From Comeback to Comeback Please

Note: I know that this isn't exactly a current event. I wrote this some time ago but I am just getting around to posting it now.

Like most people, I tuned into the home-going service for Whitney Houston. It was really touching to see the outpouring of love and support that was shown by family and fans alike. It's sad that it takes death for people to say great things about you or acknowledge your accomplishments. But at least it happens.

With all the questions surrounding her death, (drugs, suicide) its easy for all of us become fixated on the last hours of life rather than a person's life, impact, and legacy. In the post-housewife era of entertainment, drama is king. The spiraling descent of a human being is more alluring than the rise. And once they crash, we rather they stay there to see if they could fall further.

Its the most true with entertainers. And the nail in the coffin can be the very thing that might restart your career, the comeback. Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, and Michael Jackson were all victims of it. They were musicians who were at the top of their game, fell off for many reasons (some scandals, others drug use) and were one event away from reclaiming their former glory.

Well, until they died that is...

Killed by the very thing that made them..fame. The pressure to perform to the same standard every time with very little understanding from fans and critics alike when they miss the mark. I know that I'm a guilty of that too. Its just very weird that three of the most recognized names in entertainment all fell within months of making their comebacks. And now, in death they get the attention (good or bad) they deserve. I wonder if we all could've handled that pressure; that criticism in this industry. If that's the case, we should all share in the blame and stop crying comeback please.

Yeah I know it sounds harsh. And its meant to be. Sometimes our expectations of people with a talent can be farfetched. We forget that they are human beings. They allow their artistic expression to be scrutinized by others.

The one thing I realized from the deaths of these artists, is that they really are always working. Even when you haven't heard any new material. A lot goes into that CD we buy or download that we don't see. I'm not questioning the sincerity of our outpouring of sadness for any artist. But I wonder what do we really miss about them? And as fans can we really be expected to miss more than their music? If they weren't as successful would we miss them the same?