UK sensation Amy Winehouse has grabbed headlines worldwide with a self-mutilating incident during an interview with Spin magazine. The singer reportedly carved “I love Blake” (referring to new husband Blake Fielder-Civil) into her stomach with a leftover shard of broken mirror from the Spin photoshoot. Apparently Mr. Fielder-Civil was hanging around too, and caused his own controversy when he threatened to “slit the throat” of a bystander who said he looked like actor Ethan Embry. Winehouse brushed it all off during the interview, saying “I don’t care about any of this… I write songs because I’m f***ed in the head.”
Wikipedia explains self-injury as a dissociative mechanism, separating the mind from feelings that cause anguish, a phenomenon most often seen in women, although statistics are unreliable since self-injurers tend to conceal their injuries. Not this time.
Winehouse’s current single, “Rehab,” climbs from number 10 to number 9 on the Billboard Top 10 this week, with her album remaining at number 10; one can only wonder if her American success has proven too much for her to deal with. See my previous post for her upcoming tour dates.