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What I Liked About The Grammys
or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love When People Bomb

I have come to realize that I tend to err on the side of crotchetiness on this blog. While that attitude is sometimes completely valid, it makes me seem like an angry young man, which I don’t believe I am. In that light, I am going to run down for you the things I liked about, well, an otherwise lackluster Grammy celebration.

Now, I know, the Grammys mean about as much to a musician as, well, the American Music Awards mean to a musician, but with a lot of money and a halfway decent reputation, you’d think anyone could put on a semi-entertaining show.

Anyways, here are my highlights.

Kanye West f. Daft Punk - Stronger

Two words : Rock. Star.

These days, people use the term Rock Star when they refer to such luminaries as Daughtry, or Jon Bon Jovi, or Chad Kroger of Nickelback (who felt so desperately the need to associate himself with the term he wrote a song about it). To me, nobody embodies the braggadocio, swagger, posturing, and magnetism of the term more than Kanye West. He is the rock star personified. To watch this clip is to watch someone at the top of their game, someone who knows what the crowd wants before they do, and who gives it to them in the most entertaining way possible.

(Quick aside: Daft Punk, in their first national television performance, gave me a new fetish object, the JazzMutant Lemur, which has to be the sexiest control surface in existence. Thanks to MusicThing for pointing it out.)

Feist - 1234

Usually, when the Grammys stage an “intimate” performance, it is code for “Beyonce’s only gonna use 5 background dancers in this one.” What Feist accomplished was to seem both out of place and at home. It was like she knew Steve Jobs was responsible for her appearance, yet she also knew she deserved all the accolades she’s gotten. All the little touches, from the twee brass band to the accidental feedback at the very end, gave the awards just the slightest touch of indie sloppiness, in a totally network-approved manner.

Alicia Keys - No One

So many things going against this one.

Has Alicia Keys received massive boosts to her career by Clive Davis juju? Absolutely.

Was the keyboard positioned out on the catwalk - the one that Alicia played exactly 5 notes on - unnecessary? Sure.

Does John Mayer think that if he doesn’t show off his chops in front of large audiences regularly we’ll only remember him for “Daughters”? Apparently.

But holy shit, what a song.

will.i.am - Grammy History

Seriously, I started this post with the best of intentions, and I really did love the three previous performances, but what the hell was this? Is this what happens when the writers have little to no time to prepare? Give them their friggin’ money, if only so we never have to see “Professor” will.i.am parading his weak dog and pony show on live television again. Note to aspiring MCs: If you have to repeat a lame phrase 3 times just to fill out a verse, YOU HAVE NOTHING IMPORTANT TO SAY. That is all.

Ok, back to the positive place. Aside from the 3 great performances above and a surprisingly good showing by Amy Winehouse (surprising in that she sang well, remained upright, and kept the crazy crack moves to a minimum) The Grammys weren’t that bad… I guess. That’s positive…. right? [ms]