Drugs & alcohol aside, Amy Winehouse was an awkward live performer

Submitted by The-Unmentionable t3_zzevjk in Music

I just finished watching the Amy Winehouse documentary on HBO Max and I couldn’t help but notice this.

Everything I’ve found online just talks about her bad performances where she was too drunk and/or high to function properly but even before her rise to fame, she looked really awkward performing on stage.

It looked like she had no idea what to do with her limbs and even less of an idea of where to look. As someone with ADHD who has issues maintaining eye contact I couldn’t stop fixating on the way her eyes would strangely dart around the room as she sang.

Her voice is still something to admire and I would have loved to watch her grow as an artist. She was something special. I’m just surprised to find so little discussion about her sober performances! It was extremely noticeable almost to the point of distracting me watch recordings of her performances.

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New-Cardiologist3006 t1_j2b6aa7 wrote

Abuse, anxiety, trauma. Hence the drugs.

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Lawdoc1 t1_j2b9264 wrote

Came to say this.

She was likely acutely aware of the way she appeared on stage and that almost certainly added to her difficulties which in turn led to/increased her dependence on substances that dulled those feelings and fears.

It is a vicious cycle and it is painful to watch someone deal with it.

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aliceanonymous99 t1_j2b6dcx wrote

Ever watch Joe Cocker? Some people just perform oddly, same with Radiohead. She was one of the greatest vocalists of all time, I miss her. It was really bad when she was drunk that’s for sure

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The-Unmentionable OP t1_j2baeq1 wrote

I’m not familiar with Joe Cocker performances, no, I’ve seen Radiohead perform though and sure, there are odd performers but I wouldn’t say Thom Yorke is hard to watch perform. He’s engaging, but odd sure.

Amy was hard to watch, mainly due to the darting eye contact.

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aliceanonymous99 t1_j2bd5fo wrote

Darting eye contact was more than likely the drugs, and alcohol. She also had horrible stage fright, which may also contribute to this. I was saying Yorke is hard is watch, just saying unusual.

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Trick_Few t1_j2bc7l4 wrote

Her voice though. 🎤🤩

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The-Unmentionable OP t1_j2bczlw wrote

Oh I know, she was a standout artist. I’ve enjoyed her music for years now but never bothered looking at her performances. I was surprised that such a mainstream artist didn’t have more of a pop star presence. Not necessarily dancing to choreo but like, commanding the audience’s attention so to speak.

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ArcticFlower00 t1_j2b7nyi wrote

Well she's a musician, she only needs to sound good, the rest is redundant.

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The-Unmentionable OP t1_j2b8tc3 wrote

Idk I’d say putting on live performances is part of being a musician as a career. People can make and release music without the skills to put in a good live performance but it’s part of the job if someone chooses it as a career choice and signs on to a major label.

I don’t think anyone needs to be mainstream pop star level dancing or engaging but, it the eye contact in particular was just difficult to watch. I can only guess that her team would have worked on improving that if they didn’t have to focus so much on getting her sober and healthy.

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Dumblond11 t1_j2cf7ap wrote

This.Shame on her handlers/dad /whoever who let it contiue.Was never a huge fan-but watched the docs and really liked her.Am ex addict.Someone should have turned the cameras off...but,you know,$$$

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The_Lapsed_Pacifist t1_j2ehgk7 wrote

There’s a story that she needed to get away from it all and wanted to go to the Caribbean and just hide out for a while. She took her dad along who, true to form, invited a film crew. That’s the kind of shit she had to deal with.

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PandaBegs2Differ t1_j2bru8p wrote

Saw one of her last performances (Bestival, Isle of Wight) and it was painful. The crowd really wanted her to be good and were supportive as hell, but she was just gone. Real shame as she definitely had great talent.

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The-Unmentionable OP t1_j2bsgv0 wrote

Oh yeah I mean many of her performances were a mess because of her unfortunate addictions. But even her small scale performances that were recorded prior to being signed had this distinct uncomfortability to them that I wasn’t expecting to see

Such a shame on so many levels

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seatheanswerman t1_j2c05ok wrote

This is why I liked her so much. All that pain, angst, etc. You literally could feel it in her music.

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seatheanswerman t1_j2byfa7 wrote

Yeah she never really liked performing on stage she was uncomfortable with it for sure. And while you mentioned her great voice, there's something you didn't mention that's the reason why she was so special. When she sang, all the angst, pain, trauma, whatever she went through, all of those things were in her music and voice. It was incredible what she did.

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The-Unmentionable OP t1_j2bzep0 wrote

I can pretty easily imagine myself as a musician and performing would be my least favorite by a landslide. Her discomfort with it so evident.

Yes her voice is really the reason why she got any fame at all IMO. I did fail to mention her talent as a lyricist! The words were perhaps a bit simple but she knew her vocal emotionality would add all the necessary subtext. And in general I think she had a natural skill for saying a whole lot with few words in her songs.

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The_Lapsed_Pacifist t1_j2ei6eg wrote

This is it. She conveyed the emotion so well, something I find lacking from many of the vocal gymnastics divas that, while technically impressive, will never be truly great. It’s soul. She puts me in mind of someone like Nina Simone.

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rockitabnormal t1_j2cmvsy wrote

Amy was awkward and lovable. Damaged but kind. Her voice got her to fame, but her pain informed her art and that includes her discomfort with performances. Seeing her on stage sober despite that made me love her more. That was a challenge and she did it anyway.

In a variety of interviews you can see she had low self esteem. Amy was exploited like a cash cow and her story gives me a visceral reaction every time I think of her.

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GlueForSniffing t1_j2dgsmp wrote

I guess it depends on the performances and perspective? I don't feel like I've seen too many where she seemed odd but I purposely avoid ones people label with her being high / on drugs. I don't want to see her like that because that's someone who had a lot to offer and I'm not going to let that detract from her legacy for me.

I always wished Amy, Duffy and Paloma could've done something together as the women dominating that soulful vintage R&B sound.

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Apprehensive-Cup-335 t1_j2cy8ma wrote

There's a couple of videos online of her in rehab (mixed reports) recording acoustic versions of A couple of songs and she just looks so far gone it hurts

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Gooncookies t1_j2dc8o0 wrote

I saw her live in fairly small venues a few times before she really blew up and she was amazing. She was throwing candy out to the crowd and was cracking jokes. Her 3 backup guys were phenomenal and played off of her very well (they would end up being the saving grace of her later performances) I always loved her quirks, I mean she had a four foot beehive, she was odd, but historically, being odd makes for a great performer. Watching her decline was devastating. I’m a huge fan.

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[deleted] t1_j2e6gdp wrote

She didn’t want to be famous, she just loved music, it is what it is

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The-Unmentionable OP t1_j2ebfr6 wrote

As I read these comments I think my surprise was really just that.

I was a teen when she was at her peak of celebrity and just assumed she was so famous because she had that “star quality” meaning she was a natural born performer with a brilliantly jazzy voice.

Now that I’ve explored more of her life and work this past year I was very much not expecting her to be such a normal person who just wanted to make and sing songs for herself.

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