Why Is Nobody Surprised?

(Getty Images)

I've been doing a couple of jobs lately, and this Saturday morning had me focusing on a project. Nice to be able to work from home, where Sean is close-by (watching the painfulness that is often Nickelodeon), and I can listen to music.

My choice for this morning was Nick Drake, a talented Brit who achieved a small amount of fame during his life, and died at 26 in 1974 of an overdose of antidepressants. It was ruled a suicide, though some have said it was accidental. No matter - Drake had lived a short, often sad and confused life. In fact, it is said that there are very few photographs that exist of him from the last few years of his life.

Drake would achieve much larger fame in the 80's and 90's, beginning in part with The Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town", written in honor of (though not specifically about) Drake. Zach Braff would use Drake's "One of These Things First" in the movie Garden State. That made me a fan.

As I listened to the music, my cellphone buzzed with the breaking news that Amy Winehouse has died. Winehouse, just 27 (remember that), was seen as being a wonderful, yet doomed talent. We often see the destruction coming - Kurt Cobain. Hendrix. Janis. I can remember Freddie Prinze as well. So if we see it, why can't they?

Yet Keith Richards carries on.  Figure that one out.

The joke today is an obvious one: they tried to make her go to rehab and she said "no, no, no." If only.

We don't know the facts, so I'm not going to pass judgement. But it just seems to be obvious that Amy Winehouse joined the club of Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Cobain, and Janis.

All were dead at the age of 27.

Here's Winehouse ("Rehab" would have been too obvious, plus I like this song):