be around with the band to create that great music any more than him passing away. I miss the music more than the man.
Kurt Cobain. I liked Nirvana but I was never a huge fan. I like several songs and bought the albums but I didn't think Kurt was the voice of my generation as I was told repeatedly. I thought the music Nirvana made was very creative and different and it should have continued a lot longer. Sure, I think they would have got to the point where it wasn't fun and they could have broken up, but we will never know. When I hear a song from them on the radio I sometimes think of what might have been. When I see the things that Dave Grohl has done with The Foo Fighters in the years since, what would Nirvana sound like today if he was leading the band creatively? I don't feel bad that Kurt killed himself, I feel bad the band never reached it full potential.
Dimebag Darrell. I still get a little emotional when I think about the night he was killed. Pantera fell apart. Darrell and his brother Vinny Paul vowed to continue on with Damage Plan. They were not going to let a few bad attitudes ruin their creative drive. They were out there playing the small clubs with their new band and doing it for the fans. It all came crashing to a halt. A gunman jumped up on the stage right as the band took to the stage for their first song. He went right to Darrell. The gunman ended up killing more people and wounding several others before he was shot dead by a police officer. Darrell had such a big heart and so much more music left in him. He was always making time to talk with fans and sign an autograph if they asked. He genuinely enjoyed life and wanted to celebrate it with everyone around him. It hurt, and it still does. I feel bad that his life was taken. I miss the music AND the man. That doesn't happen in the world of music very often.
Cliff Burton. He took the music of Metallica to new heights and helped shape the growing Thrash Metal movement of the early Eighties. All I have ever heard about Cliff is that he was a genuine guy, he walked it like he talked it. The Metallica that we know today would not exist if it was not for the early influence of Cliff. The bus accident, after seeing the pictures, its hard to believe no one else was killed. His influence is still felt by the band today. You can see a glaring difference in the music that was made before and then after his death. I was too young at the time of his death so I grew to love his music a few years later. Reading the old interviews, watching the performance footage and listening to the music he created. I grew to miss him. Sure the music was great, but I feel even if he wasn't with the band anymore, just having him around and playing music would be a good feeling, knowing that someone out there was doing what they wanted and how they wanted to do it. Cliff was taken from us. It was not his choice. I feel bad for his family and the rest of the band, they lost a brother that night. I would love to have new music from Cliff and at the same time I would want him to have more time with his family and friends.
So when I see all the Facebook posts and Tweets about Amy Winehouse, I don't feel anything. Was her music that good? Did all those people really love her music? I heard a few songs, they did nothing for me. Her life was cut short because she wanted it to be. Unless they reveal that, in fact, she was murdered, we all had to see this coming. I get a little pissed off when people make such a big deal over people like her, the ones that can't handle life, the ones that take the easy way out. The ones that need chemicals constantly in their system, just to get through the day. Why do we not see the same reaction to the lives that are taken? Some enjoy and celebrate life and when those people are TAKEN from us, its a quick blurb on the evening news then its never mentioned again. Some willingly GIVE their life away and we have to hear about it for weeks.
I will continue to support the music and legacy of those musicians that gave their all and were TAKEN from us. Those that GAVE their lives away, I may listen to a few songs here and there, but not having them around, no big deal. I can't feel any pity for them. The love and respect given to those TAKEN from us will more then make up for that small void.
And before anyone says anything, no, I do not know why Ozzy and Keith Richards are still alive.
MikeTheTripp
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