Forever Whitney
We were watching Saturday night live when a news flash hit the screen,
“Whitney Houston is dead at 48 years old”
It seemed impossible to comprehend but when Saturday Night Live flashed a quick picture of Whitney and Molly Shannon some years back, we knew it wasn’t a mistake.
I can hear her music in my head as I type this. “The greatest love of all”
What a magical song.
But it was Dolly Parton’s (another amazing babe) song “I will always love you” that really seemed to make the world stop.
I’d heard rumors about Whitney being gay for years. This rumor didn’t shock me. The idea that she might have spent her life hiding her true self seemed like agony and anyone in that much pain would have that much passion.
What shocked me was when this elegant, beautiful talented, regal woman entered into the agonizing marriage to Bobby Brown, (any man who beats a woman is less then human but to beat Whitney Houston, throw the bastard in jail and lose the key!).
But when the news came out that was addicted to drugs. I just couldn’t believe it. I don’t know which of these things seemed worse, Brown or Drugs. Same really.
During her attempted comeback I watched her struggle through a song but those otherworldly magical pipes were eroded from drugs and the sound that came out of her was no longer the Whitney we’d grown to love. Still I thought, many great voices were almost more interesting after life had taken its toll. I still love the raspy sad-ness that had crept into Billy Holiday’s voice in her latter days.
I’ve always been a hard-core rock chick, shocking I know, so pop rarely reaches my soul, but Whitney’s glorious voice had won my heart. I even submitted to watching a Kevin Costner film (I think watching this man is like watching paint dry) just to see beautiful Whitney belt it out in MY BODY GUARD.
She died on the eve of an event that she had ruled for years The Grammy’s.
At a place I’ve stayed at, that’s associated with Hollywood’s glory. The Beverly Hilton, just hours before a party by her mentor and discoverer Clive Davis.
The Grammy’s tonight will be shadowed by this great loss and maybe this is right. We need an event this huge to mourn a loss this great.
I don’t really care whether or not Whitney was gay, only that she was sad, clearly sad and we have watched her whither away for many years.
She now joins the tragic list of mega-talented, tortured glorious women, weakened by drugs who died too young. Billy Holiday …Janus Joplin….Whitney Houston.
12 comments
I wholeheartedly agree with you about Whitney. Now I am a hippy chick and a classic rock gal but she also won my heart in the 80′s. what a voice. My daughter is only 12 but an amazing singer in her own right and I have had to turn her on to Whitneys awesome voice. (what would we do these days without YOUTUBE!!) Madison commented how Whitney sang the National Anthem better than anyone she has ever heard. I pray for the 18year old daughter that was left behind. I also have an 18 year old and its a tough age in the BEST of circumstances. Drugs… all I can do daily to teach my kids to stay away and look around at what NOT to do. Thanks for another great post. Peace and love to you and that sweetie of yours…..
She was a powerful singer and it’s sad to see her go. And it’s going to be even sadder to watch the propaganda matrix squeeze every last bit of sensationalism out of her death. She was used when she was alive, and now used even more to distract us with nice juicy Hollywood gossip material. Makes me wonder if perhaps she was murdered, considering the timing. Her fine wonderful spirit does not deserve that. One more reason to “Kill your TV,” as the saying goes…
Interesting that you should mention Dolly Parton. Just as spectacular, but with a political consciousness too (at least in her recent work). I’d love to meet her someday.
As to her sexuality, perhaps she just never met the right man, and perhaps she was exploited this way too. You never know. I have a young 22yo friend who came to P-town gay but met a lovely young woman there. They have fallen in love and have been living together for two months now. He seems more alive and happy than I’ve ever seen him. Several of my gay friends expressed dismay, as if he’d left the club or let them down or something. It all makes me wonder what determines one’s sexuality- is it innate or the influence of one’s life experiences, or what else I don’t know. One guy even wistfully told me: “I had a girlfriend once long ago too.” Sorry if this paragraph is a bit off topic, but I brought it up because of your speculation.
Well, perhaps Whitney’s spirit has found peace now. Time for the rest of us to move on.
Oh, one more thing. Click on my name to see Whitney’s very last public performance. I can’t detect any “gravel” in her voice.
thanks my dears
i thought jennifer hudson’s rendition of whitney’s song at the grammy’s last night was heart-breaking and beautiful
Me too. Love ya
ok so I consider myself a friend and now I am a full fledged FAN! I decided to click on Bite This. Now I knew you did this because you told me but I have never listened before this morning! LOVE IT! I listened to the soap one and JCP. They are great. I am hooked…. Gail
so glad you tuned in mama!
keep listening i do a few about Joisey!
I just listened to how you met your sweetie. LOVED LOVED LOVED that one. I remember you listening to ours… Then I listened to the cruise one. I will keep listening for sure. Oh and my son said you have a very sexy voice…. and you are a great storyteller. Peace love and hugs on this Valentines day!
happy v-day to you and your honey bear
Flashback to almost 30 years ago. I’m a heavy metal fan and despite my interests in Science Fiction, Gaming, and politics to the right of Ghengis Khan, I’m really a very insular fellow. Whitney Houston’s singing stirred me to the very soul. Also the fact I was barely post pubescent and Whitney was my ideal woman! Female, Human, Breathing! I was shaken to the core to find ALL my friends agog for this sweet angelic voice. Some of us even planned to visit LA, to have a fist to face talk with Mr Brown about appreciating the value of what was foolishly wasted on him. I channeled my inner Ghandi, and advised passivity. After all, since my wide cicrle of friends all loved Whitney, it stood to reason that Bobby’s comeuppance would arrive from an area with reduced shipping costs. Plus none of us wanted to horrify the good woman, by beating her husband, while screaming at him in English, and Irish.
We watched the comeback, dismayed we consoled each other that it was a shame that she who had everything, or could have had it all, at once if she wanted it, threw it away so carelessly.
I cried this last week, not only for her loss, but for the loss of those innocent kids, more that a generation ago, who thought they were so badass, and so bulletproof invulnerable. And would have cheerfully put a beat down on Bobby Brown, and his whole rappin’ world. I never met a Judas Priest, or Ozzy, fan, who wasn’t a leather-clad knight in shining armor.
You knights miss you Whitney, Love you Forever!
wow john that was beautiful!
proud hard rock and roll heart that you have
i had the fortune to see whitney perform at jones beach
in the 80′s magical voice…i thought i was the only post punk-hard-rocker in the audience but hmmm maybe not