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I think the suggestion here is that because Winehouse is white and Jewish (read: middle class), not to mention English, her debauchery and addiction function as examples of her exploitation of a (Black) American soul tradition.
But pop artists -- all of them, regardless of color or clean living -- have been mining the blues and soul -- popular music's roots -- for years and years. All artists rely on their forbearers to inform their work, and some of them model themselves on their heroes. Amy Winehouse probably buys into the myth of the doomed artist, but I doubt her addictions are just her way of appropriating authentic r&b culture. She's a talented entertainer, and a train wreck, and, sadly, the fact that she's a train wreck is entertainment, too.
