Amy Winehouse Dies

This wasn’t a great surprise considering her well publicized history of substance abuse. It’s still a tragic shame. She was as talented as she was flawed.

Back at the old TV station we’d often play music in the studio between shows. Bill Koczocik would take out his iPod and plug it into a set of speakers near the lighting grid controller.

Bill’s taste is varied and eclectic. It was he who introduced me to the music of Amy Winehouse.

Amy Winehouse was found dead earlier today. This wasn’t a great surprise considering her well publicized history of substance abuse. It’s still a tragic shame. She was as talented as she was flawed.

Here’s the song that served as my entree to Amy’s music, Valerie. There are a few versions of this song, but we listened to the Baby J. remix version featuring Mark Ronson.

What a damned shame.

In The Studio: Music By Bill Koczocik

Bill is younger than me, but old enough to be considered a grown-up. He’s an accomplished purveyor of all things Polish–especially food.

My office at work is in the studio. It’s actually a cool place because there’s a lot of action there during newscasts.

I share my space with the gentlemen of the floor. We’ve had women camera ops and floor directors–none at the moment. Tonight Bill Koczocik was running the floor.

Bill is younger than me, but old enough to be considered a grown-up. He’s an accomplished purveyor of all things Polish–especially food.

A newscast is packed with different stories every night yet runs in a predictable pattern. Visitors are surprised how casual we are. In the midst of this Bill glides three robotic cameras from place to place, panning, zooming, tilting and focusing all by remote control.

In the studio Bill is also in charge of the music.

I’m not talking about music on the TV. Bill brings in his iPod and hooks it to a nice Fender amp/speaker system right next to his desk. In our lulls through the night he plays the eclectic.

Bill’s music knows no bounds. There is no genre of popular music he doesn’t play.

It is because of Bill I’ve thrown away my prejudices and embraced Amy Winehouse. He often plays Valerie by Amy and Mark Ronson. It brings down the house.

I have personally witnessed people you’d recognize instantly (and whom I won’t rat out) rocking out in the studio as Winehouse sings.

Bill is kind because he lets me karaoke! He’ll play some old Sinatra standard or sixties hit and I’ll sing along loudly… too loudly. Though I only know 60% of the words he let’s me sing without grousing.

People sometimes walk into the studio while the concert is in progress. They look at us like we’re a little weird.

Maybe we are.

So?