What I learned from watching documentaries on Janus Joplin and Amy Winehouse
Yesterday I was at my bi-weekly cancer treatment and being attended to by my nurse. All very routine. She came into my room to start the infusion and as she saw me watching a video on my iPad asked, “…so what you watching?…” A documentary about Janis Joplin. “Oh, how is that”. Enlightening.
We proceeded to talk about Janus Joplin and her music — which neither of us really were fans of. However, I told my nurse how the documentary humanized Janus for me. It also revealed to me just how raw, yet talented she was. And, how fragile she was too.
I then drew an analogy to Janis’ story and that of Amy Winehouse. For me, the “Amy” documentary was also enlighting. It was simply overwhelming how talented she was. Before watching the “Amy” documentary I was not a fan; in fact, I had a negative view of her “pop culture” persona and musical style. I thought she represented all that was wrong with our youth culture and new music. I was ignorant. The documentary showed me that. Flawed as she was, she was also amazingly talented, raw, and human. She defined “a hot mess” in my view.
Most of all, for both Amy and Janus I felt sad. Sad for them, upset that our world couldn’t accept and appreciate them for what they were. I was also mad at those around them that…
