The Grammys 2016 Recap

It is, indeed, strange, how you grow into your parents thoughts and feelings as you get older. My parents seem to grow incredibly smarter as the years roll on, their thoughts little pockets of genius. As I watched the Grammys last night, I heard the echoes of long-ago comments reverberate in my mind. It is startling on how timely those comments are....... Look, I do not claim to be an expert on modern music. I gave that up a while ago when the music scene became the drive-by shooting scene. The popular sounds are way beyond me, both because of my age, and, because of my taste level. I have always admired the craft of being a musician, which I consider to be an art form. To take little noises from instruments and to turn them into sounds that the world whistles and dances to is a stunning achievement in my mind. I cannot play an instrument. Tying my shoes is a monumental task for me. However, i have many friends who have the music muse surging through their systems, and, being a one-time performer myself, I naturally lean towards the artistic among us. That is why watching something like the Grammys depresses me. In today's environment, the musician is lost among electronic noises created in the studio. Why hire a fine but expensive session person when you can hit a few buttons on the computer and create an instant band? The irony for the music industry is that this cost-saving technique ultimately dilutes the quality of the music itself. Sure, the sounds are there but they are sounds of creative silence, an inertia of quality. And, with this fallen quality comes fallen interest by the public. And, hot on the heels of that are fallen profits....... Back to the Grammys. This year, more than any other I can think of, was the year of the ''Tribute'' to fallen artists. The previous few months have been brutal for musicians, with major talents leaving us for the Other Side. Strangely, what held my interest last night was seeing how the notoriously out-of-touch Grammy Awards would handle saluting their own, when many, like Glenn Frey, were not honored by the industry awards when they were still breathing...... The show opened on a high note. Taylor Swift, all grown up and ready to do the town, belted out an opening number that instantly grabbed your attention. While the song itself is no great shakes, the performance was spot-on, as Ms. Swift stared down the camera [always a performer's most useful weapon] and announced that the rest of the show would have to follow her.......As her song ended, the increasingly tiresome LL Cool J took his spot as the MC of the show. While nothing is wrong with his oh-so-hip-cool-cat-delivery, nothing is right about it either. He read the lines that were fed him, performed without any bloodshed, and will disappear until this time next year....... The first award of the night went to the ''song'' called ''To Pimp A Butterfly''. The ''artist'' was Kendrick Lamar, who continued the fine tradition of hip-hop performers in being inarticulate for financial gain. At first, he thanked God, because God gave him his talent but not any verbal speaking skills or fashion sense. The ''song'', destined to be sung in bathtubs around the world between mother and infant, went over well, garnishing a standing ovation. In fact, all the songs that were performed live last night got rousing standing ovations....... After Mr. Lamar thanked the Lord Above, the television screen was treated by the sight of a spool of thread on a human form. This rapper was known as ''Weekend'', therebye, giving out the argument that a 7 day work week is not a bad idea. His moves were of a plaintive cry for----- I have no idea. But, it seemed important to him...... Soon, real music came back to the forefront and we were diverted from gang thoughts with the simple joy of the music of Lionel Richie. Now, I have liked his music for years but, you know, when you hear a classic hits collection during a tribute to someone, you tend to say to yourself, ''Gee, I didn't realize how good his music really is!'' I had that feeling listening to Richie. I enjoyed this part of the show. And, so did the audience. It was nice to see a communal moment against the background of divisive rap ''music''......... More awards came, with artists both talented and not. Then, almost floating in quietly, were the first chords of ''Take It Easy'' by the Eagles. This was Tribute Number 2 for the evening. Glenn Frey being saluted by his friends and bandmates. Also, Jackson Browne, who was an old friend and co-writer for ''Take It Easy.'' Sadly, this performance was a major disappointment. Partly, because of the reason they were playing. The Eagles looked sad and somber--- which was understandable. But, Browne was a huge shock. Not only is his voice gone but he stumbled badly on the words of his own song. I will cut him some slack, though. I will chalk it up to being overwhelmed by the solemn occasion. But, the boys, after finishing the song, seemed in a hurry to get off. Again, this is understandable. I'm thinking it was too much for them, a little too soon to honor their lost comrade in arms with a public show of grief. The intentions were good, but, the execution of those positive thoughts limped home........ More awards and more newer artists performed. Somewhere in the mix, the viewer was treated by the honor of seeing Stevie Wonder onstage. No matter what Stevie sings, it sounds golden to me. I admire this man tremendously--- and, not only for his music. To be blind, with the hardest of hardships imaginable, and to push so much music out through that brilliant mind of his, takes tremendous courage of spirit....... Justin Bieber made an appearance. The Grammys must always appeal to the teenage girl audience. Bieber seems to be trying to shake his self-created image with another self-created image. Whether he was successful depends on whether his sales spike. I have always gone easy on Bieber. Not because I dig his music, but, because he is just another image and marketable pop star from the assembly line of the music business. From Ricky Nelson in the 50's to David Cassidy in the 70's to the New Kids On The Block in the 90's, pop music has always had one of those performers, created from Madison Avenue and not from a deep talent pool. He seemed to me to be struggling to stay relevant to his fan base. But, he must know by now that a fan base of teenage girls are fickle and will gladly move on from one ''dreamboat'' to another. What I saw last night was a kid seeing it all end for him and desperately holding on for dear life. For his sake, I hope he can survive it....... Taylor Swift continued to rack up honors. She also seemed to take some shots at arch nemesis Kanye West. Ms. Swift would do better than sling mud at him because it only demeans her. Ignore him. That is the best strategy. His career is ending and he is using potshots for publicity. When the media wises up and tires of his act, so will the public. And, in a few years, Taylor Swift will continue her successful career because she has talent. And, Kanye will be----well, who really gives a shit???........ Lady Gaga rolled out Tribute Number 3 of the evening, this time for David Bowie. Now, by now, I had turned the Grammys off because of feeling left out that I could not relate to being in prison. So, I actually missed this tribute but I did catch up on it with social media. The feedback I see is that she, like the Glenn Frey tribute, had good intentions but did not carry it off. She is a talented woman and artist in her own right. However, David Bowie was a unique performer, a complete original in song and personality. To do justice to his music means you must also be as versatile. And, Lady Gaga, for all of her efforts, came up short. She does get an ''A'' for effort.......... More awards. More screaming from the audience. More standing ovations from a generous audience. Again, I was elsewhere on the dial so I didn't see what was happening. The show concluded with Tribute Number 4. This was for metal pioneer Lemmy Kilmister, the guiding spirit of Motorhead. Now, I have never been a huge proponent of heavy metal but I do concede what Lemmy did for music. The ''Hollywood Vampires'' blasted their love for Lemmy, playing his signature tune ''Ace Of Spades''. The ''Vampires''---- Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry came to play and they did. The evening ended with a rocking bang, leaving the atmosphere full of raw rock energy. A nice tribute........ The Grammys concluded like it always has. Some people liking it, some saying it was horrible. There will be debates in offices and on the Web about its merits and the awards it gave its artists. That is how it should be. It should be fun debates, however. The reason is that award ceremonies should never be considered important or a barometer of what is good or bad. It is just a personal preference by the viewer, a marketing publicity tool by the music industry. It doesn't really seem important, does it?....... But, music is important. Music will always be the magical gift from God that reaches into our souls and delivers the delicious feeling of intense emotions and feelings. It delivers love, lost love, sadness, happiness, physical excitement, and the feeling of being alive. Just imagine the world if no such thing as music existed. There would be an empty hole in all of us because our deepest core has not been touched........ In a strange way, the Grammys are a microcosm of that core. And, we will always watch........