164 replies to this topic

[oscar_lars]

That's because he has a big ego and lacks insight. I also don't find what I've read in the book well-written. Strange, huh? (Perhaps it is well-edited.) But I didn't expect it to be either. Do you think that he wrote more about the events that took place rather than taking a psychological approach? I expected this too, that's why I haven't read it.

I think it's normal that Mitch write that way. He is his father is aware only of a part of his daughter, that she wants to show him.

you know any other book or biography of amy, who is trusted and closest to reality?

[Mrs. Jones]

It could be worse... you could be me, the most annoying person on the forum. LOL

Don't flatter yourself, the jury is still out on this one! :playful:

[Keight]

It would be interesting to think what Tyler James knows about Amy, I'd guess he knew her better than most people

[LRock10288]

It would be interesting to think what Tyler James knows about Amy, I'd guess he knew her better than most people

I agree with this. I bet Tyler had a very interesting standpoint when it comes to her story.

[Ace of Hearts]

I found i disliked Mitch more after reading the book - purely because it seemed to be all about him. He knew everything and no further correspondence shall be entered into. Apparently they considered eachother "best friends" but there are still lines drawn as to what she would have told her father as opposed to what she told her friends/lovers. That is just child/parent relationship (even though the lines were blurred here). So he can't categorically say "This is what happened, i know it all because i'm her father" because he doesn't and i think he has a hard time coping with that.

He didn't really added anything new - it was repetitive and it was written in a rush with conversational tone. But i'm not conviced that if he had have taken longer to write it, it would have come out any better LOL

I found too many inconsistencies, too many contradictions and illogical conclusions that were presented as fact but were merely opinions. I suppose my profession as a lawyer doesn't help with that either (picking holes in stories).

I just don't think he did her justice. She would have been embarrassed/angered by it.

[Winehouse8327]

I just don't think he did her justice. She would have been embarrassed/angered by it.

Yes and no. First of all, nobody knows what Amy would think then the argument: she would be embarassed... is not valid. You say we have not learned anything new with this book, (and it's quite right) but if that was the case then we would have learned more about her private life, which is not so much fair for Amy. And I wonder what was so embarrassing? Mitch may have made ​​many mistakes on dates and based the book on his own opinions but I don't see what doesn't do justice to Amy. Anyway, it was not the purpose of this book. I don't understand why some people just don't like Mitch. It was his father, a human - not a hero. He did what he could in difficult circumstances to deal with.

[amylove]

I don't understand why some people just don't like Mitch. It was his father, a human - not a hero. He did what he could in difficult circumstances to deal with.

I'll just say, it's a clash of personalities. I think it's funny when there was a camera around and Amy was doing her own thing, and Mitch is loving the camera. He even said he was enjoying the fame more than Amy was.

I really doubt it does her justice. He didn't even see how amazing her talent was until she was gone and people were saying it. Is it reasonable to discuss every drug/alcohol related event? She is so much more than her addictions.
And Amy didn't like him making judgments on her personal life. I'm sure she wouldn't like that Blake comment.

[Winehouse8327]

I really doubt it does her justice. He didn't even see how amazing her talent was until she was gone and people were saying it. Is it reasonable to discuss every drug/alcohol related event? She is so much more than her addictions.
And Amy didn't like him making judgments on her personal life. I'm sure she wouldn't like that Blake comment.

I should probably read the book a second time because you have mentioned some interesting points, which I didn't remember.

[amylove]

^I should probably read the book one time, haha. Maybe in 5 years. But I think people who don't like him have valid reasons. Of course some people take it too far and that's wrong. He's a nice guy, no doubt, but it doesn't make him honorable, in my eyes. He's admitted to having a big ego and liking the fame in an interview, I think. If you go back to old thread about him, I'm sure you can find them.

Also, I do prefer to focus on her talent, her genius. Perhaps because it's his daughter he can't get a good grasp of it. But the last thing I wanted him to do was focus on how miserable her life was. That has more of a shock value than "this is my lovely daughter"... I'm so shit at explaining things lately.

[Winehouse8327]

^I should probably read the book one time, haha. Maybe in 5 years. But I think people who don't like him have valid reasons. Of course some people take it too far and that's wrong. He's a nice guy, no doubt, but it doesn't make him honorable, in my eyes. He's admitted to having a big ego and liking the fame in an interview, I think. If you go back to old thread about him, I'm sure you can find them.

Also, I do prefer to focus on her talent, her genius. Perhaps because it's his daughter he can't get a good grasp of it. But the last thing I wanted him to do was focus on how miserable her life was. That has more of a shock value than "this is my lovely daughter"... I'm so shit at explaining things lately.

About that, I agree. I think Mitch has done his best, but I don't think he is a hero and that he is a man to necessarily ''admire''. And indeed, the cameras don't bother him at all. But like you said, some people just go too far away in their accusations. I have often heard that he was not a good father, that his daughter's addictions were his own fault, that he is a profiteer ... I think these words are unfair about a man that nobody here really knows. I think he has somehow benefited from the celebrity of Amy for himself, but I don't think he was looking for fame at any price (like selling his daughter). In the sense that yes, he answered questions from journalists but he never invented anything or tried to get interviews.

Another interesting point is the fact that he did not see how her daughter had talent, before her death. When I wrote him, I talked a lot about Amy's music, but he didn't seem aware that her music has changed so much in people's life. He answered that Amy was especially a woman very loving and close to family,but she was also an amazing singer and it's weird that he didn't noticed it before!

[Mrs. Jones]

I found i disliked Mitch more after reading the book - purely because it seemed to be all about him. He knew everything and no further correspondence shall be entered into. Apparently they considered eachother "best friends" but there are still lines drawn as to what she would have told her father as opposed to what she told her friends/lovers. That is just child/parent relationship (even though the lines were blurred here). So he can't categorically say "This is what happened, i know it all because i'm her father" because he doesn't and i think he has a hard time coping with that.

He didn't really added anything new - it was repetitive and it was written in a rush with conversational tone. But i'm not conviced that if he had have taken longer to write it, it would have come out any better LOL

I found too many inconsistencies, too many contradictions and illogical conclusions that were presented as fact but were merely opinions. I suppose my profession as a lawyer doesn't help with that either (picking holes in stories).

I just don't think he did her justice. She would have been embarrassed/angered by it.

That's also how I feel. If anything, this book showed just how much Amy kept him at a distance (concerning her addiction, Blake, etc.). She manupulated him quite a bit (typical for an addict).

One thing I did discover about Mitch is how critical of his own daughter he is, no wonder she tried so hard to please him! He says certain things like "her manager said last night's performance was great, I thought it was just average", or "she's not a natural performer, she's always looking down at her guitare or turning her back to the audience"... In some ways he really thought of himself as her manager.

I still think he's an alright bloke with good intentions, but cringeworthy ways of showing his love and an attention seeking character. But I'm really chuffed for him that his daughter's death has given his life direction, and I appreciate what he's managed to do so far with the foundation. Here's a window salesman/cabdriver now doing something to make a difference in people's lives, thanks to Amy. That's pretty amazing. And he's turned his love of fame/attention into something worthy and put it to good use. In fact, if he hadn't set up that foundation, I wouldn't think much of him...

[Winehouse8327]

"her manager said last night's performance was great, I thought it was just average", or "she's not a natural performer, she's always looking down at her guitare or turning her back to the audience"... In some ways he really thought of himself as her manager.

This is something that really bothers me about Mitch. In fact, this is a defect that involves several mistakes that he did and it's mainly for this reason that even though I think he did his best, I am sometimes unable to fully appreciate him.

Mitch Winehouse was a businessman. This is what he was, mainly. The money was part of his values ​​and success too. Mitch often referred concerns about Amy but all these years, he seemed more worried about the career of his daughter than her health or the risk of death. Obviously, I know it was something that worried him (after all, he was a father) but we hear him most often tell : Every time she canceled a concert, she lose a lot of money... and not : My daughter might die at each dose.


Throughout the book, Mitch seems reassured that his daughter began to write or record in the studio, again. Okay it concentrated her energy in the music, but he was convinced that the fact that she recorded her songs, proved that she was better when, somehow, it's her career that has brought some of her problems.

Maybe to manage money and accompany Amy at all performances was a bad idea. Amy fought so hard to make her daddy proud but the fact is that Amy was incapable of managing her singing career and this is unfortunately the only part (or almost) that Mitch saw.

(Sorry my english )

[amylove]

Another interesting point is the fact that he did not see how her daughter had talent, before her death. When I wrote him, I talked a lot about Amy's music, but he didn't seem aware that her music has changed so much in people's life. He answered that Amy was especially a woman very loving and close to family,but she was also an amazing singer and it's weird that he didn't noticed it before!

I suppose when someone is so close to you you don't see their brilliance because you just see them living life as you do and there's nothing extraordinary about that. Plus he doesn't enjoy B2B because he can't get past his hate for Blake and that's a shame because it prevents him from seeing how wonderful that album is. He lets negative emotion overwhelm him a lot.

[Winehouse8327]

I suppose when someone is so close to you you don't see their brilliance because you just see them living life as you do and there's nothing extraordinary about that. Plus he doesn't enjoy B2B because he can't get past his hate for Blake and that's a shame because it prevents him from seeing how wonderful that album is. He lets negative emotion overwhelm him a lot.

Yes it's a shame because even in the midst of all her problems all the time Amy was trying to see the positive everywhere. she was heartbreak, so she wrote a song ... humour was an important part of her life, I think. Mitch might have appreciated the music of his daughter if he had made a difference between his anger for Blake and the good art that Amy created from this relation.

[Yuni13eunice]

I think you guys forgot the fact that Mitch wrote this book from his point of view, he mentioned that he wrote the diary to keep the track of time. True he might messed up with the dates but firstly you all don't know what is going on in Mitch's mind. As for Amy's talent it's clearly that Mitch was too focused on Amy's well being instead of her talent because he wanted to keep her alive, he wanted her to beat her addiction. That is how a parent are, when Amy died Mitch realized because he said himself that he was busy keeping her daughter safe and was always stressing out, after Amy died Mitch is not stressing out anymore and his life is starting to be "calm down" that is when he start to gathering his thoughts together and starting to see how talent Amy was.

Also in the book I can see that those sentences Mitch made about Blake, it was his thoughts in that time frame not the present. You guys need to realize that Mitch used his diary to make this book to express his thoughts in that time period. Read the book again and you will noticed that and perhaps will help you understand why Mitch said that or why. It was his thoughts in that time frame not the "present" when he was writing that book