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At the risk of feeding the hype machine, we still have to offer a congratulations to Mr. Kanye West for pulling in some Grammy gold last night. While we still don't buy the Grammys as an accurate barometer of the music industry and what's actually, you know, good in music these days, it's still the industry's main award show so there's something to be said for coming away with multiple trophies. While the night's big winner was Amy Winehouse, Kanye still managed to pull in four awards, as well as one of the night's most memorable acceptance speeches (surprise!) when he gave producers the verbal smack-down for trying to run him off in the middle of a tribute to his mother.
Of course, Mr. West wasn't the only Chicagoan to collect a Grammy last night. The night's "marquee" award of "Album of the Year" went to Chicago-born jazz musician Herbie Hancock for his Joni Mitchell tribute, River: The Joni Letters. Common shared "Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group" for his track "Southside," with Kanye. And Lupe Fiasco also pulled in a win for his "Daydreamin'", (featuring Jill Scott) in the category of "Best Urban/Alternative Performance," whatever that means.
Senator Barack Obama added another Grammy to his mantle, winning for "Best Spoken Word Album" (the audio version of his memoir The Audacity of Hope) to go along with his weekend primary/caucus sweep. This probably seems like rubbing salt in the wound, but we'd be remiss if we failed to point out that Obama beat out Bill Clinton in this category.
And remember Jennifer Hudson, the Academy Award-winning actress from the Southside? Of course you do. Even though her movie Dreamgirls was released way back on Christmas 2006, the weird calendar for the Grammys meant that songs from the film were eligible for this year's awards. While she didn't technically win the award for "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media" (it's a writer's award), she sang on the winning track, "Love You I Do."
The Chicago-based (and universally-adored) band Wilco lost out on "Best Rock Album." No doubt, Tweedy will channel his anger and bitterness at being scorned by the voters for the Foo Fighters by performing a blistering, 30-minute version of "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" at the Riv this weekend that ends with him setting fire to his guitar and destroying Glenn's drums. Don't say we didn't warn you...
Herbie Hancock looks pretty happy in this photo from his MySpace page.
Thanks, Marcus!
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Does anyone even care about the grammys anymore, really? I mean, has anyone gone into a record store in the past five years and bought an album because it won or was nominated for a grammy? The Oscars may be just as arbitrary at times, but at least they will select films that critics loved but no one went to see. What is the last album or record to get nominated that hadn't alreadt reached platnum?
And what is with artists like Feist and Winehouse being considered "new artists?" I know the grammys claim to judge according to when the artist finally becomes a public figure (or some such BS), but how is that measured. Feist was fairly well known before in a lot of circles, as was Winehouse. Does it mean you have to be in a major product commercial that year in order to be considered?
Between O'Bama and that Picture of Kayne Pest in Today's NY Times it sounds pretty stupid, not that I could ever get worked up over it. At least the The Source Music Awards has action fights with people getting beat down with chairs!