Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

He really is that stupid.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Usually wrong but never in doubt

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

An almost top 10,000 blog!

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Republicans in disarray!

Peak wingnut was a lie.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

You are here: Home / Music / Sunday Evening Open Thread: The Grammy Awards

Sunday Evening Open Thread: The Grammy Awards

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Grammy Awards Open Thread - STOCKPILE

Not sure if our haimish BJ jackal-pack is part of the audience for this particular celebration, but just in case y’all need a place to chill on a go-to-bed-early Sunday evening…

Links to E!, Billboard, and People ‘behind the scenes’ livestreams here.

Some cheat tweets:

… Yahoo Entertainment: Before we get into the “Big Four” categories — Album, Record, and Song of the Year, plus Best New Artist — let’s start with a couple obvious questions. The Grammys ceremony was postponed this year, from Jan. 31 to March 14, due to coronavirus concerns. Did this six-week delay affect the voting window at all?

Paul Grein: No, the voting period voting closed on Jan. 4, so anything that happened after that was unknown to the voters. For example, the Jan. 6 insurrection might have conceivably helped politically minded entries like Beyoncé’s “Black Parade.” Or there’s Billie Eilish’s documentary, which is getting great reviews, but that came out long after voting was closed. So, you have to kind of put yourself back in the mindset of what was happening in late December and through early January…

Reader Interactions

94Comments

  2. 2.

    Almost Retired

    I always enjoy the Grammy awards.  They remind me that I am really old and not at all hip.  I have asked my wife to euthanize me if I ever say “this isn’t music, it’s just noise” during any of the performances.

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Not watching, but I understand that Rachel Maddow has won a Grammy for best spoken word/book narration (not sure what that category is officially called).

  4. 4.

    arrieve

    I won’t watch, but since this is the year I learned to appreciate Taylor Swift, I’ll be rooting for folklore to win whatever it’s nominated for.

  5. 5.

    gwangung

    Apparently I also have links to one of the nominees for best Broadway cast album (or whatever it is), so I have some favoritism here….

  7. 7.

    gwangung

    @Baud: Funny how that works. Was never that interested in the local theatre awards.

    Then…the year one of my shows got three nominations, I suddenly became the biggest fan of the show that you ever did see…

  8. 8.

    guachi

    If you’re generally out of it when it comes to music then running through all the nominees and tracking down the tracks on YouTube is not a bad way to catch up quickly. Though when I do this with pop music it always seems like it’s hit a rut in the last, say, 15 years or so.

  12. 12.

    Rob

    I’m not watching but I am interested in some of the awards and I am have faves I’m rooting for.

  14. 14.

    Ken

    @guachi: Though when I do this with pop music it always seems like it’s hit a rut in the last, say, 15 years or so.

    I recently read somewhere that the production of pop music has largely been taken over by algorithms. If it wasn’t here on BJ, I probably saw it on Cracked

    And has anyone started a list of people who feel old when they read the Grammy performers and recognize all of three names?  If so, please add me.

  16. 16.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @guachi: Yeah I try to not be the old guy who says “today’s music sucks” but honestly, today’s music does kind of suck. I was OK until about a half decade ago but since then, yeesh. Part of the problem is that somewhere along the way the band died, at least when it comes to music lots of people actually listen to. It’s all about a handful of producers chasing the hot sound and one performer’s vision. I don’t know why bands died out or exactly when, but they’re gone.

  18. 18.

    Doc Sardonic

    @Benw: As long as Ian Anderson is playing it….Although Tull is hard to pigeon hole, though I get a kick out of the running gag Jack Blades and one of the guitarists of Night Ranger have going in most of their live shows. Guy brings out acoustic guitar and Jack says to the audience you al know this one and the guitar guy does the first couple of bars of Aqualung, Blades says no we are not doing that one.

  24. 24.

    piratedan

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: i think the idea of music being created collectively by friends or friends of friends in the neighborhood has died a death.  The industry killed it, both via the advancement of technology and greed and even a good dose of self-preservation.  They days of a “That Thing You Do” moment appear to be a bygone or a Raspberries ‘Overnight Sensation” because radio as a mechanism for delivering music to the masses is no longer a “thing”.

     

    Have to admit, one of my “win the lottery” fantasies was to buy a local radio station and simply play the music i wanted, with the appropriate cuts to the artists, ‘natch; and not worry about advertisers or ratings.

  25. 25.

    S. Cerevisiae

    The best thing ever at the Grammys was Metallica coming out and cranking Enter Sandman in   ‘91 and seeing all the tuxedos going WTF, later in that show Queensryche did Silent Lucidity. I actually taped it, I doubt the Grammies have even come close to that since…

  26. 26.

    Ajabu

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:

    As one of the old guys who was in the LA Studios (circa 70s-80s) I had to kind of agree. I’m on the back end of a lengthy career and I find myself working alone with self created tracks most of the time. Nobody can afford a band anymore. And when’s the last time you saw a saxophonist win a Grammy? Or any other instrumentalist? It’s all singers all the time. I run into young people constantly who say, “ i’m in the music business“. “ What do you do?“ “ i’m a producer.“ OF COURSE YOU ARE. You know how to operate a fucking drum machine. Wouldn’t know an F7 chord if it bit you in the ass. But hey, times change… not always for the better.

  27. 27.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @guachi:

    For the last 10 years, for the most part, folk indie pop has seemed to dominate Top 40 radio imo. It’s OK. I like a few acts, like Imagine Dragons, Mumford and Sons, etc, but I really do miss the music of the late 90s and early-to-mid 2000s. I suppose it might have something to do with nostalgia, but I miss rock bands that sounded like Blink-182

  28. 28.

    S. Cerevisiae

    Yeah, there are no more guitar heroes, the kids probably wouldn’t even care if the next SRV  started jamming in their house,

     

    I hope blues comes back again before I die, I missed the real SRV so I would love to see the next one.

  29. 29.

    raven

    In “So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star: How I Machine-Gunned a Roomful of Record Executives and Other True Tales from a Drummer’s Life” Jacob Slichter, the drummer for Semisonic, recounts how they closed the Grammy’s with their one hit “Closing Time”. He recounts that it was a huge thrill to be able to perform in front of so many of his music idols. They were playing the song when the TV broadcast ended and they just shit the power and they stood on the stage looking like fools. So you wanna be a rock and roll star!

  32. 32.

    raven

    In 68 I went to see Jeff Beck with Rod Stewart, Nikki Hopkins and Ron Wood. They were awesome and payed the Truth album. PG&E opened for them and this cat blew Beck off the stage.

    Glenn Schwartz: The Fall And Salvation Of The White Hendrix

    By Jeff Stevenson (Classic Rock) October 30, 2015
    With James Gang and Pacific Gas & Electric, Glenn Schwartz was set to be one of the great guitar heroes of the 70s – but then he was lost to a horrific religious cult. This is his story

  33. 33.

    Wag

    @piratedan:   Billie Eilish is really talented and recorded her first album in her childhood bedroom.

    But what I’m really watching for is the lifetime achievement award for the best American band ever, Talking Heads.  

  34. 34.

    S. Cerevisiae

    By the way the most rocking album of 2020 is easily The Symbol Remains by Blue Öyster Cult, these tracks could be on Agents or Secret Treaties, if you like BÖC you need to get this.

  35. 35.

    Baud

    I don’t mind current music, but I don’t find too many current songs to be memorable.  Hard to see what becomes “classic.”

  38. 38.

    Ascap_scab

    Watched the first 20-25 minutes. Didn’t know any of the songs or artists. I didn’t think I was too old to like new stuff, but maybe I am.

    Switched to streaming Amber Ruffin.

  39. 39.

    The Thin Black Duke

    There’s always good music to listen to. It was true back then, and it’ll be true in the future. Problem is, it’s harder to find than it used to be.

  42. 42.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Delivery kid: “Here’s that champagne you ordered, Mr. Simpson.”

    Homer: “Oh, right.” (Homer reaches into pocket, finds nothing).  “Here” (hands delivery kid a Grammy)

    Delivery kid: “Wow, an award statue! Oh, it’s a Grammy” (delivery kid tosses Grammy off balcony)

    Man on street: “Hey, don’t throw your garbage down here!” (Man on street tosses it back, Grammy hits Homer on head)

  43. 43.

    Brachiator

    @piratedan:

    i think the idea of music being created collectively by friends or friends of friends in the neighborhood has died a death.

    When was this? The 1930s?

    There has been a long history of a music industry. Even a crooner like Bing Crosby in the 1930s was not just a kid singing in the neighborhood. The Beatles may have been local kids from Liverpool, but they honed their skills not just in Liverpool but as touring professionals in Hamburg.

    In America, the Beach Boys moved out of their home and into a studio as fast as they could, and professional producers, arrangers and musicians have been a part of the industry since the modern recording era.

  44. 44.

    geg6

    I like music and I like the Grammys.  Working at a university helps me keep up with newer music and I like a lot of it.

    In other news, my sister has a friend who is volunteering to help people get their Hanes and he was finally able to get me an appointment for my first on Friday. I am giddy at the prospect, I have to say.

  46. 46.

    S. Cerevisiae

    @Another Scott: well maybe it’s less anyone is still jamming and more like nobody cares, killer guitar jams have become a niche, nobody will ever rule the world again…

    ?

  48. 48.

    Ken

    @geg6: volunteering to help people get their Hanes

    Autocorrect? Or am I as hopelessly outdated at vaccine slang as at pop music?

  49. 49.

    MomSense

    @S. Cerevisiae:

    I had to work in the dining hall while he played at my college’s spring fling.  No one came into the dining hall the entire time – except SRV and the band. He invited me and my friend Gene (the only other person who had to work during the concert) and we had a really nice time talking.  He seemed genuinely interested in our lives and what we were studying.

    When my friends tried to rub it in about how great the concert was, they didn’t expect to hear that we had lunch with him.

  50. 50.

    James E Powell

    @raven:

    Back in Cleveland in the late 80s, early 90s, you could see Glen Schwartz on regular basis in small dive bars. He was amazing. Incredible slide player. From time to time he’d launch into these extended rants that were a mix of fundamentalist Christianity and bizarre conspiracy theories.

  53. 53.

    Another Scott

    @S. Cerevisiae: I get what you are saying, that there’s little common mass popular culture because everything is so fractured these days.  But, really, it’s just that it’s not on the radio or Saturday afternoon TV now.  It’s on the web.

    And it’s worldwide.  Remember Psy’s Gangnam Style.  That’s #7 on the most viewed list now…

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  60. 60.

    Almost Retired

    I guess I am getting sentimental in my old age, but I tuned in to the Grammys expecting to spew snark and sarcasm. But I’ve been blown away by the quality of the performances – especially the tribute to the artists we’ve lost this year. So, I’m taking rest of the night off from cynicism and enjoying the performances. Although I still don’t get Taylor Swift.

  63. 63.

    Mike in NC

    @Ken: I recognized two names because they appeared in my wife’s People magazine. Taylor Swift and somebody else.

    I only listen to the radio in my car (classic rock).

  65. 65.

    Brachiator

    @raven:

    The Wrecking Crew!

    Wonderful documentary about them. Same title, I believe.

    Also recently came across a similarly wonder documentary on YouTube, about the studio “Muscle Shoals.”

    And Motown must always get its due.

  66. 66.

    James E Powell

    @raven:

    Yes, though I never saw him with them. It’s one of those essential facts about Cleveland rock history that every native is expected to know. I’ve only met a handful of people who have ever heard of him.

  68. 68.

    Firebert

    When I sat down to get caught up on Facebook this morning, the “People you may know” bar included Adrian Quesada, guitarist for Black Pumas (and Grupo Fantasma, Brownout, etc.) Kinda blew my mind.  I looked to see what mutual FB friend we supposedly have, and it turned out to be a studio engineer acquaintance of mine.  Well, I guess that’s life in Austin.

  69. 69.

    CaseyL

    Record companies controlling musicians, which records get played, and ruining the careers of any aspiring band or singer that defied them has a very long history, with lots of scandals that made it to the news media of the day.

    I’m not a big fan of social media, but there is no denying that social media has enabled many, many artists to make a career communicating directly with the listening public.

  71. 71.

    different-church-lady

    Forget killing Hitler; I’m using the time machine to kill the son of a bitch who invented auto-tune.

  74. 74.

    Bruuuuce

    Not watching (because Food Network competition shows), but saw in the list of awards that John Prine had won a pair, and sniffled a bit.

  76. 76.

    Poe Larity

    I recognize maybe three of the bands performing. So it’s another year of shaking my remote at the screen and shouting old man things.

    If Cole would do a track list every week I could maybe get my itunes or spotify AI to do useful things.

  78. 78.

    Ken

    @different-church-lady: We had this discussion last week. Tampering always leads to an even worse timeline. Like, you get rid of autotune, but find that music instead adopted a microtonal system with 19 pitches in the octave.

  79. 79.

    Starfish


    Mickey Guyton – Black Like Me     was new to me. She is a black woman who was nominated in the country category.

    The Grammies led some people to wonder “What if WAP existed when Glee existed?” Since the internet exists, someone had already done that, and I am pretty sure this is a hate crime.

  81. 81.

    different-church-lady

    @Ken:

    Like, you get rid of autotune, but find that music instead adopted a microtonal system with 19 pitches in the octave.

    Compared to auto-tune THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!!!

  83. 83.

    Zzyzx

    Billy Strings won best bluegrass album, so I didn’t need to know anything else. He’s a great guy and an amazing talent.

  84. 84.

    different-church-lady

    @cckids: Look, maybe we just go and figure it out when we get there. Could be messy, lots of collateral damage, but it’d be worth it.

  86. 86.

    CaseyL

    I’m enjoying the show.  Hearing a lot of new stuff (well, it’s ALL new to me, since music isn’t my thing), and the pacing is rapid (which I like).

  88. 88.

    Fair Economist

    @Ken:

    We had this discussion last week. Tampering always leads to an even worse timeline. Like, you get rid of autotune, but find that music instead adopted a microtonal system with 19 pitches in the octave.

    Microtonal-19 is a pretty good microtonal. Good chords and a kinda-usable 7th harmonic. Scales are weird, though. I’d happily listen to 19-tone to get away from autotune. Now 14-tone or 16-tone, yuck.

  91. 91.

    The Pale Scot

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:

    I don’t know why bands died out or exactly when, but they’re gone.

    No clubs to practice, get tight and hash out a sound. Raising the drinking age to 21 closed a lot affordable clubs

    Most arena productions are more like a broadway musical with 200 dollar tickets in the cheap seats. (Just like MLB did, moving all the games to TV prime time lost the next generation of fans. No more conning your older brother to get you a case so the guys could spend summer vacation watching double headers in the afternoon before the parents come home.) Now going to a show is a project. Real music equipment prices outpace inflation. No gig income = no money for equipment

    Just like the Doo-Wop bands in the 50’s, Rap and punk in the 70’s-80’s, eventually people who want to make music find a way they can afford. All you need is a turntable, a mic, a half decent computer and pirated software.

  92. 92.

    The Pale Scot

    @Ken:

    Thank for leading me to Yugoslavian turbo-folk, Oh is this going to annoy my new, loud , neighbors

     

    Edited for clarity

  94. 94.

    patrick II

    @Honus: ​
     
    Late to the show, but “The Beatles” won eleven Grammys, and thirteen of their records/songs have been inducted into the Grammy hall of fame.
    At least that is what Wicki tells me.

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