Amy and Glen.....

Two entertainers made the news these past two weeks. Bad news on both fronts...
When I heard of the death of Amy Winehouse, I was not surprised. Her chosen lifestyle almost always has a bad ending of some sort, and hers was a “worst possible situation” thing.
A talented singer is gone, another in a long line. Someone’s daughter, lover, friend, pop idol, and a drug addict. And a human being. She was a terrible role model, didn’t seem to care, and didn’t try hard enough to kick her addictions. In the end it does not matter. She is gone—another wasted life.
But it was the news of a different musician this week that upset me more.
For those people of a certain age—mine---Glen Campbell was a big part of the soundtrack of your lives especially in the late sixties and seventies. He wrote and /or performed such classic songs as Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Rhinestone Cowboy, and, arguably the greatest of all songs, John Hartford’s Gentle on My Mind. Early in his career he was a member of the Beach Boys, playing bass on the road gigs. Ironically, it was not the bass he excelled at, but the guitar. He was an incredible plaer, about as good as anyone I’ve ever heard. I even saw him do a duet with Roy Clark once---on the same guitar, at the same time. Showoff-ish. Of course. Difficult to do? Absolutely.
After the hits dried up, Glen got into the drug scene himself for a little while, almost ruining his reputation. Booze remained a problem for years, including a DUI arrest several years ago that produced a classic mug shot that caused Glen to become a household name for different reasons. But that eventually faded away as well. And so did Glen Campbell. Last year he released his first album in too many years, featuring his clear and still pretty voice on songs by Greenday and Velvet Underground, among others. It was a fine album and I thought that the future was looking pretty good for old Glen. Then last week the news came out that he has Alzheimers. Talk about fading away… I guess we can only hope that Glen Campbell can get through that awful affliction with a minimal amount of hardship for both him, and for his family. He was a giant for a while, and though his mind is going to leave him soon, his music is timeless, and we were lucky to have had him. He is still planning to continue his career, and will be releasing what he calls his final studio album later this year, and a farewell tour to go with it.
It's knowing that your door is always open and your path is free to walk, says the
song. I wanna see Glen Campbell AND Amy Winehouse waving from the backroads by the rivers of all our memories.
Goodbye, Amy, and hang tough, Mr. Campbell.