Joining "Club 27"

Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London home, making her the newest unfortunate member of the "27 club", a "club" of famous musicians who were all 27 when they died. Some of these musicians include Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Kobain.



What is it about the age 27 that has brought about so many deaths in the music industry? Is it pure coincidence? Is it the pressure for the artists to remain "great", as they near the end of their 20's, that pushes them off the edge? Whatever may be behind this bizarre pattern, according to the book "The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock and Roll", "more rock stars have died at 27 than any other age."

In the first five minutes of the video below, Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of "Eat, Pray, Love", questions the way we view creativity and the reputation of creative beings as alcoholics, manic depressives, or mentally unstable. She also questions the notion that creativity and suffering are somehow inherently linked, and the assumption that artistry will always lead to anguish. She suggests that we take some of the pressure off the artist, and view the artist as a medium for the work, and dont directly connect them to their art which can effect ego, depending on their successes and failures. She also comments on how after the great success of her book "Eat, Pray, Love", many critics asked if she was afraid that she would never have another work be as succesful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA

Elizabeth Gilbert suggests there is too much pressure on the artist to produce great work, especially once they've acquired a taste of success, because everything will be compared to the work they did before. Maybe this is the problem in the music industry today, artists feel linked to their work and pressure to produce great art, which leads them down a destructive path of depression, addiction, and often, death.

Whatever the factors may be that have led to the death of so many musicians at age 27, it is certainly a tragedy to their fans, their family, and all who loved them. "Club 27" should not be considered an honorary club, but a tragedy, and hopefully musicians don't follow in the other's footsteps in "joining the club" intentionally or not, because 27 is far too young to die, and the effects of these tragedies are widespread.

If Amy Winehouse's death was the cause of an overdose, which we are led to assume, then one may speculate that maybe she should have taken some advice and gone to rehab.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmZp8pR1uc&ob=av2n

R.I.P Amy