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The Love/Hate of the Grammys
Ahh, the great dilemma of the Grammys.
The prime-time Grammy broadcast placates the corporate music industry by shoveling forgettable acts into our faces because they have nice legs and move units at Wal-Mart.
It’s a fashion show littered with so much horrid, disposable R&B, hip-hop and syrupy country, that it should depress any rational human being who ever had a soulful or original thought.
Pink performs at Sunday’s Grammys. They’ve asked George Jones to do this maneuver next year.
Sometimes sublime artists win Grammys, but it typically doesn’t happen on the main broadcast or with the biggest awards.
So very often, Grammy just misses it completely.
Consider that artists like The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Buddy Holly, Queen, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and the Doors never won a Grammy. (Well, the Dead finally got a lifetime achievement award. The association sometimes does make-up calls.)
It took Neil Young 50 years, but he finally won a Grammy this year (they put him on the pre-broadcast). Mariah Carey, however, has won five Grammys.
They gave the Black Eyed Peas five minutes of performance. They gave Jeff Beck, honoring the recently departed Les Paul, two minutes. (So what if Les Paul invented the electric guitar and multi-track recording. He never could dance like Beyonce.)
I think you get the point.
However, it’s hard to ignore a nearly naked Pink doused in water, hanging upside down, spinning and singing. Now I’m going to rush out and buy all of her music. First I need to jab a flaming pitchfork into my foot.
OK, I think you get the point, so to speak.
Anyway, until this week, I’d never heard of a group called the Zac Brown Band. The group won for Best New Artist. The Zac Brown Band is performing March 19 at the Redding Convention Center and that show sold out in about 15 seconds. Obviously I’m a little behind on the times.
I watched a video by the Zac Brown Band, and although the band’s sound is kinda dipped in that Nashville gloss-and-polish-for-the-masses tone I detest, there’s something kind of likeable about the group. One of their tunes contained the line, "roll me a fat one" or something like that. If that tune is getting played on mainstream country airways, I consider it a major breakthrough for the absolutely horseshit genre of today’s modern country music.
OK. So the Zac Brown Band gets a pass.
Corporate music with meaningless lyrics — just like the majority of mainstream films — are designed to appeal to a wide, predictable swath of the masses. It’s art for people who detest art. And we’re belching this crap all over the world. They’re watching "The Fast and the Furious 4" in Honduras. They’re listening to Taylor Swift songs in Singapore. World: I’m sorry. I’m deeply sorry.
And, readers, I’m sorry. This is an old, well-worn rant.
What do I know ("what a wino"), anyway?
The Grammys had its best viewing audience in years. People want to see Beyonce, Pink and that gal from the Black Eyed Peas. They don’t want to see old Jeff Beck or old Kris Kristofferson or old Bob Dylan or old Lucinda Williams.
But what happens is that over time, people keep listening to those latter artists and they become deeply important to a lot of people. Grammy finally says, "Upon further review, we’ve had our heads way up our keisters. Give ‘em the lifetime award!"
No one continues to listen to Britney or Kenny Chesney or ‘N Sync or Kanye West. You just grow out of them like you grow out of your baby shoes. You go: "Oh, man, I’ve been eating that candy corn for an hour and I feel awful! Anybody got a John Hiatt CD I can listen to?"
So, if humanity has a chance, if we’re going to continue to exist as a race, we do this: We watch the Grammys and we say, "Huh, that was interesting. Kinda fun, actually. But does anybody know where I can find some good new music?"
Photo courtesy London Evening Standard
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Hmm…never lost my taste for candy corn, and I enjoy organic apples regularly. I suppose the joy in any consumption (joy!) is knowing that both exist for different purposes, and it’s up to the listener to widen their palate regularly! Besides, who would question the lack of nutritional value in candy corns?
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BRAVO !
This is the best description of the Grammys I’ve ever read. Finally, it has been said out loud, that as far as the Grammys go, the emperor has no clothes.
Jim, you should write when you’re pissed off more often. This is terrific.
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Uncle E Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:43 am
Couldn’t agree more, Bruce/Jim! (standing ovation)
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My fave moment came a few years back when Elliot Smith was crammed between Celine Dion and some other forgettable act. Perhaps that’s why the poor guy committed suicide.
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Yeah, Man!!
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You’re on a roll here, Jim. Fifty-odd years ago, Noel Coward (who oughta know), agreed with you, warning us, “Strange how potent cheap music is.”
The antidote? Original artists so powerful that they unclog the corporate-colonized ear of the American people.
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We don’t watch commercial TV - and awards shows of any kind would be at the bottom of my list of worthwhile ways to spend my time - right after cleaning out my rain gutters.
But I do listen to mainstream country radio — and I got excited when I heard the Zac Brown Band song “Toes.” It struck me as cool, something that really pushes things away from pop - toward something fun - and almost traditional. I love it when that happens - gives me hope.
C’mon - a guy who loves Jambalaya and Seven Spanish Angels can’t be all bad:
http://www.aolradioblog.com/2009/11/30/zac-brown-shares-his-favorite-songs/
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Only watched ten minutes of the Grammys this year. During that brief encounter, Beyonce appeared on the screen about 6000 times.
I recently saw Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas sing with Mick Jagger on HBO’s 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I’d never heard of her (wouldn’t know a Black Eyed Pea from a non-Black Eyed Pea) and was impressed by her performance on Gimme Shelter. She might be one to watch, but the Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Pink crowd…please. The allure is Beyondce me.
Rant on, brother!
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Dang, I missed the Grammy’s. I was listening to Merle on my cassette player.
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AMEN, AMEN AND AMEN . . . I loved the Jeff Beck tribute . . . and was equally put off by the time given as tribute to Les Paul in comparison with some of the other acts.
I just wish someone in current pop music would figure out they don’t HAVE to scream and flop their hair around. If Maraia Carey ever found a not she liked, I wish she’s shake hands with it . . . and if Taylor Swift ever learns to write a melody she might be on to something.
But then . .. I’m old!!!!
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Has there ever been a time in human history in which pop didn’t suck?
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Thanks, Jim. Many of us rant along with you. I would, however, like to know how Lady Gaga manages to apparently change her entire head several times during the program.
For a fake and totally offensive review of the Grammy’s…
http://www.merrystandish.com/kanyemiley.html
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You know you’re getting old when… or so as not to offend anyone… I know I’m getting old when:
- I can relate back as a teenager when my father said about one of my favorite rock groups, “You call that music?!” and I’m thinking the same thing about a lot of the music out there now.
- The music I recognize is by people getting Lifetime Achievement awards.
- I couldn’t understand why people were chatting during The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary program and not watching and listening reverentially.
It could be fun to come up with a play list for old age homes 20 years from now. We won’t remember breakfast, but we’ll be smiling as we hum along to our classic favorites - as long as they don’t turn them into muzac.
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I was going to watch the Grammys this year until i realized the Neil Young tribute was not going to be aired. I didn’t know who the nominees were and truly did not care.
Back in the ’70s Bette Midler said, “Last year i was given the ‘Best New Artist’ award by Karen Carpenter - and honey, if that ain’t the kiss of death, i don’t know what is!”
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Great piece, Jim. Bruce is right: you should write when you’re pissed off more often.
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I watched about 2 minutes of the Grammys. Lady? Gaga gagged me!!
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Say, Jim. Let us know how you really think next time. Stop beating around the bush, and just come out with it. Hee. But seriously, I like pop music sometimes, just like I like a lite beer; occasionally it works. You go, Ga-Ga girl! But Music and Industry are two words that don’t go together ever, and so the Grammy Award is no more meaningful than a high school battle of the bands. There’s another topic…why should music be competitive at all?
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Actually, the great Grammy category (in my mind; and music’s subjective, I know that) was Americana album, where Dylan, Levon Helm (winner), Wilco, Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel and Lucinda Williams were nominated.
I love both Dylan’s “Together Through Life” and Wilco’s “Wilco (the Album).” Think I’ll go buy the rest.
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Hey Jim,
I only watched the Grammys so I could see the Zac Brown Band perform. The much better show was on KIXE the night before, when Steve Earle and Kris Kristofferson were on Austin City Limits! When we gonna get out to the ballpark again?
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Jim Dyar Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Murph,
I miss your line drives down the left field line, and I am missing the diamond a bit. Are you playing? Good times….
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The Grammys have pretty much always been a joke. And there has always been bad pop music. Remember Tommy James and the Shondells, Crystal Blue Persuasion? But, I hear you. I think its getting worse. The American Idol era has made pop music even more insipid and repetitive. Taylor Swift is the poster girl for the new era. Every time I’ve ever heard her sing, on TV, she really sang badly. Sure she’s young, thin and blond. But couldnt the money execs find a cute blond who can sing at least a little? But here is my one and only Grammy memory:
I was at House of Blues in LA, waiting for Lucinda Williams to come on — way late, because she was winning a Grammy that night. She finally showed up around 11:30 — with Emmylou, looking gorgeous, as always. And they sang together a whole bunch, with Lucinda’s amazing Car Wheels era band. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. And I guess it had something to do with the Grammys.
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Outstanding review…right on the mark.
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Jim,
You nailed it with regard to the Grammys in general. You just articulated what I’ve been feeling for years. That being said, this year was different for one reason, and that reason is that the Grammy’s finally got it right with the Zac Brown Band. These guys are awesome. I think if you dig a little you will realize that they are the real deal. This is certainly not corporate country music, even it’s even country music at all. (Personally I think it’s just good old American-made music that happened to break through on country radio and they are from the south.) Anyways, you really need to check into these guys further and you will see that your hunch on giving them a “pass” was correct. Start with the live stuff. The live from Bonnaroo EP on itunes is a great start. If you can, find the “Live From The Rock Bus” somewhere on the internet and check it out (you can’t buy it anymore, it was independent). Oh, and you mentioned Lucinda Wiliams…they cover her song “I think I lost It” in their live shows as well Bob Dylan, The Band, Bob Marley, and Van Morrison, just to name a few. And of course, like any real artist, they write all their own songs (no Nashville songwriters here). Enjoy.
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Jeezo, what a bunch of geezers you guys are! Y’all sound like my parents used to sound, back when I was trying to explain why the Beatles trumped Frank Sinatra (now, I’m not so sure!)
I know I’d rather see Pink or Lady Gaga on Super Sunday than that tired old band they’re going to trot out. Remember the Who? The band who hasn’t made an album in years? Why are they being feted? Because it’s the least offensive to us geezers!
I hate to throw pearls before swine, but didn’t Herbie Hancock win best album in last year’s Grammys for his Joni MItchell tribute?
While we’re at it - boycott ‘Avatar’ and other similar samples of dribble and drool, if art as decoration offends you.
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Jim, I have to think of the Grammy Awards show as a gateway drug and you’re pushing the hard stuff. I watched the whole show this year, which I don’t often do, and I don’t even know why. I’m way into the hard stuff. But, I’ve been a music fan for many years. Some of this music is for the newbies, but they opened the show with Elton John, one of my all time favorite artists and they had me. The fact that Lady GaGa was along for the ride didn’t bother me in the least. Maybe, some of her fans will seek out Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy or Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player and begin the lifelong addiction to music as I did. The fact that these artists at this time in history are selling the most records or have figured out a way to make a living by being famous in a very tough business doesn’t really matter. The winners don’t matter, music is not and never will be a competition. Making a living as a musician is a competitive sport however, and more power to the artists who are able to do it. I think that almost all these musicians are very talented. Pink can sing and she is obviously is a good performer. Should you go out and buy her record or buy a ticket to her show? Sure, why not if you like her or her music. My theory is that once you get hooked on music, you won’t be able to stop. Eventually, you’ll get around to some folk, Americana, blues, Beatles, Stones, neo-soul, acid jazz or (insert your favorite music here). You can’t start with Miles Davis. You have to build up a tolerance. Don’t be a Kanye and try to snatch Taylor’s spotlight. At the risk of losing all credibility with your audience I must admit I like her and her music. Even if she didn’t write all of it. Does she sing off key in awards shows sometimes? Yes, so she’s human, but she seems to be a nice kid, humble, sometimes akward, sometimes goofy, inexperienced, but focused on doing the best she can. And so far, a lot of people think it’s pretty good. Time will tell if she fades away or has a long career. But maybe if she doesn’t make it to Redding or put out a bunch of recordings her fans will come out and see Megan Slankard perform at the Vintage Wine Bar or the Jim Dyar Band, because sooner or later they are going to need their fix.
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Jim Dyar Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 12:25 am
Great post and good points, Rick. Someone else called me on being a playa hata on the big-named pop artists. There’s a talent in putting yourself in the position to make money in the music industry. Many of these pop/hip-hop/country stars have huge talent. Music is subjective and it’s better if people are at least listening to something aside from the O’Reilly Factor.
By the way, your excellent blues band is playing Saturday night at the Post Office Saloon, correct? That should be a good night!
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Rick Larsen Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Thanks Jim,
Needless to say I’ve enjoyed this post. Keep up the good work. Thanks for mentioning Shasta Blues Revue at the Post Office Saloon on Saturday night, 8pm if anyone needs a live music fix.
Take care, RL
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Jim:
Give Pink a chance………Her writing and sensitivity to the human experience is great…her lyricism is incredible-and she always has fun….
Lay some of her lyrics next to Neil Young’s best pieces….you’ll be surprised…“Family Portrait” next to “Heart of Gold” or even “Stupid Girls” for a fun start…(watch her “Stupid Girls” video - You’ll become a fan!)
Sorry, but if you give her a chance you’ll see she blows old Neil Young right out of the water!
And she can sing upside down…spinning and wet!
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J P Adams Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Jenni, I watched that part and she BLOWS.. alright. Cut it out ! NO WAY can she be compared to Neil !!
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Jim Dyar Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 12:40 am
I’ll give peace and Pink a chance, Jenni. What’s a must-have Pink album? I’ll download some tracks.
It’s kind of hard to compare Pink and Neil Young. I’ve heard she’s strong lyrically, but I need to check her out.
But. the reality is, Neil’s a made guy — a boss. Pink may be a star, but in the music world there are two separations. Moving units is one measure. But she’s not breathing the Neil air — someone who has spearheaded a couple different genres and written dozens of classics.
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Liz Merry Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Jim, here’s a video of Pink from 2006 - with the Indigo Girls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FF0cS9s6Aw
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Liz Merry Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 7:27 am
No Neil Young, of course. But worth a listen.
It is not as if I am a gigantic Pink fan…I don’t own a full album!
I work a lot with teenagers and began admiring Pink when I would search for songs that might speak to them for group work….as l I started to listen to her, and read her lyrics I realized she is a great talent…some of the songs I might suggest are “Just like a Pill” , “Family Portrait”, “Conversation with my Thirteen Year old Self”; and the “Stupid Girls” video really is a hoot…and gets a positive point across to a younger age group.
(See - I am a geezer too…I say things like “really a hoot”!)
I probably should not have said she blows Neil out of the water…..but she is still very young and is so prolific she may do that some day!
I also have to admit I didn’t watch the Grammys or see her spinning and singing….in fact as I think about it I realize the sensational stunt that it was plays into your viewpoint exactly….
Thanks for giving her a chance…I think you will enjoy the experience!
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Great story, its funny because the only reason I actually like to watch the grammys is the theatrrical peformances, like Pink, Beyonce and Lady Gaga and you know me I am not a huge pop guy, but I do like the theatrics. I actually get bored with the rest of the event, I would rather see a musical. HA!
Or the JDB.
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“I probably should not have said she blows Neil out of the water…..”
Thanks for that, Jenni. My convulsions are now subsiding.
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