The Useless Critic 2.0

I say "recently" because there are a ton of dead people throughout time , and I doubt I will be writing about some singing bard from the Middle Ages. I was supposed to do this before Halloween. Sorry! Let's start with Amy Winehouse and her melancholic break-up anthem, "Back to Black." What makes his gut-wrenching is the decision to film it at a funeral. So watching it now when Amy has been dead for two years is unsettling, to say the least. Classic tale of substance abuse destroying a person full of potential.  Wilco's Jay Bennett- It's easy to gloss over Jay's death now, but Wilco is a great American rock band and Jay deserves to be remembered. Ah, man. Learning of Adam from the Beastie Boys' death was quite a shock. Hopefully, he's kicking it in the afterlife. There are a myriad of dead musicians, you know. So I'm trying to stay away from people like John Lennon and Kurt Cobain. Albeit, they are legends, it's ...

Song of the Day I wish I had appreciated Amy more when she was alive. This also serves as a "dead person of the day." 

Yesterday, July 23rd, marked the first anniversary of the death of the incredibly talented Amy Winehouse. I can't believe it's been a year already, it seems like only yesterday I was awaked to such devastating news. Even though it was already expected by many (including myself), I was still deeply shocked and heartbroken, I simply refused to accept that it was true. I recall becoming a fan back in 2007 (I was a massive fan of soul, jazz and everything in between). I was not only drawn to her impressive soulful voice, her instinctive musicianship and her unique sense of style, but also to the raw openness of her lyrics. She was completely unafraid to expose her pain, her vulnerability, her darkest feelings, but she did so in a way that sounded candid and relatable, not sappy or clichéd like many artists. I cannot tell you how many times I found comfort in songs like " Tears Dry On Their Own ", " Take The Box " and " He Can Only Hold Her ". ...

Nothing says Easter like some good old fashioned Elliott Smith: Unlike Jesus, Elliott has yet to rise. question:  what's your favorite Easter muzak? or aspect of the holiday? happy Easter! will Amy Winehouse come back from the dead soon? 

look at how extensive it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club#Other_musicians_who_died_at_27 :/ IF YOU'RE A MUSICIAN NEARING 27 PLEASE BE CAREFUL. seriously though, the whole Amy thing leaves a very bad taste in my mouth a la Brittany Murphy. Between that and Norway, I feel kind of numb today.  take care of yourselves, reader, Britt. p.s. readers that were turned off! come back! I was with my editor today eating Asian Food I WAS NOT POSTING EARLIER