Portishead’s Geoff Barrow Forced To Explain Amy Winehouse ‘Fake’ Comments

Amy Winehouse fans have been showing their allegiance to the late singer, following remarks made by the Portishead producer Geoff Barrow. Barrow made the comments about Amy’s voice, during an interview with his band Beak for Electronic Beats magazine. The producer was asked about his opinion on female vocalists in the music industry and branded Amy’s voice as “fake.”

Referring to Winehouse as “Whiney Shitehouse,” Barrow said “Amy Winehouse –by the end of it, had become just a comic character of herself and how she sang. I saw her with an electric guitar in a little pub in Bristol and people were going ‘that’s amazing’ but it wasn’t all that. Then she had the big drug problem and all the tabloids got involved and she would start being Minnie Ripperton or whatever it was. It seemed fake, but because there was a massive drug problem you couldn’t say it was fake, but her actual voice was fake. She had a real life with a fake voice.” It was a fleeting moment in the interview but it’s caused a stir in the media.

On Geoff Barrow’s Twitter, he has responded to Amy Winehouse fans who have criticized him for his comments. He’s defended his comments, though he admits that his words were “pretty misquoted.” Late yesterday (September 20, 2012), Barrow posted a message to say “I'm sure she was a lovely caring talented person - I didn't know her. Very sad that she passed away - but i never dug her vibe.”