Un-Licensed To Ill

My children thought it was weird when I said that musicians die earlier than most people. I had to explain that they tend to live intense lives and that they don't often look to the future. They work bad hours, eat rubbish food and one of their few constants is insecurity. There's a culture for drinking and the abuse of other substances. Their home lives are strained and exercise is not generally a priority. Altogether, I don't think I sold the creative life to them so well.

Hey, you could be an American. The recent deaths of Alex Chilton, Jim Dickinson and Vic Chestnutt have all been overshadowed by the issue of health insurance. Apparently Chilton had been feeling ill for some days, but the cost of medical help may have been a factor. This thought has prompted some very extreme reactions with the American public, which you can follow here.

The reactions have been quite shocking. One of the last posts on the site purports to come from Alex's family, a claim that he wouldn't use health insurance "as a matter of principle". If that's the case, then it's also regrettable.

I attended a recent seminar in America about building great music cities. One of the themes was creating a place where musicians feel welcome and where their personal welfare is a matter of civic concern.I thought this was an odd thing to discuss, but now I understand more.

This will become a recurring issue as the baby boomer generation is smitten by many health problems. I would tend to take the romantic line: that bringing great music into the world is a contribution in itself, and that such people should be cherished instead of castigated. You, of course, are welcome to differ.