Feb 4 Yahoo! Article on Karen Carpenter*

[Late2theParty]

My Mom raised us to always prevent wrinkles in your clothes.She taught us to simply keep your hangers a quarter inch away from the next hanger.Not OCD to me just common sense.I think Karen had a brilliant idea to color code her clothes.She probably got the idea from being on the road so much and easy access to your stuff.I would much rather be around someone who is organized than a slob!Lol!
Let's remember Karen went to get help for close to a year.
How many entertainers devote that kind of time when they have so much else going on.
I wish somebody anybody would start praising her efforts to get well that last year of her life.Fan since 1970.

I'm haunted by her comment to Dionne Warwick at, I think, the Grammy get together weeks before her death. First, witty Karen: "hey, I've got an ass!" Then, the Karen we want to believe would have gotten her past all of this anorexia junk, "I've got a lot of living to do." sigh.

 

[Late2theParty]

I think one reason why there is disproportionate attention paid to Karen Carpenter's (KC's) eating disorder over her musical career is that most of the details of KC's eating disorder are not known to average fans or perhaps anyone at all. If one wants to know what KC sang like in 1975, one can just listen to the 1975 studio album by the Carpenters. But if one wants to know what KC thought about the impact that a crash diet would have on her long term health in 1975, you come up empty.

So, anyone who claims to have insight into what KC was thinking about when she made decisions about nutrition, weight management and health is going to get the attention of fans. Anyone who claims to have insight into KC's musical career is going to be met with a yawn because it's clearly available to everyone.

I have only been a Carpenters fan since November of last year, only 4 months. But when I am listening to KC sing, it is often hard for me to simply enjoy the music without thinking about the story behind the music. "Did she know she was endangering herself?" I think. When I listen to most other music, I simply enjoy the music and don't give the personal life of the musicians involved a second thought. I wonder if this will ever change as I become a fan of 5 years or 10 years rather than only 4 months.

Like you, I am a recent convert. I was a progressive rock fan most of my life. But it's the qualities that come through in this extraordinary voice of Karen's that is so compelling. It's like the story of Barry Morrow being persuaded to write the screenplay for The Karen Carpenter Story after Jerry Weintraub asked him to listen to some chosen songs with an expensive bottle of wine. Morrow is quoted as saying, "I had never heard her before. I had never stopped to listen. I had never heard the sadness and the sorrow and the pain in her voice." (LGB pg. 5) Like Nemily said, I don't think any of us will ever know the real truth. But I am VERY glad their music is still here for us to enjoy.