Maynard James Keenan of Tool once said of the Grammys, "I think the Grammys are nothing more than some gigantic promotional machine for the music industry. They cater to a low intellect and they feed the masses. They don't honor the arts or the artist for what he created. It's the music business celebrating itself. That's basically what it's all about."
This year, being the fiftieth anniversary seemed no exception. There was plenty of celebration, plenty of mixing the old and new. Alicia Keys opened up with Frank Sinatra for instance. He was still black and white. Kid Rock performed with Keely Smith. She was still black and white...but she she was still alive. Beyonce teamed up with Tina Turner after proclaiming her a queen. Aretha had a problem with that.
It was such a stark contrast having the vetran performers and the young guns perform beside each other. It was so blatently evident what years of experience can do by watching John Fogerty, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis perform as compared with Rihanna, Carrie Underwood, or even just watching Miss Miley/Hannah Montana/Mini Hilary Duff present an award. Fogerty, Richard, and Lewis didn't even use synthesizers.
Highlights of the night include Carrie Underwood singing "Before He Cheats" with a troupe of backup dancers, Amy Winehouse's performance live via satelitte in London, and Kanye rapping both "Stronger" and "Hey Mama". West took home four more Grammys bringing his grand total to 10. During his acceptance speach, the "wrap it up" music started playing but he promptly put his foot down, especially when he talked about his late mother. His "Hey Mama" performance really said it all though.
Herbie Hancock won album of the year. Winehouse won record of the year, song of the year, and best new artist. "Umbrella" was awarded best rap/sung collaberation which is kind of funny seeing that Jay-Z's rap contribution to the song was limited and tacted onto the front for good measure. Oh well, that song deserved to win something didn't it? For a complete listing of the year's winners, see:http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2008/grammys.htm
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