I don't think the problem is the fact that AW is an addict. I believe there are people who see her receiving award as an endorsement of her addiction.

And there lies the blur between the artist's public and private lives. Do we penalize an artist because she or he has repugnant habits, or do we honor the work? Or is it possible to separate the two?

I suspect a lot of the music and art I like are created by people whom I personally wouldn't want to be living next door to me. Where's the line?

Good question.....make no mistake, i see your point.... while i don't think we necessarily have the right to be all up in these people's business, that is the life that they have....when you become a celebrity, you give up certain rights, that us as "normal people" get to hold on to.....you get your personal life splashed across pages of magazines.....it comes with the territory....

i bought her album before i ever knew she was on drugs, and because of all the good reviews she had received, had i known she was on drugs at the time, i would have still got it....i liked Rehab as much as the next person....i like AW because she has such an old school sound to her...she is different....

So is her work good enough to be honored regardless of what she has going on in her personal life....yes....but at the same time....what message does that send, or is it official that we are a part of a message-less world now....i dont see it as rewarding her drug abuse, i just see it as them saying you can be a crack addict or whatever you want to get high on, and as long as you still put out good music, we'll give you all the awards your shelf can hold.....if nothing else, you can go sell them and get some drugs....

i don't dispute her talent, but i mean if you aint even granting the girl a visa (until the last minute when you know she can't make it in time), how the hell is she still deserving of FIVE grammy's....it's a two sided coin on this one.....cause she does deserve them....but i mean, c'mon now...she left rehab to be able to give a performance....was that in her best interest ???

i won't go off on the tangent i've been on lately about Kanye but can a Kanye fan just please explain to me how they think his work qualifies in the best album of the year category, let along having his fans say he deserves to win.

ok, the guy is obviously a talented producer. he has a good ear for samples. he finds obscure songs, samples them and makes catchy hip hop beats. but come on! Winehouse's voice is out of this world. Ronson actually plays every instrument and together they've created an album of excellent music from scratch. i like what Kanye has done with Jay and Common but his stuff just doesn't do it for me. if I had to rank his albums this one is by far and away the lesser of the three. if anything Daft Punk should've been nominated for album of the year because without them Kanye didn't have a lead single.

by the way, as for the drug thing, she's worse than you actually think.

You know, this problem's not new. Entertainment figures who have been ostracized, prosecuted or embarrassed because of private affairs:

Oscar Wilde, Fatty Arbuckle, Leni Reifenstahl (sp?), Edith Piaf, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Pee-wee Herman, George Michael, Boy George, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Jackson. Any others?

Whose actions was the worst?

Our very own Hollywood insider!

that's how i roll Matty. believe it or not, living in LA for ten years (this is only year one for me in Indiana) i've become friends with, an acquaintance of or rolled out with many of the people you talk about or interview. i have personally witnessed certain musicians named on this forum snort or smoke drugs. i have drank with many of the musicians listed on here. i know, i know, i'm a total poser.

i'm also very, very good looking and cool as hell.

and the next time i'm with Winehouse i'll bring a tape recorder so you can hear the crack rock being hit!

We HAVE GOT to hang out. Newly single wingman here...and SoCal native stuck in Carmel.

And despite AW problems, I would still totally wreck that. Crackw-----sexy isn't too bad after a few Johnnie-Blues...

s.h.

dude, that is awesome! i think you and i shall be drinking. there's even a pretty cool bar in Carmel that i just went to called the Brockway Public House off of Carmel Dr. and Old Meridian across from Meijers.

and for nSAYchable, i think it is wrong to be judge and jury about whether or not to honor someone based on their extracurricular activities. she was up for music awards based on the merit of her voice and songwriting ability and her drug problems have nothing to do with it. right or wrong that's the way it should be. i also think Natalie Cole was out of line with her words. her past issues with drugs and alcohol have nothing to do with anyone else. if she wants to help Wino or others, good for her, otherwise she should just shut up.

Obie: It sounds like the folks you've rolled out with are way more famous than the artists I talk to. On a sidenote: Now I'm no expert, but I've heard it on good authority that a player's gotta play. That being said, how does one like yourself -- having grown accustomed to rolling out with celebrities in California -- come to Carmel, Indiana, where the opportunities to roll out in a comparable fashion are nearly non-existent?

by the way, i've never smoked crack. i'm sorry if i come off as the guy from the big city who's done all these B.S. things and brags about them. i'm not. there are many benefits to living in Indianapolis most of which revolve around the cost of living but none of which revolve around things to do.

i moved here to get out of producing television and work on something bigger. luckily the company i work for affords me the opportunity to travel to LA, Vegas, Miami and even the best city in the world, Austin, TX.

i grew up in Ohio and went to Ohio State and love Columbus and Cleveland and Cincy and it's unbelievable to me that Indianapolis is nothing like those cities. it's starting to pain me just how looked down upon this city actually is when it comes to those in charge of selecting which cities get certain things. we rank so low on the totem pole for things like concerts and high profile events that it's very frustrating. not sure that people realize what goes into booking concerts and who decides which artists come to your town but in the case of Indianapolis we rank about 8th in the midwest. 8th! That means that artists' are routed to play in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincy, Madison and Milwaukee usually before Indy and usually booking agents will only select 5 midwest cities or less. That's pathetic! Not always the case but happens quite often.

so to answer your question, i get to go to just about every big music festival in the US for both work and pleasure and i get to go back to the city of shallowness more than enough. regardless, in addition to the job i moved here to settle down and try to become an adult so the lack of entertainment options outside of the Colts is a bonus for me.

well obeythedoberman, im actually not trying to be judge OR jury on this....i am just giving my opinion which really doesnt matter because she got the awards anyway....i just think its wrong to give anyone a sweep of awards who is addicted to crack.....maybe her addiction has nothing to do with her talent, but she should have consequences is all im' saying....as should all these celebrities.....they should have consequences....and maybe that way that would help them to straighten out their lives....like i said, i love my amy whinehouse cd and i did say that based off of her music she deserves those awards....i never said she didnt deserve album of the year, i just said that i also think so did Kanye West...which is another story as to why i think that....but people need know that doing somethings can prevent you from making to where you are trying to make it to....she or no one else should not continue to be praised and awarded when she's all over the news getting high off of crack.....i mean, its not even in the closet....she's smoking crack where ever she can and whenever she can.....this goes over the call of being a role model, because thats another story....but this is just about having to deal with consequences....we live in a world where apparently the only people that do have to deal with consequences are the common folk....and as long as i'm a common folker, i will continue to feel like awarding crackheads and dope fiends because when they weren't high or at least that we know of, they did a good job at something is complete BS....and if i am the only person that feels this way outside of natalie cole i guess i should call her and tell her WE need to wake up and realize what times we are living in....a time where drugs addicts and alcoholics are admired and revered ....we live in a country that wouldnt give the girl a damn visa, yet ya'll give her 5 grammy's and market her "live via satellite" performance as one of the most anticipated parts of the show....get out of here!!!.... hahahhahaha...i laugh at that.... now when i get back from lunch, i will tell you about Kanye West...

Fair enough. :)

You really should check out the A Place To Bury Strangers show at Local's Only on Saturday night. Talk about an up-and-coming band and a show that Indy was lucky to get --- along with the Whigs tonight, it makes for a solid weekend of music in the Town that which Naps.

i'm sorry. an indy.com user just messaged to me to let me know that Indianapolis hosts Black Expo and the Future Farmers of America national convention. my bad. this place gets very big events.

Matt, i'm going to check out both.

I want your job.

Btw, wingWOMAN. Hello! . . . I'm your girl. Both you and Sewer Harpy. ;)

nSAYchable, i do want to hear your thoughts on Kanye. and again, the awards are based on musical merit, not what she does in the world of sex, drugs and alcohol. you're not awarding a "role model" award.

she was given a visa to come to the US (a few days before the Grammys) but chose not to on the advice of the rehab clinic, her family, her record label and countless others.

i understand where you're coming from and i'm not saying you're wrong in your beliefs but the fact of the matter is you still bought her album along with millions of Americans. "Rehab" was in the top 5 most played songs of the year on radio as well. it is/was about the music and that's why she won the awards.

obeythedoberman: I hear what you're saying, but if I may argue the point, then you're telling me that a talented nominee who is discovered to have been a terrorist operative wouldn't have that nomination or award stripped? This is what I mean by asking, "What is the line?"

i guess thats all i'm saying JL....what is the line....is there a line....do we continue to award people no matter what they do in life....i mean if we are going to award crackheads, then we might as well legalize it....we might as well give out awards to random crackheads on corners for the work they did in their life prior to their drug abuse.....its against the law to smoke crack...or am i confused....so we award people for breaking the law...???...yet common criminals go to jail for the rest of their lives and don't get offered the chance of rehab....this chick is on tape smoking crack....WTF!!??...all im saying is out of all five awards she won, there were other talented people in those categories that deserved the award....giving it to the second best would be a good way to show the people in hollywood that you will not continue to do what ever it is you want to do with no consequences.....it would be different if she was a sex addict....thats not against the law....it would be different if she was an atheist....thats not against the law....but she's smoking crack!!!!...she's smoking crack and the grammy people just gave her five nice ones to get good and high off of....rehab or no rehab, she's addicted to crack, thats a lifelong battle....this world is screwed up ....thats all....its all good though...big ups to amy whinehouse who not only is a great talented singer, but a talented skinny crackhead with a crackhead boyfriend and together they get good and damn high....five grammy's?...sounds like cause to celebrate...anybody got a pipe?

You had me at Btw...

s.h.

now as for Kanye West..... i like Kanye and yes i am what is considered a Kanye West fan....to be honest, i don't remember the other nominees for best album, but it is probably cause i have never heard of them before.....and before you think otherwise, i listen to a wide range of music....i am a MUSIC lover....where Kanye is concerned, the Graduation was a great CD....the beats on it are wonderful....the music itself is wonderful...this is what qualifies to me as a great album of the year....if i were to buy the same album in an instrumental version and could still listen to at least 90% of it without skipping or moving beyond a track....add lyrics and voices to it, if i could still do the same thing, i indeed consider it album of the year.....which is what the case was with me and the Graduation.....now whether or not someone else feels the same way has nothing to do with me....sampling or not sampling....we live in a day and age where sampling is a commonality....so let's just stop complaining about people doing it....sampling is actually a way of paying homage to other good music...if i were a musician, i would be flattered at the thought of someone wanting to use MY music to redo in their own way....and if artists would stop allowing people to sample and stop stuffing their pockets with the royalties that come with getting sampled, it wouldnt happen anymore....so thats a non-issue....Kanye west is a great producer and all that jazz, but his cd was actually a great listen....i listened to his cd about as much as i listened to Amy Whinehouse's cd....i mean, what constitutes "great"??? and while it was a tragedy, i dont believe he should have gotten the grammy because his mom passed, so please don't think that either....but i do think his songs were great....when i heard them the first time i was instantly drawn to them and no when i listen to them six months later, i am still equally as excited to listen to them as i was when it first came out....his topics choices....i will say there were a few songs on there that shouldnt have made it past the cutting floor, but there were heartfelt songs one there where he was saying what needs to be said....i think kanye hurts people with his attitude and his arrogance, so they dismiss his music, but i still like it...amy whinehouse is singing about not going to get help for her addiction to crack and we love that....so much we give her five grammy's while she's in rehab, i assume, experiencing withdrawels and re-writing her song.....the arrangement of kanye's music, his lyrics and the overall appeal of the Graduation led to a great Cd....of course, in my opinion.....

I like to compare Amy Winehouse to a talking parrot with a broken wing. I feel sorry for her but she sure can sing so I don't feel too bad for her. Just like our friend the parrot who I feel sorry for but not too badly because he can cuss out whomever he wants without any repercussions. Some may even encourage the poor parrot to lash out at others for our own amusement. Just like our society encourages/drives Amy to go all the way down the rabbit hole for our own amusement.

Polly want a CRACKer?

i'm not belittling your post JL (and nSAYchable) but how many terrorist musicians do you know? on the other hand, how many drug abusing musicians do you know? i think it's funny how Winehouse gets such a bad rap because of her drug usage whereas all of the rappers who admit to being addicted to pot aren't talked about. or how about the heroin addiction of the Seattle grunge scene of the 90's. i'm pretty sure i'm correct when I say that Kurt Cobain was and is revered as a god (he's mine and thousands of others favorite musician of all-time). a god who was addicted to heroin. Morrison, Hendrix, Garcia... BIG TIME DRUG USERS! the bottom line is that drugs and music go hand in hand. you may not like it and you may not approve of it but it's a fact. chances are, if you're a fan of rock then someone you worship had/has a drug problem, for better or worse. oh well.

You have to remember that even though Amy Winehouse is a celebrity, her drug problems still have consequences. They may not be exactly the same as others, but that's not saying they are any less. Just think about the health issues, the dependency issues, the psychological issues... do you think she actually wants to be addicted to drugs?

Yes, she's doing something illegal... but she's not getting rewarded for smoking crack, she's getting rewarded for her music. I don't think she should be treated differently than others up for the same award, they should all be judged on the same criteria. Who knows what all of the other artists are doing behind closed doors?

And its not like some little kid is going to say "oh Amy Winehouse uses crack and got 5 grammys. I'm going to start smoking crack". What messed up little kid would want to be anything like her (except for musical talent)?

well i dont think any kids are wanting to be like Amy Whinehouse and i'm not saying anything about her that i wouldnt say about anyone else addicted to drugs, but hey....to each their own.....let her knock herself out, get high, smoke crack, sing and win awards....i'm just going to relax and listen to Kanye West.....