Hmmm...
When I posted, it was just after hearing the news and I was really sad "for her". I still am, but obviously it's worn off somewhat now, I didn't know her personally, life goes on, etc...
As to whether she deserves or is about to achieve "legendary" status - I really don't give a monkey's. I didn't feel it necessary to buy her CDs before, but I always thought I might get round to it (same as Billie Holliday and various other artistes that fill the same sort of hole). Possibly, the idea of comparing her to Jimi Hendrix on a forum populated by guitarists is a bit of a mistake, but I saw exactly what nfe meant, and I tend to agree with him. Outside the world of guitaring, Jimi Hendrix is NOT the huge legend we all regard him as - to the rest of the world he's some bloke that played guitar in the sixties and died in a possibly self-destructive manner. I personally regard him as hugely important, influential, etc, but the normal human beings (non-guitarists) that I know do not see him in that light at all.
There's also a generational thing involved here if we get into discussions about "worthiness" for legendary status. I had arguments with my parents over comparisons between Jimi Hendrix and Elvis and Buddy Holly (this was on the 10th Anniversary of his death, btw, seemed important stuff to me, but in hindsight it was just a marketing opportunity). They'd only heard of Hendrix because of me, and couldn't see any redeeming features in the music he made! They did not see that he'd done anything to "further" anything in comparison to what E and BH had done. As I got older, I found myself in the same boat as them - I don't know or remember when he died, but I found myself feeling "what is all this fuss about this tuneless tw@t Kurt Cobain? - so, he shot himself, get over it...". I wouldn't usually express that out loud, because I realise loads of people did find something very important in him and his music - and the fact I didn't and still don't does not make them wrong. Equally, now, there are people who think that Amy Winehouse's music was more important to them than some old gits long dead.
What makes me sad is a talented individual has gone. It seems she wasn't a very happy girl. I don't feel sad for her for how it ended, I feel sad for the sad girl and whatever it is she went through in her life to get her there. I know what that sh1t feels like - we ALL do - but somehow I managed to cope with it, somehow I've never been attracted by the idea of alcohol or drugs representing any sort of solution, somehow I managed to hold back from ending everything myself and can no longer see how on earth I might have thought it was a good idea.
I'm sad for the girl that for some reason represents all that to me. The day before she died, she didn't represent any of that. It took her dying for it to do that. And in a few days it will pass easily and I'll forget all about it. :(
