Similar to the legendary George Best, the best footballer I've ever seen, who walked away from a stellar career at 26 because of alcoholism.

Although he'd been a supremely talented footballer, in his later years he was a hopeless alcoholic, and was probably prevented from reaching any kind of rock bottom that might have led him to recovery by the actions of the sycophants and hangers-on who enabled him all the way to the grave.

I made a soundtrack for this post!

clicky, clicky!

Also, good photoportrait here, from photographer Xavier Voirol.

(btw, single clicking cycles through the songs playing just a bit of each, so you want to double click to hear the whole song, then it will continue on to next song and play the whole thing, etc.)

Serge Gainsbourg and Whitney Houston. It's strange to watch this now when Houston herself has become such a freak show.

My favorite Serge song, Hold Up.

My fave Serge video!

I know a guy that's going this way now. Likes to go "to church" at ten in the morning and staggers back three hours later feeling "a little bit tired". Artistically he's very talented, and for some reason this makes it acceptable to those that fawn around him. There's this fucked up ideal that being crazy or being a drunk is a good thing for a certain sort of person, but all I see is the hurt to his family and those that truly should be called friends.

I also knew a character who killed himself at about 45 from the drink. Again, his position in the community, and the respect he commanded from earlier years meant that we allowed / encouraged his behaviour until, a year away from his death, he had lost his family and had been reduced to coming round our house to beg for loans. The area we lived in was a "If you can't drink a lot, you're a pussy." style working class environment. He didn't stand a chance.

Which reminds me. I've been indoctrinated from youth to believe an ability to drink frequently and copiously is a sign of manhood, and even know I still believe it. I still look up to people who drink too much. It's wrong, but I can't help it.

Bah. I've got less and less tolerance to this overriding attitude to celebrity drunks though. I think essexjan hit the nail on the head with the sycophants comment. Even though I have been and will probably be one of those sycophants myself again.

He should spend a week with James Last. That might put things in perspective.

yikes. I think the most uncomfortable thing about the Whitney incident, even more so than when he says he wants to fuck her, is where he reaches out and pets her hair. eeesh.

Nice link -- thanks, matteo.