Monday, February 13, 2012

The Grammys from four perspectives

(When I finished writing this, I realized it's the first post I've published this month that actually fits the NaBloPoMo "Relative" category. Yay, me!)

In case you missed it, the 54th Grammy Awards Show aired last night between commercials for CBS's Amazing Race. There were heartfelt remembrances of Whitney, of course – Jennifer Hudson pulled off a stunning performance and howdoesshedoit? There was lots of fire on stage and lots of cra-zee oufits and some really beautiful ones, too. I don't watch a lot of television these days, but I love me an awards show.

So I took control of the remote and my husband suffered through it. When it was over, he said, "I hate to admit it, but I kind of enjoyed it." SCORE! Heh.

Here's a brief rundown of how three of my relatives and I viewed the spectacle.

My husband
Though just eight years older than I, he really belongs in the previous generation when it comes to music. He doesn't listen to popular music at all, when he has a choice he prefers classical and when we're in the car it almost always has to be something he's at least familiar with. The single exception is Mumford and Sons. I take all the credit for introducing him to their music.

His favorite part of the Grammys last night was the Tony Bennet duet. He thought the Beach Boys did well (but when he said that, Foster the People were doing the vocals), and Sir Paul was the bomb.

Me
Bob Dylan will always and forever be my favorite poet, musician and singer, but I definitely stay tuned in (heh) to current artists. I was not surprised that Adele won six Grammys last night. She's amazing, just simply amazing. Much older-sounding – and looking – than her 23 years and so talented.

Lady GaGa in a leotard and head-to-
toe fishnet stockings.
© Just Jared
I'm not a fan of country music, but I downloaded Taylor Swift's "Mean" before she stopped singing it.

I felt bad for Lady GaGa, who got all dressed up and had nowhere to go. Because Adele was wearing a groove in the carpet collecting her awards.

My daughter
She really stays on top of the current popular music scene, and introduces me to many of the artists whose work now fills my iPod. My husband and I were in the same room watching the Grammys, but my daughter and I texted each other throughout the program. My favorite text from her was this:
Has anyone ever taken up as much space as Diana Ross? That hair! That dress!!! My goodness, woman!
Our running commentary started on the red carpet and ended with Paul McCartney's great advice: "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." Nobody says it better.

My granddaughter
We weren't rockin' the Grammys by text message, but I got updates from her mother throughout the evening. To bring things full-circle, her 14-year-old self also thought the Beach Boys sounded pretty good when Foster the People was singing. Heh.

So. Four generations of Grammy-watchers and I don't think any of us were disappointed. I've read a lot of stuff on Facebook this morning about how the current crop of musicians are me-me-me and not talented and it's all about the show and the pyrotechnics and oh, by the way, where's the talent? I will say just one word, three times:
Adele. Adele. Adele.

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