On the same day we learned of actor Heath Ledger’s death, a video of Amy Winehouse smoking crack appeared on various websites. It reminded me of a theory from one of my best friends who works in the music industry. She thinks that the reason why you have so many Amy’s, Brittany’s, etc., running around is because of the major music labels’ lack of support for their artists; stuck in their own financial messes, they’re not minding the talent. Personally I think it has to do with the commodification of celebrity (sleeping pills and movie stars are nothing new)–musicians, actors, athletes–they’re all just product with pallatable brand names, keeping thousands and thousands of people employed. No pressure there… Anyway, regardless of Ledger’s intentions or whoever’s frickin’ apartment he did it in, the loss of human life is sad business indeed.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2008.