Russell Brand is known for his crazy comedy style. He will talk about everything, and has no problem making fun of his famous addiction battles. Yet in light of recent events, the comedian has stripped himself of his trademark humor, and written a touching tribute to friend, Amy Winehouse.
In a long blog post titled “For Amy”, that appears on Brand’s official site, Brand spoke of the first time he saw the young Winehouse perform at a Paul Weller concert:
”From her oddly dainty presence that voice, a voice that seemed not to come from her but from somewhere beyond even Billie and Ella, from the font of all greatness…A voice that was filled with such power and pain that it was at once entirely human yet laced with the divine. My ears, my mouth, my heart and mind all instantly opened. Winehouse. Winehouse? Winehouse!”
The two would see each other in passing, and soon, Winehouse was starting to make it big. Brand knew that there was something special there:
“She wasn’t just some hapless wannabe, yet another pissed up nit who was never gonna make it, nor was she even a ten-a-penny-chanteuse enjoying her fifteen minutes…She was a f—ing genius.”
But an addiction is a disease, and like many other people, including himself, Amy and the people around her suffered:
“When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.”
Take a look at the entire post over on Brand’s website. It truly is a touching piece that’ll hopefully open many eyes to the pain and anguish of addiction.
BRAVO to Russell. His honesty brought me to tears.