Natalie Cole Thinks The Grammys Should Require Drug Testing

Natalie Cole, the former junkie herself, thinks that Amy Winehouse should not have won any awards last night because it sends the wrong message to fans and to other artists.

“I’m going on record as an artist who is able to critique her. I think she has a great talent but I don’t agree with the Grammys giving her those nods.

“I think it sends the wrong message, that even in the midst of her stupor of drugs she can get nominated for all these awards... It’s a slap in the face to musicians and artists who work very hard that they turn around and give it to someone who really obviously doesn’t have a grasp of what she has.”

Ummmm. So, if I get this straight it appears that Natalie Cole wants any musician who is currently using drugs to be eliminated from the entire nomination process. I am assuming that if someone was a past user but is clean now they are ok, otherwise Natalie Cole would not be eligible for any award. If I recall, she was so f**ked up on drugs that she spent six months in rehab trying to quit her habit.

I think what Natalie wants is mandatory drug testing for all musicians. That way she actually has a chance to win an award again and be considered relevant. I am also assuming it would be perfectly fine for the actual voters to be stoned out of their minds, just not the actual musicians. Can you imagine if they had drug testing of all the nominees, and then after the show musicians would be stripped of their awards for testing positive and there could be all kinds of allegations about A samples and B samples and how it was really NyQuil which was the cause of the positive or that someone was smoking a joint in the limo on the way to the show.

Would the drug testing apply to the whole band? Also, presumably, Ms. Winehouse is now clean, although her adulation of Blake makes me somewhat doubt that. Would the drug ban only apply to the actual awards show? Would you have time to get clean once you are nominated? Is it possible for Keith Richards to ever piss clean urine again in his lifetime?

I just think that Natalie Cole is a little jealous that the only time she had any success, it was basically as a result of grabbing onto her father and holding tight. I am glad she got off drugs, but don't think she should be using her jealousy as a basis for reforms which make no sense. On a positive note, she looks really good for 58. Maybe there is something to this whole kicking drugs thing.