Monday, February 9th, 2009

The Three Strike Rule: The Grammys

by Scott Malchus

rsz_ba-grammy_awards_0499774946I almost didn’t watch the Grammy Awards last night; in fact, I didn’t turn them on until a half hour into the show. Living on the west coast, by the time I actually switched on the TV, I already knew that Robert Plant and Alison Krauss had cleaned up at the awards. Their win didn’t surprise me — did it surprise you? Their record, Raising Sand, is just the type of album that the voters love. T-Bone Burnett and Alison Krauss are darlings of the Academy, and Plant represents a chance to right some wrongs for Led Zeppelin never receiving any awards for its influential body of work. That, and the album is pretty damn good, so I have no complaints. However, I wonder how well the Grammys will perform in the ratings. Are they a relevant, must-see type of show? The show’s producers certainly try to make them by setting up “once in a lifetime” performances.

I came into the show just as Carrie Underwood was showing off her legs and belting out her hit, “Last Name.” Man, the girl can sing. Less impressive was Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus singing a duet on Swift’s song, “15.” Swift’s voice sounded tinny and Cyrus just sings at the top of her lungs and over exaggerates her expressions whether the song calls for it or not. As I watched them I couldn’t help wondering which Jonas Brother Swift dated when she wrote this song, and if it was the same brother who dated Miley. Speaking of the Jonas clan, they somehow lucked into Stevie Wonder jamming with them. Stevie was… well, he was Stevie, he kicked ass. I won’t discuss the Jonas Brothers for fear of alienating my children.

Did you see Jennifer Hudson sing? Good God, one of the most heartwrenching moments I’ve seen on TV. The standing ovation she received was well deserved. On the other hand, Katy Perry sang the most annoying song from last year and was atrocious. As she pranced across stage trying to be Madonna, she was as stiff as her boyfriend would be watching her kiss a girl. And please, please, someone explain the rap summit, the “rap pack” of Jay Z, Kanye, Lil’ Wayne and T.I. to me. What the hell were they saying? Shouting, that’s what they were doing. 

My favorite moments were Paul McCartney performing “I Saw Her Standing There” with Dave Grohl jamming on the drums. Grohl is still one of the finest drummers in rock and roll, even though he spends most of his time with a guitar in hand. As he wailed on the song behind Sir Paul, you saw the joy he was experiencing playing behind a music legend. Also, seeing Plant and Krauss sing two songs from Raising Sand and perfectly matching the harmonies that they achieved on their album was wonderful. Plant still has a swagger and stage presence that the Jonas Brothers should study. The man exudes coolness.

As I questioned earlier, are the Grammys must see television? I hardly think so and it’s the Recording Academy’s fault. They should require CBS or whoever airs the show to broadcast it live, around the world, as it happens, just like the Academy Awards and any major sports event (like the Super Bowl). It has always seemed unusual to me that Los Angeles, one of the main music hubs in the world, gets the show on tape delay. In this day and age, where is the suspense and wonder of watching the Grammys if I can find out the results on the net and see live performances on Youtube moments after they happen live? For as much money that goes into the Grammys telecast and for how much it’s promoted, it should be treated like something that you HAVE to watch, instead of something to switch over to during the commercials of Desperate Housewives.

What about you, readers? Did you enjoy the show? Is it relevant? Were there any musical moments that stirred your soul?

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , ,

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 9:30 am and is filed under Popdose, Television, The Three Strike Rule. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Jamie Lyon
    It was far from a memorable show, although it wasn't the worst by a long-shot. Seems like they could shorten the show by an hour and take out some of the superfluous love-fests. I didn't really need the Bo Diddley tribute - not because of the music, but because as usual, they botched the sound and you couldn't hear much besides Lucille wailing away. Also, am I the only person who thought that Whitney Houston seemed a little, well, over-medicated? I thought I had just heard the day before how she was getting her act together. I do have to say, though, that I was extremely pleased to see Plant and Krauss win, because if Lil' Wayne had won, I think I would have had to give up on the Grammys altogether.
  • luffy66
    I realize that it was a last second replacement for Chris Brown, but if you are going to Al Green- LET THE MAN SING!- He can handle it. He does not need a clearly overmatched Justin Timberlake singing all over him. Honestly- I thought D*** in a box was coming out.

    Katy Perry was just horrible. Carmen Miranda she is not.

    Jennifer Hudson was a great moment, but i think she forgot to take off her lobster bib after the backstage buffet.

    Sir Paul was great- kicked ass, then they give John Mayer the award Sir Paul was up for.

    Coldplay best rock album Meh
  • Sir Paul is nominated every year in the same category and every year he fails to win. It's probably the most fascinating thing about the Grammys for me. Four years in a row he's been up for Male Pop and twice he's lost to John Mayer. Next year he'll get a nomination for this EP he has out now and he'll probably lose out to Springsteen.
  • Yeah, the so-called 'rap pack' was a noisy mess, though seeing a very pregnant MIA trying to hold her own among the misogynists was good fun. Couldn't agree more on the Cyrus/Swift duet, though to these ears, Swift actually has some musical talent BEYOND her manufactured country-pop persona, while Cyrus obviously has none. I liked the Radiohead w/ marching band rendition of "15 Steps," and thought Macca was great as usual (but Grohl WAY overbashes his drums, compared to Ringo, at least). And yeah, Katy Perry...horrible. Are her 15 minutes up yet? I thought the Sugarland chick joining Adele on "Chasing Pavements" was great, too. Hudson can sing, for sure...she's the real deal. Just not my thing, know what I mean? Stevie + Jonas Bros = joke.
  • Life cycle of a pop star: she'll meet "the love of her life," gain thirty pounds, be rejected by the public, drop the love of her life, drop the thirty pounds, record a song dedicated to her undergarment dwellers, get the attention of the public again, be a star again, promise she'll never, ever, ever have a normal, unsexy private life again and be celebrated far and wide for her "willingness to break sexual taboos with her forthright feminism and scented trouser fresheners - now in pine tree shapes.
  • "undergarment dwellers?" nice...
  • steve
    The bigger question with the rap people is did they or any of their "people" kill anyone after the show? How many ho's did they pimp (remember - pimping is good in these new times), or did they at least grab any bitches by their nappy-ass weeds? Because if not, then I won't feel so sorry that I missed it.
  • JohnHughes
    "Weeds?"
  • steve
    N.W.A. - "Boys in the Hood"

    "So I grabbed the stupid bitch by her nappy ass weed"
    http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=pyaj...

    It's one of the songs that, back in the day, enticed women all across America to give up good money to support this music that puts them on a pedestal. And it forever put the term "nappy-ass weed" in the ghetto lexicon when referring to a bitches' hair. Amen.
  • JohnHughes
    Isn't it "weave?"
  • steve
    Nope, "nappy-ass weed". Believe me, I lived in the hood in downtown Baltimore (ever seen "The Wire"?) when that song came out and in the dark years after, and it was standard lingo. A bitch has a 'weed' growing out of her hair, and it's a pimp's duty to grab her nappy-ass weed, then smack the ho. Those were such innocent times.....
  • JonCummings
    The vocals were mixed quite poorly all night long--which was fine as long as Katy Perry was singing, but not so fine with Plant & Krauss being drowned out completely by T Bone's guitar. Other quick bites: I thought the Swift/Cyrus duet was not too bad, actually. The Jonas Bros. weren't bad either, but no one could ever explain what they were doing onstage with Stevie. And why did Macca sing "I Saw Her Standing There" rather than something either new or more interesting? (How would Dave Grohl have torn up "Birthday," for instance?)

    Mostly, though, I have to say--thank goodness for TiVo. Also, I'm happy for Plant & Krauss, but I hate these years when Grammy voters are so intent on rewarding a particular act that they give Record of the Year to a song that, if it even was a single, wasn't a successful single.

    Oh, and one other thing--they got rid of the occasional scroll of the night's offscreen winners. It's the Grammy equivalent of the LA Times shedding one printed section after another and driving folks to the Internet. As annoying as the scroll always was, I think jettisoning it is disrespectful to both the winning artists and the fans of jazz, classical, folk, gospel and other forms that are now completely ignored.
  • luffy66
    Oh yeah, I forgot about bout the mix. I just thought it was my crappy T.V.

    It just seemed consistantly bad, although I think they finally found the vocal level with Macca
  • Sharon
    How can you watch an Awards show without Tivo? Tivo rocks.

    Incidently, doesn't the west coast also get a delayed feed for the Oscars? Been so long since I've seen anything "live", I can't remember. But I do agree that it was always strange to me that as the entertainment Mecca, and the host of these shows, shouldn't we (los angeles), see it live too. Especially in this day and age of the Internet. Friggin advertising dollars.

    I twittered along with Popdose during the show...(as well as The Grammys) and found it useful and entertaining. I knew what to fastforward through when I finally got to see the show.
  • Malchus
    The west coast gets the Oscars live.
  • I fear we've crossed the Rubicon. Everyone can complain about Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Survivor (TV), American Idol, Twilight, the stars of Twilight and just about any show on the CW with teenaged lifeforms in the cast, but nothing will change, alter or remove them. This is the post-criticism, post-demographic generation where nobody wipes that smear off the bathroom wall. They just revel in the comfort of its continued existence.
  • jeff
    the jonas brothers fascinate me b/c i cannot imagine them having one male fan. i mean maybe a few guys in who are 12 and 13 years old (maybe), but how any teen-and-up guy could like this trio is beyond me. then again, i cannot imagine anyone liking them, but i do understand tween girls. i get that.

    otherwise, the show was boring and once again shuns most of the better music from the previous year. it's as middle of the road as it gets. some of the music and artists i really like a lot, but in general it's like a pop music radio show come to life.
  • I only wanted one band to do well at the Grammys... Not that they had a chance in hell, but ACDC may never have another shot again at this... Nah, they lose it to Kings Of Leon with a song I have never, ever heard.
  • Best performance of the night goes to Sugarland. That was a sweet performance by Jennifer Nettles.
  • Malchus
    I liked Sugarland, too. I find Nettles to be a really passionate singer. My wife, on the other hand, gets really irritated by watching her sing.
  • Sharon
    Does your wife also dislike the song "Stay"? I think I may be the only person who doesn't enjoy that song. Nettles can sing, no denying, but that song goes on about 2 minutes too long for me. I know every other country fan loves it, but not me. Whew, I've been carrying that around a while. Boy, Sugarland will be pissed to know that one fan disliked that song. Not.
  • Elaine
    I'm with Sharon and Malchus's wife. Nettles bugs me. Too much wink-wink, YOW, ROW, corny .. I don't know what it is. Maybe she's putting too much acting into her singing.
  • Unfortunately I did see the Jonas Brothers ( I don't understand their popularity) but I missed Plant and Krauss. I am sure I will be able to find a video of it somewhere. I agree it was cool seeing McCartney and Grohl together.

    Sorry I can't help with the lyrics of the Rappers.
  • The quest for ratings means that legends like Neil Diamond and Paul McCartney are nominated for new work, invited to perform, and made to sing a big hit instead of the song they were nominated for! I mean, come on, "I Saw Her Standing There" is 47 years old!!! Couldn't he at least have picked a solo hit to sing?
  • Malchus
    That's a great point, Joel. If the Grammys are supposed to be a celebration of the last year in music, then these legends shouldn't be asked to sing their old hits. Let's hear the songs that were nominated!
  • Shortride
    A live recording of I Saw Her Standing There was nominated for a Grammy this year.
  • Ted
    Okay, no one has mentioned it, but U2 (though I absolutely love them) were not on their game last night.
  • Malchus
    I missed that part of the show, but if they sounded as poor as they did at the inauguration concert in January, I'm not too upset.
  • Guyliner. That's all that needs to be said. I'm not looking forward to the new album.
  • I did notice the guyliner. Not a good look Bono!
    I just think overall that after doing no wrong for the last 4 or 5 years they've finally written another really bad song. If "Boots" being the first single indicates it's one of the top 2 or 3 songs on the record, then we're in trouble.
  • See, I bought the big CD/DVD special edition of "...Atomic Bomb" the day it came out. I was super excited and... Pffft. Not much. I never listen to it. So with that in mind, there was a lot riding on the new album, at least for me. But this song is less than a trifle.

    I'll gladly eat my words if the rest of the album is great, but I don't think I'll be chowing down.
  • Ted
    I got suck-punched into buying the same disc. I watched the DVD once, and then it just kind of sat there...
  • And that book! What a bunch of crapola! Special Ed kindergarten gerbils could have made a better selection of "artistic statements"... No, I'm going to be good and certain before I plunk down for "No Line In The Horizon", damn skippy.
  • jhallCORE
    Didn't watch and doesn't sound like I missed much.

    The problem with the Grammys is that for every one performance or pairing that is inspired, there are about four or five that make you cringe.

    It may have a decade or so ago but I remember Aretha Franklin stepping in for an ill Luciano Pavarotti and delivering one of the most amazing live performance I've ever seen. Yet in the very same show, she performed a painfully obligatory "Respect" with none other than Dan Akroyd and John Goodman in order to shamelessly promote that awful Blues Brothers sequel.

    Hint That You're Too Old To Appreciate The Grammys: Can't identify any of the folks up for Best New Artist
  • A dream broadcast: Two hour show - first half hour gets the statues passed around. Remaining 3/4ths = all-star jam. If you can't handle being onstage with the superstars, don't come up and waste everyone's time, go back to your P. Diddy afterparty and grimmace like a rockstar off-camera.
  • Best performance of the night was Radiohead, accompanied by the USC marching band, doing 15 Steps. Not far behind was the Rap Pack, comprised of Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Sean Combs. and T.I. There was a very nice tribute to the Four Tops by Smokey Robinson, Ne-Yo, Jamie Foxx, and the sole remaining Top, Duke Fakir. Estelle and Kanye West did a nice duet, and the Sugarland / Adele segment was also nicely done. Justin Timberlake and T.I. duet was a really good moment as well.
  • Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift's duet at the Grammys ended up sounding better than i would have expected
blog comments powered by Disqus