Lester Bangs once wrote a long piece about Sid Vicious, about how we all stood by and wrote another human being off as a waste of time, a worthless junkie and how we all said nothing as we watched him die. We were all culpable in Sid’s death because we believed his publicity. Almost as much as he did. Lester tried to clear his conscience by grieving after the fact, bemoaning the fact that he said and did nothing (except cover the story for cash and it’s own black entertainment value) when it might have done some good. People are writing you off as a waste of time and a worthless junkie. These people are, of course, wrong. You are a beautiful, vibrant woman, artist, actor, rocker, force of nature and mother. The world needs your voice, your rage, your sex, your thoughts, your contradictions and your power. Yes. Power. You have the ability to reach people, to let them know that the bastards only get you down when you let them. Or when you do so many drugs that you die. Then you’re just a spectator sport.
So, Courtney, from a nobody to the queen of rock and roll, I beg you, don’t give the idiot nay-sayers the last word. Live through this, too.