The 51st Annual Grammy Awards were on last night and, although every knowledgeable music lover I know has had more gripes than praises about the ceremony, I had more fun watching this event than any awards show I can remember (except maybe adolescently swooning over N*Sync at Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards). Sure, The Jonas Brothers should never, ever be paired with Stevie Wonder (link not included for a reason) and Boyz 2 Men were disappointingly underutilized in a thrown-together ensemble performance of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together." However, these glitches did not keep me from dancing in front of the TV and singing along. We can all find problems with so many things about the Grammy's: its relevancy to the digital age, performance choice, terrible teleprompted intros, music quality, nomination choices... etc. It is important to realize, though, that the Grammy's are much like record labels. They are industry standards. Furthermore, it is one marketing tool that is actually still selling records (or singles). To change the format of the show and the decision makers will take time. It will happen, just not quickly...
On a very optomistic end note, I have found one positive element that only the incredibly jaded will argue with: Radiohead's breathtaking performance of 15 Step, backed by part of the USC marching band. I'm sorry they were not given the Grammy to vindicate their innovative addition to music and the business this year. But honestly, they're Radiohead. Everyone already knows, statue or not.