The text above was sent to me by a friend, written by a friend in response to The Oscars.
And now I have a question regarding The Grammys.
When you look at all of the music that was released in 2021, and you peruse the music rags and read their Top 50 or 75 records of the year in various categories, talk with your friends and hear what their faves were, check out your favorite blogs and all of the new music they are writing about, and of course, listen to all of your personal favorites and discoveries of the year, do you ever wonder how or why so little of it is recognized by the Academy?
The Grammy Awards have been a joke for years. This isn't news, though I am sure all of the winners would disagree about the legitimacy of the award. If you're treated well, why would you complain? But what about all of those amazing artists and their fab records that are barely a blip on the Academy's screen? How do you think they feel?
I don't expect Olivier Rocabois, who released one of my favorite records of the year to be nominated, but what about NRBQ? Or Aimee Mann? Or Southern Culture On The Skids? Or Cheap Trick? How about that Who record from 2019? Isn't that an achievement, 50 years on? Haven't these artists released enough terrific music to not be completely ignored?
As our friend jmills pointed out yesterday, "Let's not forget to mention Cedric Burnside and Los Lobos winning Grammys." Yes, let's not. But it's fairly easy to, no?
And actually, why the hell not Olivier Rocabois?
I can't be the only one who is tired of hearing "today's music is not for us."
"Let the kids have fun."
"Remember, people hated The Beatles."
YAAAAAWWWNNN!
Yeah, when I hear Doja Cat, I think Beatles. Always.
Shriner says, "And while the music of BTS doesn't do much for me, they know how to put on a performance."
You know who also puts on a performance? The guy spinning plates on The Hollywood Palace.
That is not a rag on Shriner, nor is it a rag on BTS fans. Shriner is right. BTS are performers. But was there really no one else, not one single adult music act alive who also knows how to put on a performance? Must it all be a popularity contest all the time? At least the Oscars exhibited a modicum of integrity by not nominating Marvel films just because they're popular.
Baseball players spend years in the minor leagues, retiring without ever getting to experience one inning in "the bigs." Do you think a guy with a .215 average and no speed is going to get the call just because he's "really a lot of fun in the dugout?"
I don't get it. I don't get The Grammys at all, not even as a three-hour, freak show of entertainment. It's a shit show, through and through. As I said in yesterday's post, the Grammys, whether I watch them or not, make me hate music for the days surrounding the event. The show, to put it mildly, is nothing but a niggling reminder of all that is wrong with the industry.
The following cannot be the best music 2021 had to offer.
Album Of The Year
- We Are — Jon Batiste
- Love For Sale — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
- Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) — Justin Bieber
- Planet Her (Deluxe) — Doja Cat
- Happier Than Ever — Billie Eilish
- Back Of My Mind — H.E.R.
- MONTERO — Lil Nas X
- SOUR — Olivia Rodrigo
- evermore — Taylor Swift
- Donda — Kanye West
Actually, we all know that it's not the best music of 2021, don't we? And we all know that it has nothing to do with our age. We have been listening for far too long to fall for that crap. Somehow we are guilted into believing that as we get older, the less we understand; the less we "get it" Nah. I ain't buying it. I get it. It just isn't the best music of 2021. Toss in the other 200 records that weren't even considered and then maybe we'll have a ball game or a real conversation.
19 comments:
I always took it as a given that the Grammys were about sales, and the odd lifer recognition (bonnie raitt, steely dan). Still, nice to see Batiste's album get the nod. It was in my top ten.
Ever Since Taste of Honey beat out Elvis Costello for Best New Artist , I have never watched the Grammys, the only thing worse are fawning tv personalities that fall all over themselves with superlatives about the nominees, a sycophantic mess
was beeber finally recognized for worst tattoos?
and it was amazing to see that eyelash allowed herself to be dressed and coiffed by people who must hate her guts. how did she get that dress through the door of her famous "bedroom" studio.
thank god the show did not focus on music. i never watch it but i always enjoy snarking at it anyway.
batiste is listenable and then evaporates. that's always grammy bait.
Very well said Sal. Imho, Depravos (above comment) hits upon a major problem with "today's" music. Nothing sticks. I couldn't tell you the difference between Lady Ga-Ga or Billie Eilish. I tried to watch Ms. Eilish on Saturday Night Live a while back, and just didn't have the tolerance for it. I have a question, how do the artists of today (the Billboard ones) get their music heard? It's not radio (is it?) It's not T.V. (no more Ed Sullivan) so is it just through the computer. As old as I am now I would never be a fan of "Today's hits" Now back in my day (old man reference) I would eagerly await the new Monkees song. I've always thought that if I could see someone's record collection that that would be all I would need to get a good grasp of that person's personality. "Old" M.T.V. is responsible for most of the drek today. Record corporations, radio programmers seem to think that MTV somehow set the template for what they should throw their money and air time behind. Example: Gojira's best song is Black Sabbath's worst song. If you were living in The Branch Davidians compound and only had these choices which one would you take? 24-7-365 "Enter Sandman" "Stairway To Heaven" or silence.
"The show, to put it mildly, is nothing but a niggling reminder of all that is wrong with the industry."
The show, to put it mildly, is nothing but a niggling reminder of all that is wrong with society, aka, social media.
IMO, award shows such as the Grammys and the Academy Awards don't serve the same purpose to post-baby boomers as they did to us older folks back in the day when movie stars and music celebrities were only accessible through movies, records and fan magazines. Nowadays, social media has saturated the scene with such hyperbole it has diluted the importance of the events. The Red Carpet doesn't mean the same thing as it once did.
Less is more.
Randy
The Grammys have been a joke for a very very long time. And old guys like us should have gotten over it a long time ago. Make your own list and put it out there. Silk Sonic made it to my Best Of 2021. But I don't even listen to enough new music to really qualify. Even when I did, say 20-30 years ago, I thought the Grammys got it all wrong then. My list is here: https://kleaveburg.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-best-of-2021.html
The Grammy's, even more than the Oscars, being pre YouTube, etc, was the one of the only ways to see the most popular artists perform (other than in concert, SNL and even shows like The mIdnight Special) ...that was the draw of the show. Today, it is irrelevant.
No rag was taken, Sal. :-)
But, let me come here to defend the Grammy *telecast* It's always meant to celebrate a wide variety of music (though they certainly have short-shrifted Classical and Opera in recent years in the telecast because it probably bores the audience). I've tried K-Pop and it doesn't float my boat, but to deny that BTS is a world-wide pop phenomenon is to hide your head in the sand. I'm actually glad the Grammy telecast finds the chance to put that music in front of people -- even if it's not something I listen to. I'm sure very few of you would tune into a 3-hour event of "Shriner's favorite bands of 2021". Hell, I don't even know if some of my favorite records from last year could actually be performed by the artists I like without some studio trickery involved.
(And -- honestly -- to not be able to tell the difference between Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish -- means you aren't listening. (This isn't a direct shot at you Jobe -- listen to what you like and be happy with that -- but they are two remarkably different female artists.)
SOUR and evermore were on my "best of" lists last year. I think they both are really great albums that I will listen to in years to come (and I'm honest about that) The Billie Eilish album didn't work for me because it was a bit too samey from track-to-track and I've not heard the other 7 (they might actually be great -- I dunno -- I can't comment on them because I haven't heard them...)
I actually think the Grammys (and the Oscars for that matter) did a good thing by expanding the number of albums/pictures for consideratiion each year. Why is "5" any more of a magic number than "10"? But I digress...
And, yes -- I'm *absolutely sure* nominations for awards are a political/financial decision. Don't get me wrong about that. I'm sure payola existed in the 50s, 60s, 70s -- and contines to exist today. Nominations are decided by committees -- probably by a bunch of old farts with their fingers in the pots to see how a Grammy nomination will move more "units", too. (See the complaints other old farts had about Rolling Stones latest "500 best songs of all time" when they opened up nominations/votes to a bunch of younger people in the music industry? Steve VanZandt's book touches on some of the politics behind nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) Nominations never make everybody happy, but should we not have them because your personal favorite record/film out of (practically) infinite number of records/movies released last year wasn't recognized? Of course not.
But to get back to the telecast -- this year's was a breath of fresh air after last year's sedate Covid broadcast. It's professional musicians playing and singing live and (for the most part) looking like they are having a great time doing it in front of their peers. It's a solid 3+ hours of entertainment and worth my time every year (and I watch it the next morning -- so I can zip through commercials.) The Oscars can certainly be pretty dull, but to avoid the Grammy telecast for reasons that it's not just wall-to-wall music -- like this years telecast was -- would be missing out on a lot of fun. Musicians never seem to have the pomposity that SERIOUS ACTORS do -- Kanye notwithstanding -- so it's completely enjoyable regardless who wins or loses.
I'll be there next year and I'm sure I'll enjoy it like I do every year.
I say this every year. The only time I ever watched the Grammys was to see Paul McCartney accept one on behalf of the Beatles for "Let It Be". That is still the only time there was a connection between music I loved and what won awards.
"Nominations never make everybody happy, but should we not have them because your personal favorite record/film out of (practically) infinite number of records/movies released last year wasn't recognized?"
No, of course not. But my point isn't about recognizing "my" favorite records. My point is that the nominations are rarely "the best" of the year. Shouldn't there be a difference between "best" and "popular?" I could watch "Old School" once a week and laugh just as hard on the last go around as I did on the first. I wouldn't dare consider it as a "BEST PICTURE."
If you count all the categories in Mojo's year end Best of Lists, there are over 150 releases. Can you really tell me there wasn't 8 records out of the 150 that were better than this year's nominees? That's my beef.
As for BTS---I am well aware of their worldwide popularity. I was just riffing on your comment. Watching Prince perform "Gently Weeps" is a musical performance. Watching choreography to generic K-Pop to me is not so different than watching a plate spinner. Book BTS because they are popular. But don't tell me there aren't 25 other acts with great records out in 2021, that couldn't have brought the house down with a killer live performance.
The weird thing is that even when we were the kids it sucked.
Re: Mojo's year end list. I looked at their list of 75 best records of 2021 -- and I've only heard 6 (and at least 3 of those six I didn't think were that great, tbh.) Uncut's list was also as obscure to me. But, at the same token, none of the 10 records nominated for a Grammy were on either list either (though some are on Rolling Stone's best-of 2021 list -- including Sour at #1)
I don't know what that necessarily means as far as what gets nominated. It's a black box, for sure.
But, yes, hearing Robert Plant and Alison Kraus on the Grammys would have been special, but I'm sure he's not that into showing up for it. And the scheduled Foo Fighters probably would have blown the roof off, but, sadly...
Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, Wendy’s, R&R Hall of Fame, honestly, so irrelevant. Artists should ashamed of themselves for allowing this bunch of tasteless guys to make them part of that circus.
Shriner, no offense taken. You are right however about not listening to Lady Ga-Ga or Billie Eilish, or for that matter all of the other this years nominees.....I don't
I was waiting to hear someone got slapped at the ceremony, but alas, didn't happen. Didn't watch, didn't care. Oh well, Silk Sonic was good from the few minutes I did watch while channel surfing.
That "Album of the Year" list is pretty depressing. And I agree, Sal, it's not just a generational thing ... it's just bad.
There is good new music out there --- if you can find it (this blog is one reliable way to do it.)
For example: Aldous Harding. Weird, brilliant, def. not mainstream, but grammy-able. Except she hasn't sold a billion 'units' which seems to be the main criteria for nomination. Try this-------
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyZeJr5ppm8
Over 30 years ago, Metallica performed "One" on the Grammys right before the award for Best Hard Rock/Metal album. After they played, they went to the side of the state with everyone in the world assuming that they would win the award. A few seconds later, Jethro Tull's "Crest of a Knave" (how's that for the title of a Metal LP) wins and the camera still flipped over to Metallica who were standing in shock. Pretty much sums Grammy credibility
Nice rant! I was wondering if there would be a follow-up to your previous post. That pretty much sums up why I don't pay much attention to the Grammys.
I think the televised award shows make more sense if you see them not as merit awards but as elaborate industry marketing displays. Sort trade shows-slash-showcases with shiny trophies and "competition" thrown in as audience bait. I don't bite. Ever. I'd much rather watch a good movie or hear a favorite album than watch an award show. (I think I might have been watching a basketball game when the Grammys were on.)
It's telling that you rarely hear this type of criticism about awards that aren't televised extravaganzas (Pulitzers, Peabodys, American Book Awards, etc.). You might hear that [insert aggrieved group here] is underrepresented in the nominees, but rarely that the nominees or winners are just not very good.
That said, Bela Fleck's Best Bluegrass Album winner, "My Bluegrass Heart" is stunning (I'd recommend it even to non–bluegrass fans). And everything I've heard from the Los Lobos covers album (Americana winner) has put it on my must-buy list.
But I'm guessing they weren't on the show.
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