Amy Winehouse's Trip to the Dentist

[Credit: Mabel Feres]

She joins Scott Weiland, John Frusciante, Pete Doherty and (recently) Mickey Avalon in that select group of fragile lives that I can't help but follow. John and Scott have all but gotten their shit together and I might not have to even include them in this, but the point, the point is this: I dig the troubled soul and I am not alone.

There's a certain magnetism to the amount of pain and truth that they bring to the table that makes the track that much deeper, their presence so fragile and the live experience something to cherish, should you catch them for that glimmer, that moment when they have it all together and the raw perfection of their talents overwhelms you. I've seen both John and Scott at the top of their games and it is quite the sight.

Amy's entering the fold in a completely different genre, and somewhat uncharted territory for me. But, as I listen to her CD, Back to Black over and over again I can't helped but get hooked. She has me at "Rehab". Lights out. Stunning vocals, marrow-deep lyrics, I'm lost. I've starting watching her ascent with baited breath. Canceled shows are followed by the admission of irresponsibility:

"Winehouse has now admitted the concerts in the U.K. capital were pulled after she smashed her front tooth in a drunken fall.

"'I broke my big tooth. I had a massive gap in the front of my mouth,' she revealed, before explaining that dental surgery has fixed the unsightly injury." [Yahoo!]

And the PR machine isn't covering for her, trying to right the ship. They're just letting her sail. And maybe she demands that from the people she surrounds herself with. If she does, I respect it. We all have faults, but we aren't all under the microscope. Regardless of how she handles herself, I'm watching, I'm listening and I'm in love. The big, perfectly tousled hair, the tats (the tats!), those lips, the honest interviews, the makeup, and the diva demands for booze are all afterthoughts once you hear the voice.

 

MP3: Amy Winehouse - "You Know I'm No Good" [Remix] (ft. Ghostface Killah)

Inside the Lines w. Mickey Avalon

[Photo Credit: Myspace | Official Site]

There's a million things I should hate about Mickey Avalon. The monotone delivery, the self-absorbed lyrics, the utter decay that drips off every track, the outright misogynistic lyrics, songs about drugs, songs about murder, and songs about murdering for drugs...and the list goes on. But.

But.

I can't stop listening. I love it. I love the hooks. I love the fact that they sound like they were made on $30 keyboard and then dubbed over that Mickey bought from a pawn shop with money he earned from working the streets. I love that he takes no prisoners; everyone's a target from plastic surgeons to bulemics. He runs rampant on the L.A. scene touching everything from hustling to drug addiction to the Hollywood facade.

Simon Rex (of Young, Hard & Solo #3 fame) is in on the game, along with Cisco Adler (of Mischa Barton fame). His website has some hilarious videos of Rex and Avalon running through tracks and screwdrivers for an episode of Tom Green Live in what appears to be a trailer full of not-so-pretty Avalon hopefuls. From what I hear, the MTV Cribs with Rex had a little Mickey in there, too. He rocked Stubbs at SxSW and did Kimmel in February. What can I say, the kid gets around. He's probably going to be the first one to tell you that, too.

He is what he is and I like that. There's a painful honesty about everything, but it doesn't make you think too much because you're too busy dancing to the music. Mickey's been doing his thing for a while now and the blogosphere has been on to him, albeit with lukewarm enthusiasm. We'll have to wait and see where it all ends up. I predict a Diet Pete Doherty-like trajectory with too many drugs, not showing up for shows, busts, and the like.

Comparing him to Doherty may be giving him too much credit, but I can see the downward spiral right around the corner. Money equates to drugs. And drugs equate to, well, more drugs. Best of luck, Mickey. I'm along for the ride.

Tour Dates:

Mar 22 Sagamore Hotel - RSVP Here Miami, FL
Mar 24 Club Underground Reno, NV
Mar 25 Whiskey Dicks Lake Tahoe, CA
Mar 27 The Clubhouse Tempe, AZ
Mar 28 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
Mar 29 Park Ultra Lounge Sacramento, CA*
Mar 30 Mezzanine San Francisco, CA*
Mar 31 Pure Las Vegas, NV*
Apr 4 Velvet Jones Santa Barbara, CA
Apr 5 University Theatre Las Vegas, NV
Apr 9 Bluebird Denver, CO
Apr 12 Pure Austin, TX
Apr 13 Pure Austin, TX
Apr 14 Warehouse Live Studio Houston, TX
May 4 Lotus New York, NY
May 5 Bamboozlefest Rutherford, NJ

*w. DJ AM & Travis Barker

 

MP3: Mickey Avalon - "Mr. Right"