Welcome to Part 2 of the Grammy Awards Recap!

In Part 1, I looked at 5 winners who absolutely deserved their awards, showing the world that when it comes to the Grammy selection committee, “even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.” Because as we all know, the group that makes the nominations and votes for the winners is made up of lizard people living under the Denver Airport who have little to no access to the wide world of music released each year. Be sure to read the previous article for some good music recommendations and a reminder that pop culture isn’t always wrong.

Because as we all know, the group that makes the nominations and votes for the winners is made up of lizard people living under the Denver Airport who have little to no access to the wide world of music released each year.

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On the other hand, sometimes the blind squirrel doesn’t find the nut and wanders around to starve in the cold. Which explains how the next five award winners were chosen. Read on for “5 Dumpster Fire Winners” and my well formulated opinions on metal, mental health exploitation, and artist responsibility (and if you disagree with any of my choices, feel free to let us know in the comments!)

DUMPSTER FIRE WINNERS:

Best Metal Performance: Dream Theater-“The Alien”

Let’s start off with the least fiery offender in the Dumpster Fire category. Dream Theater beat out Deftones, Gojira, and Mastodon for the “Best Metal Performance Award” with their 9 plus minute dive into the fineries of prog metal. This is more of a head-scratcher than anything else. It is Dream Theater’s first Grammy, so I don’t want to take away from that. And they are clearly talented (just google the members, at least two of them went to music college). But why was a legacy prog act who is largely irrelevant to people outside of the metal prog world picked for this honor when there were 3 other nominees who are still pushing the boundaries and expanding the metal genre into the mainstream? This may not be the same level of metal snub as when Jethro Tull beat out Metallica for Best Metal performance in 1989, but it still begs the question of why.

French metal giants Gojira have blown up with their last two albums and would’ve been an obvious choice, Mastodon put out a highly underrated double album last year and continues to draw fans from outside the Ozzfest crowd, and Deftones prove with every album that they are much more than their nu-metal past. Maybe I’m just salty, as a huge fan of the other three nominees, and I know that the Grammy’s have never be in-tune with the metal genre, but I just don’t get it. No shade Dream Theater, but the Grammy’s lost out on a golden opportunity to highlight some really incredible bands.

Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and nomination for Album of the Year:  KANYE WEST

Alright, I have zero surprise that Kanye made such a splash at the Grammy’s; he is a household name and a Grammy ratings booster. My dad knows who Kanye is, and the last new album he bought was probably by the Eagles in the 70’s. But come on! Donda easily sits at the bottom of Kanye’s musical catalogue (just slightly above Jesus is King) It’s the first album to be released after his big ‘spiritual conversion’ record and was accompanied by arena filled listening parties and a slew of cancelled release dates, which certainly raised its profile. But the finished product was an overly indulgent bloated affair that is a far cry from anything that should be given awards (maybe a participation ribbon for finally being released).

And yet two of the tracks garnered awards and the album itself was nominated for AOTY. “Hurricane” captured the “Best Melodic Rap Performance” (what even is this award) over “Wusyaname”(Tyler the Creator) which is so catchy that the loss is insulting. “Hurricane” also features a totally wasted guest spot from my favorite pop artist this year, The Weeknd.

 “Jail” picked up the award for “Best Rap Song.” I guess critics like it because it featured Jay-Z, who admittedly dropped some dope bars. But again, “Best Rap Song?” I don’t think so.

Listen, I reviewed Donda, and I didn’t hate the experience. But there were some great hip-hop albums released last year, even in the popular arena, and this wasn’t one of them. Just ask yourself this question: If Kanye hadn’t recorded this album, if it had been released by someone else with much less star-power, would anyone be talking about it?

So let’s take a minute to talk about exploitation of mental illness in the music industry. I’m a big fan of outsider artists Wesley Willis and Daniel Johnston, who both famously wrestled with schizophrenia (Wesley) and bi-polar disorder (Johnston). Their mental health struggles make their music unique, whether it’s the way schizophrenia influenced Willis to write funny irreverent songs to the same simple presets on his electronic keyboard, or the childlike vulnerability and weirdness that came from Johnston which led to prolific, manic creation of cassette masterpieces. But even diehard fans can admit it is a tenuous if not uncomfortable place to appreciate the music and respect the artist’s work while also recognizing their work represents, at times, the harm their mental health struggles have had on their lives.

Kanye has been famously battling bi-polar disorder for years which has fueled his creativity and ‘jeen-yuhs.’ But recently, he’s been given a lot of breadth to act out his bi-polar in public, unchecked ways which gives fans access to the worse parts of what it means to experience bi-polar disorder. It feels more tabloid exploitative than supportive, all for the sake of spectacle and product. The public loves to see stars crash and burn, and the industry doesn’t mind as long as it makes them money. The Grammy’s aren’t helping elevate the mental health conversation, they’re just giving a stage for the world to see its most dramatic and outlandish effects on full display.

Best Comedy Album: Louis CK-Sincerely Louis CK

I can’t speak to the rest of the nominees in this category (except Nate Bargatze who is hilarious), but in light of his sexual allegations, how on earth was Louis CK nominated for an award, let alone declared the winner?

I find cancel culture to be a complex subject because while artists I believe artists need to be responsible for their actions, if than means legal ramifications, therapy, and/or no longer being allowed into the artistic arenas in which they abused their power and influence. But the way ‘cancel culture’ plays out on the internet is that it comes with little to no space for grace or rehabilitation of the offender. There is no path to redemption given, and I don’t find that is helpful to either the victim or the offender.

All of that being said, Louis CK’s actions were/are disgusting, and I’ve seen very little public effort by him to atone for his actions or make reparative efforts. So why did the Grammy’s make such a tone-deaf decision? What kind of message does this send to the comedians who were harmed by CK or those who haven’t yet stepped forward to share their stories?

Coming a week after the Chris Rock/Will Smith debacle and the Academy’s attempt to not look as if it supports violence, I’m surprised the Grammys didn’t try to avoid that kind of negative spotlight. Until we can start holding artists accountable at the highest levels and stop rewarding these abusive behaviors, little is going to change. I don’t hold the Grammy’s as the paragon of virtue, but they do have some responsibility in this. 

Final Thoughts:

So, were the Grammy’s a dumpster fire overall? Not really, more like a tire that continues to smolder and smoke and stink, but never really catches. For some artists, awards season is an extremely exciting time for well-deserved recognition. For others, it’s a night of self-congratulations from people out of touch with the larger musical world. For serious music fans, it’s a reminder that there’s a broad canyon between mainstream success and artistic innovation. And for all of us, it should be a reminder to support the artists we love, to purchase physical media and merchandise, to go to concerts and to share local artists (and support independent music journalism). Awards shows don’t need to dictate what we listen to or love.