Father-in law: A call to stop buying her records, rebuke of Island Records to curb her enthusiasm to party hard

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today/AFP) 8/28/07 — “Stop buying Amy Winehouse records” is what the British soul singer’s father-in-law said as her parents and in-laws used radio broadcasts Tuesday to air a feud over the much publicized drug problems of the star and her husband.

Winehouse, who this month attended at least some rehabilitation over reported drink and drugs problems with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil, was photographed by the British press recently wearing bloodstained clothes and covered in scratches after quitting rehab.

The singer, who was named best British female solo artist at the Brit Awards in February, was also admitted to hospital this month over what her record company said was severe exhaustion. Numerous published reports the singer of the ant-rehab song “Rehab” ironically being admitted to rehab after a overdose of drugs and alcohol.  

Her father-in-law, Giles Fielder-Civil, said on BBC Radio that her record company Island Records should do more to ensure that she and Blake were drug-free, and called on fans to stop buying Winehouse’s records to pressure the couple to quit drugs.

“Why don’t the record company do more? (sic)” he asked.

“We believe that the record company should be proactive in helping the couple get better. At the moment, they seem to be hiding behind a label that the pair aren’t drug addicts; they’re exhausted or whatever.

He later added: “Perhaps it’s time to stop buying records. It’s a possibility … by doing that, that affects the record company and the record company may take notice.”

After Fielder-Civil’s interview, Winehouse’s father, Mitch, called up the radio station in a bid to tell the “story of Amy’s family … (and) also the record company and the management company.”

Mitch Winehouse said that a meeting had been set up the day after his daughter — whose best-known hit is “Rehab” — and son-in-law left rehab with record company representatives, doctors and relatives, but the Fielder-Civils did not attend.

“We have two families pulling in different directions. Basically, we just want the same things, we want our children to be safe,” Mitch Winehouse said.

“But we’ve got different definitions of how we can do that.”

Winehouse continued: “There’s only one person to blame and that’s Amy. That’s what Blake’s parents have got to understand … It’s no good blaming anybody else.”

He also described Fielder-Civil’s proposal of boycotting Amy Winehouse’s records as “clutching at straws.”

“Will it do any good? No.”

A spokeswoman for Island Records declined to comment on the parents’ remarks.

Winehouse has been nominated for best newcomer and female artist of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 9.

The singer is scheduled to tour Canada and the United States next month and Europe in October. Reports had surfaced that those dates too might be postponed and those hoping to attend should check for updates.

She recently cancelled concerts in Britain and France because of “health issues”.