Hey, Can You Do Me A Favor Today?

Watch the Amy Winehouse documentary on Amazon

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but here in New York it is rainy and cold. Not in an inconvenient way, necessarily, but in a concrete, seasonal way—like we’re right where we’re supposed to be. Throw on some boots and couple layers, baby, cause it’s a month on the calendar!

I bring this up because today is also the 10-year anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black. It’s the album that launched her into stardom and the public eye, two things she struggled with a great deal. Maybe when this album came out in 2006 you were all about it! They tried to make you go to rehab, but you said no! Or maybe you were like me and indifferent to her art but generally aware of tabloid news. No matter what your deal was with this lady, there is a documentary about Winehouse’s life available to stream on Amazon right now, and I think you will get something out of watching it. It’s called Amy.

Here’s the thing: addiction sucks. Here’s the other thing: being famous sucks. Here’s a final thing: our tabloid media doesn’t seem to have a firm or ethical grasp on either of those ideas.

Whether or not you were a fan of the music, you will be a fan of the teenage girl you see deftly playing a guitar and smiling; peeking out from behind a pillow in the backseat of a car on a road trip. The documentary takes a celebrity who you may only remember for her beehive and eyeliner and shows you how she’s also someone you love. Someone who deserved a lot better than what the culture gave her.

Anyway, it’s rainy and chilly out. Maybe you’re at work right now. And maybe when you get home from work, you’re gonna want to change into something a little more comfy and sit back with a screen full of streaming media. And when that time comes my vote is that you watch Amy. You’ll like it. I promise.