Grammys Part Two

As a musician myself, I can respect those who have musical talent and who can perform. I didn't expect to like the Grammys but I did as most of the performances were pretty good. There are those, however, who don't share my opinion. Go here.

Yikes. Some scathing comments. But, I have to agree with a few points that were made . . . though made somewhat crudely. First, most of today's music does suck. There's no real substance to it. Jay Weber once commented that music today is made up of "sluts, thugs, and idiots". I don't disagree. I do think, however, that thanks to the internet we have a more inside view of the lives of these people than many of us did when we were young. Er, younger. We know many performers did their fair share of drugs and had their fair share of sex. We just didn't see it. We weren't exposed to it on a regular basis. So, I try not to be too hypocritical when passing judgement. Yes, I think it's a shame we reward Amy Crackhouse with a grammy, reward an egomaniac like Kanye, and pass rap off as music. Much of today's music is, indeed, passed off. How is it that the likes of Britney Spears can sell millions of CD's? Other than her ability to dance, she has nothing else. Well, except for being a skank. Yet, that's all the news. All she has to do is go to Starbucks and stop at a gas station and it's headlines on TMZ.

So much for talent.

Second, reward shows are idiotic. It is one big "look at me, I'm better than you" kind of event. Most involved are egomaniacal with Kanye as the poster child. Again though, what's changed? You don't think David Lee Roth has an ego? David Gilmore? Like politics, I think a certain amount of ego is necessary in order to really make it in the business. Well, except for Country. Seems like everyone is nice in Country Music.

What draws me in is the performance. I can appreciate a Kanye performance as long as it's honest. While awards shows may be self-serving, at least with the Grammys, unlike hollyweird award shows, performers put themselves out there with their talent. You may not like them or their music, but you cannot deny their performance and the talent they do have.

Still, I admit that today's crop of performers are more shallow and less talented than ever before. In years past, it was never about the award. It was about the music. For Kanye, it was ALL about the award. For most others it's about the exposure, the fame, the charts and sales, and the rewards that go with it all. In the end, though, who's to blame?

The public. If you own a Britney Spears CD, you're part of the problem. Shame on you.

The Grammys

OK. I was actually somewhat blown away. Not so much by any of the awards, but by the performances. Some random thoughts:

Jerry Lee Lewis is alive?!

Fashions were, over all, horrible.

Kanye is a world class *sshole.

Having said that, his performance was compelling, and his MAMA song was touching. Still, he's a jerkbag. I'm glad he didn't win more than he did.

Feist not only looked out of place in a nice dress, she wasn't very good. About the only uninspired performance of the night.

Having said that, I don't quite understand the appeal of Amy Crackhouse. She performed better than the last time I saw her, but for me that's not saying much.

Being a rocker, I really liked the Foo Fighter's performance. It sounded great with the orchestra back up.

Tina Turner, you blew me away. But, NASA wants their spacesuit back. Yikes.

The Cirque de Solei-ish performance during the Beatles tribute was stupid.

Josh Grobin and Andrea Bocelli were excellent. Very moving.

Rhianna clearly has the best legs though I'm not sure what to make of the outfit she wore. It was a combination of cave girl meets Emu. Or, cavegirl kills emu and wears it. Anyway, her Umbrella song never sounded so good after she paired with Morris Day and the Time. Geat performance.

My favorite performance was "No One" by Alicia Keys. John Mayer was an unexpected vurp, but a really good performance by Alicia. Now, I will say Alicia doesn't know how to move, and I'm sure the keyboard on the runway was really just a prop for something for her hands to do . . . because she doesn't move well. Still, she sang her heart out. Once again, the outfit was a little strange. Half slip, half disco dress . . . too short for her legs.

Beyonce got owned by Tina Turner. That's saying something.

It was absolutely incredible that Herbie Hancock won best album. I wasn't sure, but he said it. It was the first time in a number of years that a jazz artist won this award. I'm not a huge fan of jazz, but good for him and good for the genre. As long as Kanye didn't win.

How Springsteen beat Satriani or Vai for best instrumental rock performance is beyond me.

Prince must have a painting of himself in an attic somewhere.

It's funny, in spite of it's length, not many awards are handed out during the show. It's mostly the performances. If you check the website there must be 100 awards actually awarded. Seems to be a good strategy for the show. I'm much more compelled to go listen to an artist that I've been given a sample of than because they've won an award. Maybe the Oscars could use the same template?