Were the Grammys on?

HA HA.

seeing people say on twitter the grammys performances have all been great this year & there hasn't been any other nonsense? what is going on?

also what's going on with the categories, when did they separate out melodic rap performance as its own thing, is that new this year? and the way the r&b categories are divided now seems pretty weird, who says 'progressive r&b'?

also love that they're still doing their classic thing of giving awards to artists for mediocre works decades after their commercial & critical peaks but this time it's like, nas & the strokes

John Prine won two grammys posthumously, that was cool.

xxp Me, from another thread:

When asked “what’s your favorite thing to listen to?,” I respond: albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded progressive vocal tracks derivative of R&B.

Noticing that Big Thief’s “Not” (which feels a million years old) was up for an award drove home how loopy the “Sept. 1 – Aug. 31” eligibility period is. An album or song that comes out in September 202x won’t show up at the telecast until *18 months* later (March 202x+2). That’s just crazy, especially given the speed of things today. Why don’t they just make it the calendar year??

That said, I guess this gives Taylor two potential AOTY wins spread out over two years.

i think ideally there would be an award for every genre on everynoise, which would exclude progressive r&b though

Pretty sad and a bit chilling to see Toots Hibbert, John Prine and Chick Corea (maybe more) all win posthumous Grammy's after dying this past year.

The Replacements' Dead Man's Pop reissue got one for historical liner notes - they've been nominated before but I think this is the first time one of their releases picked up a trophy.

That mega-$$$ Wilco special edition, which we were all clowning on, ended up winning for “best package” or something.

ttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/11/the-grammys-have-a-major-problem-with-global-diversity-lip-service-isnt-going-to-solve-it?fbclid=IwAR1tmzxswloH5Szdz_W1ZV44Xuo8fnuoYqIeqMlLRQZMPmsJ8C8gG8pVXH0

Re the former Grammy world music category now called global music

“It seems the surest way to win in the category is to have won before. Some 23 of 37 winners have won a Grammy previously, including each winner of the past eight years during which time Angélique Kidjo won three times

it's crazy that awards shows still require cable. or in this case paramount+ in the states, which has star trek and fuck all else. it's promotion -- put that shit online for free!

The main part of the Grammys was on CBS in US, that I thought one could see without a fancy cable subscription?

Bill Burr the GOAT Lolol
Rare comedian that will joke about stuff like this pic.twitter.com/Aq5dzKva0E

— Tmo (@_ThomasT) March 14, 2021

congratulations on being edgy Mr Burr. you really showed em

i watched part of it on broadcast - cbs - just with bunny ears

xp lol Bill you're not going to get kicked off the Mandalorian with weak anti-woke mad libs mumbling

calling that a "joke" is really being generous

there hasn't been any other nonsense

the whole things was 3.5 hours long, there was plenty of nonsense.

mostly performances though, which is as it should be

Saw a minute of it (my kid got a free trial of whatever service to stream it). I kind of liked the battle of the band look of each act standing around watching the other perform, but at times I also got late '70s/early '80s Solid Gold vibes from the whole tacky affair. I find the antiseptic "live" performances in front of no one even more strangely artificial than ever.

fwiw I think Bill Burr is generally kinda funny but yeah there's no joke there and it's kind of pathetic seeing so many Twitter edgelords revel in the fact that he "offended" a bunch of feminists when in reality I don't think a single person is complaining about it

For those who care, a Billboard analysis of how this year’s elimination of the “nomination review committees”—originally put in place back in 1995, in an effort to make nominations more reflective of current trends—may have impacted the 2022 noms.

Decades of crazy selections

And omissions

Abba gets first nomination for their comeback release decades after their prime:

ABBA’s record of the year nomination for “I Still Have Faith in You” is a shocker. For one thing, the group had never previously been nominated for a Grammy in any category, though its masterminds Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus were nominated individually for their work on the Mamma Mia soundtrack (Andersson) and the Chess musical cast album (both of them).

Sounds like ABBA (and others) were late additions (thanks to last-minute expansions).

didn't marilyn manson just get nominated for something this year, post-allegations?

gonna go ahead and continue thinking my thought, which is that the grammys (and all similar organizations) should be burned to the ground and any remains placed into the memory hole.

genuinely reprehensible. fucking deplorable.

That wouldn’t place Kanye in the memory hole (he’s the reason MM is on a list of names). Ironically, if those review committees had still be in place, they potentially could’ve vetoed Donda.

(… although it’s interesting that that last minute expansion of the AOTY nominees from 8 to 10 is what allowed Donda to sneak in)

The Grammys are useful to me in that they provide a roadmap of what buffoonery I can expect of the Oscars about five years ahead of time.

im glad donda is present

Personally, I’m glad Evermore is present (it apparently snuck in along with Donda, I’mma let you finish, when the AOTY category was expanded from 8 to 10 nominees).

I’m sure many folks are tired of Swift getting Grammy nods—but I think Evermore is not only her best album, but one that (in a way) stands apart from the rest of her catalog, and sets a standard for how good a contemporary album in that style can be. It’s a terrific album that deserves a nomination (and if frickin’ Doja Cat can make it in…).

you think Evermore is better than Folklore?

Yeah, for sure. I’ve warmed to Folklore a bit over time, but I only really like a few of the songs. I find it hard to get through.

That “donda” nom for AOTY would irk me if it had any chance of being the winner over Olivia Rodrigo.

I don’t think Olivia will win that one

https://variety.com/2021/music/news/drake-withdraws-2021-grammy-nominations-1235127358/

how soon before this becomes more and more common?

Apparently Marilyn Manson got withdrawn on a technicality or something?

i'm sure they are trying to find whatever reasons to get him off the list

but more and more it's like what's the upside for drake? he's so dominant in the industry, what does a grammy mean to him?

Jon Batiste- big winner

Also, some folks not happy with SOJA (White & Hispanic reggae band from Virginia suburbs of DC) winning best reggae album over Spice, Sean Paul, Jesse Royal, Gramps Morgan, Etana

https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-04-03/160919/soja-takes-home-best-reggae-album/

Best rock performance
Making a Fire, Foo Fighters.

Best rock album
Medicine at Midnight, Foo Fighters.

Best rock song
Waiting on a War, Foo Fighters.

Will admit I didn't hear the entire album but are people seriously excited by these?

I mean, look at what they were up against. Was there anything to be excited about here?

Best Rock Performance
"Shot in the Dark," AC/DC
"Know You Better (Live from Capitol Studio A)," Black Pumas
"Nothing Compares 2 U," Chris Cornell
"OHMS," Deftones
"Making a Fire," Foo Fighters *WINNER

Best Rock Song
"All My Favorite Songs," Weezer
"The Bandit," Kings of Leon
"Distance," Mammoth WVH
"Find My Way," Paul McCartney
"Waiting on a War," Foo Fighters *WINNER

Best Rock Album
"Power Up", AC/DC
"Capitol Cuts- Live From Studio A," Black Pumas
"No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1," Chris Cornell
"Medicine at Midnight," Foo Fighters *WINNER
"McCartney III," Paul McCartney

I will say that Making a Fire is one of the least worst Foo Fighters songs I've heard in the past 20 years. Not saying I'd listen to it twice, but it wasn't terrible once.

Who are these dues paying “members of the academy “ that vote for the Grammys. Read elsewhere that there’s 12,000 members.

Will admit I didn't hear the entire album but are people seriously excited by these?

it's the grammys, of course not. this is how it always is

I wasn’t even aware of Jon Batiste until last night. My bad, I guess

Chris Richards in Washington Post in pre-Grammys writeup--

“We Are” wants to be for everyone. Jon Batiste is a familiar face, a crowd-pleaser famous for jazzing up the “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” as well as one of the most prominent pianists in his field. Here, after performing protest concerts against police violence and voter suppression in 2020, he’s siphoned his politics through a big-tent sound that involves the New Orleans jazz he was raised playing, firm gusts of Stevie Wonder-ish melody, lots of hip-hop flash, a little marching band thunder and more. Lyrically and musically, “We Are” delivers its righteous, pro-justice ideals in energetic, frictionless ways. It is power-to-the-people music that the people can listen to at brunch.

Power Up was good!

he is to Stevie what Bruno Mars is to Prince

dude can definitely play though

I do agree that "Making a Fire" is not terrible as these things go btw but "Waiting on a War" has negative value.

are ppl saying she shouldn't have brought Lana up(?)

lana was nominated for her own album in the category and just lost. was weird

She should release a special Target LP edition that comes with free copy of the new Lana Del Rey album.

travis scott really hates chairs

She should release a special Target LP edition that comes with free copy of the new Lana Del Rey album

There's a Tunnel, Taylor's Version

xxxp Well, yeah, I was already pissed at Lana being shut out of every category she was nommed in (unless you count, in a sideways way, Antonoff's Producer of the Year award, which I suppose covers both her and Taylor's albums... big win for the Ant-man)

Taylor just does her thing I guess, for all her industry connections she feels separate from all of it, just speaking to her fans only and no one else in the room. I have zero opinion on her really, except I hope she keeps elevating the blood pressure of the MAGAs.

It did kind of remind me of when Trump had a Huge Announcement coming and it turned out to be that he was selling NFTs

Wow a globally famous recording artist is promoting a record, yikes

I mean, what's next?

Perhaps a globally famous record label will purchase advertising

Or perhaps, at next week's sporting contest, a brand of soda might promote itself

Eek, what if a brand of BEER chooses to inform the public that their BEER is available for purchase?

Yikes

Eek

Oh wait, what if a film star appears on a talk show and just *happens* to mention that they have an upcoming film?

EEK

YIKES

And no one ever criticizes huge record labels or beer companies after all

Considering talk show appearances are expressly made for promoting a film, that wouldn't raise hackles, I agree

taylor is a huge fan of ldr, cites her constantly as an inspiration. i haven’t seen the footage obv but i think it’s clear why taylor wanted her up there

It's better than Michael Jordan inviting people to his awards ceremony only to insult them

I just re-watched her acceptance and didn't see anything wrong with the LDR praise (she didn't mention her age, contrary to what was said above? she calls her a "legacy artist" or something)

also i hate the trend of the internet reading motivations into the facial expressions of public figures. you’re telling me lana del rey looked awkward?????

Because industry awards shows are televised, people watching them get confused and think they're the audience. The industry is the audience.

also i hate the trend of the internet reading motivations into the facial expressions of public figures.

Saaaame

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/9f61_kPSVqH2gLLapUaYsw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTM2MA--/http://31.media.tumblr.com/ecf4a87431a0df533c724c1d7a5dec15/tumblr_inline_o0rtf9i6c21td0hds_500.gif

any clarification yet on what exactly happened with Killer Mike that he got fully arrested? I assume some kind of fight or assault?

i heard assault on security guard, and that it was a big nothing

well i'm sure the trustworthy LAPD wouldn't exaggerate

Shortly after winning three Grammys, the rapper Killer Mike was arrested at the awards show on Sunday in connection with a physical altercation at the Los Angeles arena where the ceremony took place, the police said.

In a post on social media, the Los Angeles Police Department said that Killer Mike, who was born Michael Render, was booked on a misdemeanor battery charge and that he was being released.

Representatives for the rapper did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Recording Academy, which presents the awards, referred questions to the police.

So basically zero reason to do this

winning best rap grammy and then getting taken away in handcuffs is a pretty baller PR move.

Mike, still killer:

Hours after he was released from police custody in Los Angeles after police said he was involved in a physical altercation on Grammys night, the rapper Killer Mike said in a radio interview Monday morning that the arrest was a mere blip in a triumphant night when he won three Grammys.

“We hit a speed bump and then we head back to the party, man,” the rapper told the hosts of the Atlanta-based Big Tigger Morning Show, saying that he had just left his final party in Los Angeles following the awards show.

I ain’t even mad because it’s pretty iconic for a rap artist to get arrested the same day you won 3 grammys.

A few thoughts, realizing I'm late to the party itt:

- Chapman/Combs duet was magnificent, and as a defender of the Combs cover from the beginning, I'm so glad to see the response has been resoundingly positive and seems to be putting the "appropriation" criticism to bed; his obvious reverence for her -- mirroring the audience's -- was just a joy to watch. There is a long tradition of covers in country music, and it's undeniably wonderful that reintroduced this legend to a new generation of (country) music fans.
- Joni performance got me teary eyed and was a close second. When she changed up the lyrics, I melted.
- Miley performance kicked ass, and AFAICT, was done completely live without overdubs. Really thought when "Flowers" won that she'd take the Album award, too. Her speech was hilarious and authentic and decidedly Miley.
- Olivia performance was very good and made me realize just what a beast of a song "Vampire" is to sing. Could anyone else in the AOTY category could carry that tune (maybe Miley?)? Super impressed with her and just wish she would have been recognized for what was a phenomenal year and album.
- Lana also robbed but that was more expected.
- Trevor Noah was truly awful. That the Recording Academy needed to note their host was from South Africa as a way of proving how diverse the show was? Possibly worse.
- Travis Scott's performance was...bizarre. Someone will need to explain the chair smashing to me.
- SZA, Victoria Monet, and Lainey Wilson all gave great speeches. It was very cool to see a trend emerge throughout the night of women in their 30s who've clearly been hustling and working their asses off for more than a decade get rewarded, and rightly so (ahem, Jay Z). In earlier years, these awards go to less interesting artists.
- I am always blown away by Oprah. What a magnetic orator and human being. Was Fantasia lip syncing?
- Taylor's one of my all-time favorite artists, but she's always been pretty cringe at these award ceremonies, and last night was especially bad (album announcement, Lana drag, Celine snub, awkward speeches). Midnights is such a weird record for the Academy to select for this award! Felt to me like an award for her "year" than for the album itself.

- SZA, Victoria Monet, and Lainey Wilson all gave great speeches. It was very cool to see a trend emerge throughout the night of women in their 30s who've clearly been hustling and working their asses off for more than a decade get rewarded, and rightly so (ahem, Jay Z). In earlier years, these awards go to less interesting artists.

otm

Very good post, Indexed… agree with everything (more or less)

The "Vampire" perf had an extra dose of ~theatricality~... which maybe should have felt OTT, but I think it worked well for that setting. I've seen so many live performances of that song by now, and never tire of it... but that was also one of the best, I think (searching Threads for reactions afterward, I saw someone write – "I love this like I love 'The Rocky Horror Show'... which, yeah, I get; even though Rocky's not my particular jam)

I'm not a Jon Batiste fan, but I liked gospel singer Ann Nesby who was part of his performance. She was testifying.

Wasn't until toward the end of "Optimistic" that I noticed Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis appeared to be on stage with them