The tragic lives of troubled
artists. I mean, I'm a musician. I'm not
a mother. The more insecure I felt, the
more I drink. I'm being recommended
basically to inject heroin cuz it's
cheaper. Amy Winehouse's former husband,
Blake Field Civil, is a complex figure
in her life story. He's been depicted as
a junkie and a hopeless heroin addict,
having confessed to introducing her to
the drug. I've got self-destructive
streak, I guess. You know, I don't want
what's best for me. I want what's worse
for me. I want loads of it. This has led
to many condemning him as responsible
for her untimely death at the age of 27.
That I was a a 20-some year old drug
addict. So, I had absolutely no idea how
to make myself clean, let alone somebody
else. The romance began in 2005 with a
chance encounter in a Camden bar when
Amy was 22. Fielder working as a
nightclub flyer distributor was in
another relationship at the time which
ended quickly after meeting Winehouse.
Their bond deepened rapidly and soon it
became all consuming. 6 months later,
Fielder ended their relationship to Get
Back with his ex. Meanwhile, Winehouse
wrote the iconic breakup album Back to
Black. They say the best songs are born
kind of um disruptive relationships.
They happily married Married Woman. What
can we expect from the songwriting wise?
Uh happy songs. Yeah. Yeah. Happy songs,
Care Bears, theme changes. Having
already suffered from bulimia and
depression, Amy started drinking
heavily. We were definitely too much for
each other, right? Couldn't be together.
Can't be together. So, um, I did
something really messed up. The couple
soon reconciled and surprised everyone
with an impromptu wedding in Miami
Beach, Florida. Shortly after, Fielder
introduced her to crack cocaine and
heroin. And I was smoking it and she
said, "Can I try some?" And uh I was I
was kind of out, you know, I was out my
out my [ __ ] I said, "Yeah, of
course." As their addiction took over,
their relationship descended into chaos.
But yeah, it was seemed like that was
just part of what she did now. I mean,
she was drinking a lot and she was
snorting a lot of cocaine. Yeah. There
were arrests, public altercations, and
stints in rehabilitation facilities. She
was prone to addiction. She could not
stop herself. It's a very cruel beast.
The media scrutiny intensified and Amy
was often chased by the paparazzi. For
me, it's water for ducks back. I don't
care what people say. All news is good
news, you know, and all that. A
notorious photograph depicting the
couple after a drug binge became
synonymous with their relationship. In
2009, they parted ways with Fielder
claiming it was to free Winehouse from
the scrutiny of the tabloids and silence
her father's accusations of
manipulation. You know, you can't
sustain love for each other when you're
constantly [ __ ] fighting over a bit
of gear. Fielder maintained an on andoff
relationship with Wine House until his
incarceration for burglary and firearm
possession. We loved each other
intensely and probably, you know, in a
really really unhealthy codependent way.
However, by the time Fielder was
released from prison, Winehouse was dead
from alcohol poisoning. You got to come
home. I said, "Is she dead?" He said,
"Yeah, I'm his dead." Fielder was banned
from the funeral by her family who
blamed him for enabling Wine House's
drug use. What would you have done
differently? Blake, would it have been
that moment? Almost everything. Yeah.
I'm the only person that's taken any
responsibility. People don't realize
that Amy didn't do anything Amy didn't
want to do. Mitch Winehouse, Amy's
father, had previously accused Fielder
of killing his daughter. His way of
showing how much he loved her was to at,
in his own words, he introduced her to
class A drugs. However, Janice
Winehouse, Amy's mother, has since
defended Fielder, describing their love
as complicated yet intimate and genuine.
But without her, how different our lives
would have been. It'd be amazing.
Fielder has largely remained in the
shadows, while his love story with Amy
continues to shine in the spotlight.
Through the window, by the window, that
is where I'll be
with. Tiny Tim was the unconventional
artist behind this eerie tune. But did
you know he died on stage after
performing
it? You hear coughing during the show?
Well, it's because
uh you know,
Tiny Tim was known for his distinctive
singing. ukulele playing an eccentric
persona. Oh, look up in the sky. The
birds are coming. I've got to see a
doctor. I've got to see a doctor.
There's something wrong with me. What
can it be?
Tiny Tim's rise to fame was swift. When
anyone ever wanted me to sing, I just
sang. Whenever you have any talent, I
just say use it. Whatever it may be. In
1968, he released his debut album, God
Bless Tiny Tim, which featured the hit
single, Tiptoe Through the Tulips.
[Music]
The song reached number 17 on the
Billboard chart, showcasing Tiny Tim's
signature high-pitched voice, which was
polarizing at the time. Although many
found him strange and made a mockery of
him, he was undeniably captivating, and
people wanted more.
Oh, one eye is
brown, the other
eye is brown. His success continued with
his second album, which earned him a
Grammy nomination. Goodness gracious.
In addition to his music career, Tiny
Tim was a familiar face on television.
Are you married?
Put that down as a no. His marriage to
Miss Vicki, broadcast on the Tonight
Show, starring Johnny Carson, drew an
audience of over 40 million people.
Won't you come and love me? Oh, pretty.
[Music]
She was just 17 at the time and he was
twice her age.
I'm your special treat. Why? because you
love me.
However, their marriage didn't last long
and neither did his moment in the
spotlight. His later records didn't
achieve the same level of success as his
early work, and he eventually resorted
to performing at the circus. Tiny Tim
spent years trying to make a comeback,
performing until his final breath. At
the age of 64, doctors strongly advised
him not to perform again after he
suffered a non-fatal heart attack during
a ukulele festival. Despite the
warnings, Tiny Tim chose to return to
the stage just two months later in
Minneapolis. Although he was feeling
unwell, he insisted on performing so as
not to disappoint his fans. Give me all
you've got till I scream, "I've had
enough." Determined to give his best,
Tiny Tim began his performance.
[Music]
During the final song, he suffered
another heart attack. this time fatal.
He was quickly taken to a seat where he
collapsed and lost consciousness, never
to wake up. This performance became
known as the epilepsy dance due to Ian
Curtis's twitchy possessed movements on
stage. I I think most people's vision of
Joy Division is entirely colored by the
death of Ian Curtis. Curtis, the lead
singer of the English postpunk band Joy
Division, died by suicide in 1980 at
just 23 years old. Ian's illness was
degenerative and it was getting worse.
He led a troubled life marked by severe
epilepsy and
depression. Though his stage presence
sometimes gave the impression of drug
use or an actual epileptic seizure, Ian
Curtis was simply losing himself in the
music.
flash through the radio. His epilepsy
diagnosis in 1978 brought immense
challenges, severe seizures, extreme
mood swings, and emotional detachment
caused by anti-epileptic medications.
The doctor said to him, "Right, okay,
you've got epilepsy, which you need to
take it easy. Don't get yourself worked
up. Don't drink." What do we do? We go
on tour England for 4 weeks in the back
of a transit van. The condition became
so debilitating that he attempted
suicide multiple times. Curtis's
personal life also fell apart as he and
his wife Deborah were close to divorcing
because of his affair with a Belgian
journalist. What can you say to someone
when they've gone? Well, I felt very
angry, but there's no point. There's
nowhere for the anger to go. Curtis kept
his condition hidden from his bandmates
until December 1978 when he suffered a
major seizure in their tour van
following a London gig. Nobody realized
how serious it was. I think we were all
too busy having a good time. He wanted
us to achieve what he felt we deserved
and he hid it and that that was the
problem. Ultimately, it all became too
much to bear. He said that I feel feel
as if I'm I'm swirling down into a dark
void. I remember him saying the birds
were singing when he finished the letter
and well he he must have killed himself
in in the early hours. On May the 18th,
1980, just 2 days before Joy Division's
first US tour, Curtis hanged himself.
was a death based on a on a a real and
common trauma and therefore it was a
very personal and very human suicide.
Joy Division was one of four hugely
influential British postpunk bands.
Their single love will tear us apart
made them cult heroes in the UK and Ian
Curtis a post punk
icon. Love will tear us
aart again. In the wake of Curtis's
death, Joy Division surviving members
reformed as New Order, a group that
would go on to define the sound of the
1980s.
[Music]
Love affairs, drugfueled scandals, and
some of the greatest hits of the 1960s
define the Mumas and the Papers. John
Phillips, the leading man and primary
songwriter of the group, lived a
tumultuous personal and professional
life. The thing about it is that my dad
was a a tortured genius. He left his
first wife to marry Michelle Phillips
and their union led to the creation of
the iconic band. However, behind the
scenes, chaos ensued. And John is having
some emotional problems right now.
Michelle, a believer in free love,
engaged in numerous affairs after
marrying John. And then, of course, it
didn't help that Denny and I had an
affair. And uh that kind of uh upset
everybody. Most notably, she began an
affair with Denny Docky, the group's
other male member, which caused tension
within the band.
LA.
The situation deeply affected everyone
involved, particularly mama Cass Elliot,
who had unrequited feelings for Denny. I
betrayed John and I betrayed Cass, my
best friend, and Denny betrayed his best
friend, and he betrayed Cass, who was in
love with him, and it was a very messy.
The strain eventually proved too much,
and John and Michelle divorced in 1969.
John then spiraled into a haze of drug
and alcohol abuse that ended only after
he served a prison sentence. Yeah. Well,
it turns out that uh you know, finally
uh the doctor who was treating me said
uh none of this will stop until uh you
stop cuz everyone's trying to emulate
your behavior to get your attention.
Years of substance abuse took a severe
toll on his health and he passed away at
the age of 65 from heart failure. I
believe that he was a man who was
ravaged by drugs and alcohol. Following
his death, his eldest daughter, McKenzie
Phillips, made a shocking allegation.
She claimed to have endured a decadel
long drugfueled incestuous relationship
with her father. My relationship with my
father was not consensual. What I've
learned is that there is no such thing
as consensual incest. According to
McKenzie, the relationship ended only
after she became pregnant and underwent
an abortion arranged by John. I loved my
father. You know, I absolutely loved my
father, but he wasn't a good man. She
was able to regain her sobriety and
rebuild her life only after 11 stints in
rehab. Me forgiving my father allowed me
to have freedom. Though her accusations
were met with skepticism, they cast a
dark shadow over John's legacy. It was
over and it was too late to say anything
about it. You know, seems to be the
story of my life. you know that I don't
realize how important things were to me
until there it's too late to make amends
really. Cass Elliot, affectionately
known as Mama Cass, was the heart and
soul of the group. Everybody knows I'm
Mama Cass. With her radiant smile,
magnetic personality, and unforgettable
vocals, she became a powerhouse. Dream a
little dream of me. When Denny suggested
adding Cass to the group in 1965, John
initially resisted, believing her weight
might harm their image. Despite her
success, she was constantly fat shamed
and desperate to lose weight. I hadn't
been able to eat anything. Ordinarily, I
know you wouldn't think that was such a
hardship for me. Though she managed to
shed 100 lb from her original 300 lb
frame, this drastic weight loss caused
complications including a stomach ulcer
and throat issues. My blood sugar level
dropped or something and I just sort of
tipped over. Tragically, she died in her
sleep of a heart attack at the age of
32. She died of her own weight. Her
involuntary u muscle system just stopped
going and she stopped breathing. Despite
their complex legacy, the music of the
Mumas and the Papers will remain
unforgettable. Singer Duffy was once a
shining star until she disappeared from
the spotlight without explanation. Right
now, I'm maybe too afraid. Over a decade
later, she opened up about a 4-week
ordeal during which she says she was
drugged and taken to a foreign country.
I love you.
In her detailed written account of the
ordeal, she doesn't name her attacker,
but reveals that the experience forced
her into hiding. You can be whatever you
want to be. You can choose whichever
life you choose. Duffy had the UK's
bestselling album of 2008 and won three
Brit Awards and a Grammy, but she
virtually vanished after releasing her
second album in 2010. She's Welsh. I'm
Welsh, you know, and she's she's a, you
know, really really good young singer
and a and a great songwriter. She
recounted how the ordeal began on her
birthday when she was drugged and kept
under the influence while being
transported to a foreign country where
she remained for the next 4 weeks. I'm
going to keep it together for this one.
According to Duffy, she had no
recollection of boarding the plane and
only regained awareness in the back of a
moving vehicle. You got me begging you
for mercy.
She said she was placed in a hotel room
where her attacker later returned and
assaulted her. There's a version of
myself out there that's full of fear
that doesn't know what she wants.
There's a version out there that's
decided to not allow myself to be
fearful. She explained that she flew
back to the UK with the accused, but
immediately felt that her life was in
danger as he made threats to kill her.
Because of this, she believed it was
unsafe to go to the police. Do any of us
really look at our lives? Don't we just
carry on? Don't we just not look back?
Duffy later confided in two female
officers. First, when someone attempted
to blackmail her with information about
the attack, and again when three men
tried to break into her home. She also
admitted to having considered changing
her name and appearance and disappearing
to another country altogether. Being
young, feeling trapped, wanting to let
loose. I think Duffy feared that
revealing the truth would emotionally
destroy her life. yet hiding it was
causing her even greater harm. For me,
you know, I don't really know where I'm
at. Ultimately, she stated that she was
now ready to leave the past behind,
hoping that people would no longer ask
what had happened to her because now
they knew. I can excuse myself and
saying I was still learning about other
things in life. She ended by expressing
that she finally felt free. What do you
think? Let us know in the comments.
[Music]