Amy Winehouse: The flowers, beer cans and TV trucks of Camden Square
Monday July 25, 2011
WHEN the broadcasters fall quiet, there is a respectful calm around the heap of flowers and cards and beer cans marked with felt-tip messages of adoration in Camden Square. The police tape which has been up since Saturday afternoon still keeps fans on the other side of the road from Amy Winehouse's house and underneath the trees, the shrine is slowly, steadily building.
That said, when you looked along the line of people staring at the tributes left over the weekend this morning, it was obvious who's who today. Journalist. Cameraman. Journalist. Journalist. Fan. Journalist. Journalist. Photographer. Fan. Curious resident. Journalist. Foreign television reporter. Each tribute is scribbled into the pad for some 'one tribute read: Amy we love you' fill.
The calm in the Square followed her father Mitch Winehouse's appearance at the house earlier. He stopped outside and thanked both the press for taking an interest in his daughter and the fans who were there for their support. "It makes this a lot easier," he said. "Amy was about one thing and that was love. Her whole life was devoted to her family and her friends and you guys as well." It is clear that many of those fans did not think that flowers were the most appropriate token for this shrine. In one corner of the Square, a glass of white wine has been poured and left untouched.
Cigarette skins and crushed beer cans share space with little candles. Street signs have been decorated with her name. In Murray Street and Camden Road, people who have never drifted this far from the Lock are mapping there way to the scene. There is already a sense that this open location – the house is right opposite a wide walkway – will become a place for music fans to stop at in the future, a mecca for want of a better word. There will no doubt be calls for the House Where Amy Winehouse Died, a scene of historical importance to music fans across the world, to be fitted with a plaque or something more. That's for another day, when the TV trailers have left and the police tape comes down.
RICHARD OSLEY
Comments
Camden Square
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2011-07-27 13:26.In reply to the above poster, I don't own, I rent in Camden Square. Were you aware that residents of CS pay a far higher Poll Tax to live there? We were told this is to cover maintenance of the Park and the nursery school at the bottom of the square. I would never dream of asking for the place to be locked that is a ridiculous thing to say. But we've had 4 nights of this disturbance. We all have to work. We all have to sleep, and with the drunken nonsense going on a lot of us are finding it hard to get any sleep. Also since when has it been appropriate to show respect for a recently deceased alcoholic with a drunken party? It's akin to to turning up at the homes of some of the Norwegians victims with a replica rifle.
Amy Winehouse's House & the London Riots
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2011-08-18 07:17.I am finally back to Vancouver after pure madness in London. First, there was the circus caused by Amy W.'s early demise, which would not have affected me in the least, except for the fact that I was staying at my friends' house 2 blocks down the street. The display of drunkenness , vulgarity , bad behavior & general lack of respect for the deceased, whoever and whatever she was , was appaling. Whenever I am in London, I am always wondering where the hell are the cops.... After having had my fill of this crap and totally sleep deprived, after a 10-hour flight 2 days earlier, I had the genius idea to call my 20-year old son to ask if he could accommodate his mother who was going bonkers. After endless excuses not to have his old (40) mom stay with him , he accepted to take me in .I am sure his reputation took a serious toll in his social life. i had never seen my son's place before he left the U.S., last September. I had heard the name Brixton before but, over 20 years, i have to admit that I never really paid much attention to my son's gibberish . Now, I was in for a surprise ! Since I lived all my life in America, I am used to live daily among " colored people" and, trust me, that was not the problem. The problem was what happened August 08 & the next few days. I realized when I woke up 08/08 that Brixton Road was cordoned off and looked like a war zone. When I asked a P.O. if I could cross the street to dump my garbage into the trash can, he replied importantly :" No, Love, this would be illegal. This is a crime scene !". I could not refrain my hilarity and laughed so loud that I am sure the French heard me . I expected blood, gore, feces, brain matter, and more. Boy, I have seen more on a school playground this side of the pond! ! ! Anyway, I usually dont rant when I go to London and quite love your extraordinary city but I have something to say & I am gonna say it, like it or not: yes, yodes, thugs, drunkards & junkies are to be blamed for the Summer 2011 riots not to mention the degradation of our moral & societal values. But, let's be honest here: a large part of this mayhem is also due to the inane & notoriously idiotic British reglementations regarding the use of firearms by the police. As I said it before, I am Canadian / American & am strongly in favor of gun control , especially in the redneck states, but when bats are not enough to bring a bunch of lawless jackasses to their knees, well then, DONT HESITATE & BRING THE HEAVY ARTILLERY. I have seen it more than once & can tell u that a well-aimed bullet is way more efficient that the use of a "baton". London, I love u & i will see u at Xmas !! Until then, practice Peace & Love... Carson from Vancouver , BC, Canada
My worry is residents using this as an excuse to get CS locked
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2011-07-27 12:47.and becoming a residents only place for the rich rather than a place for the whole of Camden - like what's happened to many of the squares in West London.
Residents problem
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2011-07-26 15:06.I live a few doors down from Amy's house, and though I find some of the tributes very moving, it is becoming a little tiresome at night.
Last night, we had to close the windows, as some 'fan' decided to play Amy's music through his car stereo at full blast at 11pm.
I start work very, very early and, needless to say, was very tired this morning.
Also on a further note. Camden Square has always been an oasis of calm in the midst of one of the busiest areas in the world's busiest city. I love the fact that most evenings all you can here are the birds singing, or the squirrels rasping at each other. I hope that our area is not about to become a mecca for fans - a la Abbey Road. I've seen what has become of Abbey Road's walls and signs, we do not want that here.
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