Saturday, February 18, 2012

Whitney Houston




The loss of a celebrated public figure is a curious phenomenon – especially in the case of musical artists. How is it that an entertainer –usually only ever known to us through a speaker or a screen or a grand arena, can affect the emotions of the masses when they pass away? Why is it that we become so close to some?

Just as the human condition is complex, and perhaps because of this fact, the answers are not all that straightforward… One argument regularly put, is that we live in a celebrity obsessed society and this mourning is another form of celebrity worship – perhaps there’s some validity in this…

However, it does seem plain to me that the people who carry the most gravity in death have managed to affect vast volumes of peoples of all creeds and colours, with some profundity, in an emotional way - through their life, their work; their influence. People have taken something from them on a (sometimes intense) personal level… In the case of musicians, songwriters and singers, the examples of John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson loom as grand examples… in the case of each, there was the magnifier of tragedy, too …

The performer / fan exchange is an interesting one. The average fan pays a bit of money for records or concert tickets; but in return, they receive a part of that artist – a part of their personality and perspective; perhaps even a fragment of their soul and essence, if we are to consider things deeply…

Arguably all of us have been shaped by musical artists in some telling way – the music may have been an accessory to pivotal moments. It may have provided an insight or some observation or expression, that has touched us. The artist has sacrificed or offered up a piece of themselves to create something that has provided a kind of intangible value and their art has coloured your own life experience – sometimes in a very significant way.

To use an economic analogy, If you were to “value price”, with a dollar figure, the impact the significant artists have had on your life, in the case of some, that figure could be very high…

The news that Whitney Houston had passed away, personally struck with a kind of un-emotional sense of resignation and expectation, initially - like some unwelcome message that had been been overdue. While undoubtedly it was shocking for many, the morbidly casual acknowledgement of “there goes another one” was definitely there for me; as though I had accepted it a while back…

Admittedly I hadn’t been a big fan, for a fair while…

… in the sense I hadn’t really listened to one of Whitney’s records closely in years, and she hadn’t been on high rotation (in my ipod); until now… Walking through her catalogue a bit upon hearing the news was like a journey into the past… I’d listened to a lot of it as a kid – it was hard not to be into it. I’d forgotten about her in many respects, as I’d grown up… But being a child of the 80’s and 90’s you could not escape her influence - it was everywhere. “The Bodyguard” film and soundtrack was iconic in the early 90’s – and very pervasive... And as I discovered listening back through the songs, her music was influential – even to a part time fan like me – the music was there in the memory bank and listening to it activated some old memories completely unrelated to her music.

(I particularly remember this image on a VHS cover...)

Perhaps the loss of a public figure reminds us of the passage of time in our own lives and does inflame that bittersweet romance for the past and some nostalgia. But equally, nobody likes to see such a gift destroyed – particularly a gift placed in such a beautiful yet fragile instrument.

Given time to digest the loss of her talent and re-visit her career, it is immensely sad. The heaviness of heart in my own case was perhaps delayed by that perception that her life had been tenuous for years. The reporting of those darker parts of her struggles and the obvious, public effect on her faculties no doubt played a part in forging that sense of the inevitable... But even putting the drug abuse aside, she always seemed “breakable” – outwardly courageous; outwardly defiant and strong - to an extent - but extremely vulnerable…

She was a flower, floating on the breeze… Flying on her own impulse and instinct, in her own rhythm and time – just as easily elevated to great heights as caught in a storm.

It was both a fatal flaw and a beautiful quality.

On review of her remarkable and tumultuous journey as an artist, I found myself feeling a sense of emptiness over how her own positive and negative influences shaped her – on account of that vulnerability and impressionable personality. The premise behind “the Bodyguard” film is an appropriate metaphor for her own life – in many respects, she needed protecting – instead, she made a decision to marry somebody who was also prone to self-abuse and who, it seems, enabled her more pernicious instincts. Her magic was drained and her natural beauty dulled.

It reminds me a bit of the life and personality of Princess Diana. The end result being the same – although occurring through a violent crash and not a “slow motion suicide” over 15 years. Whitney was a vessel - capable of being filled with the good and the bad. We are all like that, but she more than average, it seemed. Her openness allowed for those soaring crescendos in a performance sense; equally it was a void that could be weighed with a heavy payload, personally.

While it probably is easy to cast Bobby Brown as the insidious “life taker”, Whitney was of course, more than just complicit – it was, after all, her life – and while wastage is sad, it was hers to waste.

There were the positive influences too of course; with the likes of her mother Cissy Houston, aunty Dionne Wawrick and Arethra Franklin close at hand, it was no wonder she found a soulful voice and her essence and spirit as an artist and performer...

Perhaps the most tragic component of this ending was that it didn’t seem to come at the bottom of the ebb – like Michael Jackson’s burnout seemed to. In most recent years, she seemed to be transcending many of her demons and making a meaningful comeback – albeit beset with steps backwards… Given a lot of her public comment – she also seemed to have every intention of sticking around, for her daughter’s sake. It seemed for a moment that she may prevail after all... Then an accident – possibly one final step too far – and it’s all over.

Maybe it is reading too much but the way she carried herself and moved through life – her existential and hedonistic behaviour, her sometimes blind faith, her whimsical nature, her devout religiosity and “trust” in God – revealed in her public life, through her comments, actions and demeanour - paradoxically - framed a strong sense of fatalism; which is clearly contrasted, for example, with the rigid control and domination of life and career exerted by, say, a Madonna style of artist…

Her god-given talent was undisputed – it was giant. And much more than straight vocal ability, her power came from a delivery drenched with genuine soul. Real emotion and feeling… such a precious and now rare commodity… Add to that astonishing physical beauty and she was indeed a rare package.

The performer / fan relationship is two–way; being one of giving and receiving. While it gives to the artist a career, it does exact a toll, too. There is a price a cost for the adulation and love they receive..

It can be easily overlooked, but some of the so-called flaws in a person can also be at the nerve centre of how they are able to do what they do. Addiction, of course, is not merely a flaw but a malignant illness... But the soul in her voice was not manufactured. It is what took her from being an extremely talented singer to such a great artist, capable of conveying emotion to millions.

For me, there is nothing much to “celebrate” in this passing; a possible exception being the intense “re-discovery” that occurs in such circumstances. People take time to re-examine the contribution of the artist. In the case of Whitney Houston, who had been quiet for a long time, there is a substantial re-discovery and re-realisation of her talent going on...

An ironic subtext to what is a tragedy, is that her music has, like many illustrious artists before her, taken on a new life beyond her mortality, that may improve the financial position for her daughter and that may continue to dissolve some of the baggage.

It is one of the great human accomplishments to be able to transcend expectations and imitations imposed by others; it would have been much better for the world if this re-discovery had occurred in her lifetime…

The world has lost some of its greatest music makers – old and new – in recent years. The parade of the deceased, remembered at the recent Grammys evidenced what gets lost each year – not just in terms of a loss of gifts, talents and influence, but stories too. I’m dubious as to whether what is being lost is being replaced, but let’s hope so…

The music world and the world in general is poorer for losing these “natural” talents. Which brings me back to the concept of musicians, musical performers and their impact – in life and death. Music commentator, Paul Gambacini comments:

“Music is a part of self definition… I’m afraid it’s something the literary world, the theatrical world, even the cinema world, is never going to have… There’s something about the intimacy of music and one’s personal identity that, at least in this era of human history, makes us connect more closely with pop stars…”

My own view is that there is something else – something physical and primal – to this reaction to music. For music has a direct, physical impact on us as well – that contributes to its power and this sense of intimacy… Music is sound and vibration. While you don’t see it, it physically “hits” you and enters your body – to this end, the rhythms and vibrations are working on a number of different levels – plugging straight into the subconscious as well as the conscious. It is a force that has been in human cultures for thousands of years, predating nearly all other forms of “entertainment”, expression and celebration - it has been influencing human society since the days of our tribal ancestors.

Perhaps it should not be suprising then, that musicians /musical performers / pop stars are feted in death unlike any others…

The polarizing views and opinions that get expressed and the widely varied reactions among the wider population, on large media events like the Whitney Houston death, gives more evidence that there are larger forces at play; that are being exerted on subliminal, personal levels. It confirms a sense of bewilderment and confusion – that perhaps people don’t know quite why they feel – or don’t feel – a particular way about someone.

I admit to be a bit taken aback watching footage of a screaming crowd cheering the late night arrival of Whitney Houston’s hearse at the church for her funeral. As the hearse backed into a marquee to preserve the privacy of the arrival of the coffin, flashbulbs went off incessantly, people screamed and shrieked hysterically, chanted her name and applauded.

Watching it on an online video, it seemed "beyond the pale". My gut told me it was a bit weird and distasteful… Most would expect some quiet dignity at such a moment. For those that were there though, in that atmosphere, it may have seemed entirely appropriate and natural – perhaps in being overcome with emotion and not knowing how to react, that was the result… They probably were, simply, following their heart. Whatever the reason, the anomalies at such times are many and varied.

To consider whether these reactions are appropriate or contrived and artificial is to place a rational and sensible argument in a highly charged and grey, emotional environment…

It is somewhat fitting that the film “Sparkle” will be Houston's major posthumous artistic release. She apparently had great affinity with the original film and its thematic substance would seem to have parallels with her own life experiences. It was a project that she had wanted to see realized for many years - she had worked hard to seize the rights, stayed committed to the vision of seeing it made and persevered through to its eventual production. Set to be released in August, I personally do hope it emerges as a strong testament - she deserves for her last major work to stand on a strong and meaningful note.

Whitney Houston will be buried in the early hours of tomorrow morning, Australian time. She ultimately succeeded in transforming her image of being - to use her own words - “nobody’s angel…”. She was a rebel diva. Yet many, many people - hundreds of thousands - probably millions - are grieving over her loss - people who felt a connection with her and with her music, of considerable significance - angel or no angel. As a performer, she was influential to the extent she became a template for female vocalists. Her music at its best was fun, energizing, soulful, inspiring and full of that key ingredient - emotion.