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8 Thoughts About the 2024 Grammy Awards

“Music’s biggest night” was last night, so let’s talk through some of the takeaways.

1. Taylor Swift is doing too much.

Taylor Swift has plenty of great qualities, but being “cool” is not one of them. Whether it’s something as small as giving Jack Antonoff a million faux punches and a noogie when his name gets mentioned, or as big as announcing the incredibly cringey title of her upcoming album, she was just doing a lot last night. It didn’t set the table very well for winning Album of the Year for Midnights, which I consider to be one of her weakest albums. Folklore and 1989 deserved it, but Midnights? Here’s hoping that music of The Tortured Poets Department ends up better than its name.

2. Tracy Chapman singing “Fast Car” was awe-inspiring, and not only did Luke Combs avoid ruining it, but he actually did a great job.

I’ve held nothing but contempt for Luke Combs’s cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” but when he performed it as a duet with Chapman early in the broadcast, I was won over. The performance was simply amazing — the best one of the night. It was heartwarming to see the crowd’s enthusiastic love for Chapman, who played her timeless classic as beautifully as ever, 36 years after its release. Against all my expectations, Combs did justice to the song as he performed alongside Chapman, displaying his impressive voice. They both clearly had a lot of respect for each other, which went along way toward melting my previous disdain for Combs’s version.

 

https://twitter.com/DrAmandaSuper/status/1754899033921925360?s=20

3. Trevor Noah is a perfect Grammys host.

Every time Trevor Noah hosts the Grammys, he reminds us that it’s possible to be gracious and positive while also being hilarious. So many award shows hosts think the only way to be funny is to roast its participants, but Noah shows us that’s not true. I burst out laughing when, after shaming TikTok for removing a large swath of music from their app and “ripping off all of these artists,” he followed that with, “How dare you do that! That’s Spotify’s job!”

4. I truly do not get “What Was I Made For?”

I just don’t see the appeal of Billie Eilish’s “Best Song of the Year” winner. I admit that I’ve never really gotten into her music, especially compared to some of her generational peers like Olivia Rodrigo. I did enjoy some of the stuff from her debut album, and I think she’s cool, but the breathy “What Was I Made For?” does absolutely nothing for me. I really try to not be a hater, but it’s so boring, I’m sorry.

5. I also don’t get the immense popularity of Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers.”

As opposed to Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus has made tons of songs that I love. Her catalog is filled with bangers, and she’s an incredibly talented live singer and performer. But “Flowers” is very middling to me. It’s not bad, but it’s not “great” either. It just does its thing for three minutes without leaving any impression. I will say though, her live rendition of “Flowers” during the broadcast was pretty good. I meant it when I said she’s a great performer.

6. The “In Memoriam” section recognizing Tina Turner was well done.

Unsurprisingly, Oprah knocked it out of the park with her tribute, vividly capturing why Tina Turner was so great. Oprah’s delivery, including a loving imitation of her friend’s speaking voice, was part of the magic, but the words themselves were great too:

“Tina Turner was always a towering figure. She is our forever goddess of Rock & Roll, who inspired millions, a moving symbol of grace and grit, soul and power. Our love and respect for Tina grew as we witnessed her bravely reclaim her freedom. From the moment I met Tina, first as a fan, then later blessed to become her friend, she was a special kind of role model… And as those big wheels of time keep on turning, Tina’s voice continues to speak to all of us.”

And Fantasia Barrino did a solid job channeling Turner’s energy with her rendition of “Proud Mary.”

7. The Grammys missed an opportunity by ignoring Rock and Alternative during the telecast.

As some of you know, the live Grammys broadcast doesn’t show the vast majority of the awards they give, with many winners receiving their awards in a pre-show event. For many years, I’ve lamented the complete disregard for the Rock and Alternative categories during the broadcast. Has rock really fallen that far? This year, Paramore won for Best Rock Album, and boygenius won for Best Alternative Album. Not only would I have loved to see them receive their awards, but I have no doubt that live performances from both of them would have brought the house down.

8. Joni Mitchell’s performance was deeply moving.

In her first Grammys performance ever, Joni sounded really great singing “Both Sides Now,” and her co-performers did an amazing job. She somehow wrote that song at age 22, displaying wisdom way beyond her years, but now at age 80, she has a whole life’s worth of experience to give it even more weight. It was a poignant moment.

Photos: Outside Lands 2015

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Outside Lands happened in August. It’s now October. But I figured I might as well post some photos from the beautifully situated festival in the heart of San Francisco. I don’t pretend to be a good photographer, but Golden Gate Park is quite photogenic.

Natalie Prass

Natalie Prass

They have

They had a “farmers market” stand with the most refreshing peaches of all time.

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Damian Lillard, Greatest Rapper in the History of the NBA

“I tried to tell y’all.”

Turns out Damian Lillard, Oakland native and clutch Portland Trailblazers all-star, can rap. He appeared on Sway in the Morning on Sirius XM radio and “spit a little bit” with perfect rhythm and some deep lyrics. Check out Sway’s “pleasant surprise” face at 2:54. Turns out Lillard can shut down on the mic as well as on the court.

R.I.P. MCA

Adam Yauch, known on stage as “MCA” and in our ears as the Beastie Boy with the low and raspy voice, died of cancer last week at the age of 47. Besides being a gifted, yet hilarious rapper, he was an all-around good guy who knew what was important. Yauch’s passing is effectively the end of the Beastie Boys, because there’s no way they can carry on with out the heart, soul, and founding member of the group.

I’m just one voice out of the many that have already expressed their feelings over Yauch’s death. Feelings of joy, regret, and nostalgia. But all the stories are personal and unique, rendering every single one of them useful and appreciated. When I was in 5th grade, I owned two albums — The Beatles: 1962-1966 and the Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty. I couldn’t stop listening to “Intergalactic” and was beyond excited every time they played it on the radio (106.7 KROQ, represent). I studied the lyrics until I mastered the whole thing and “performed” it for people at school. They would say “David, rap! Do a rap!” And so I’d bust out “Intergalactic” and probably sounded like an idiot, but I loved it.

It seems weird to get all sentimental about three goofballs who rapped about partying and brass monkeys and rumps. But when something is so inseparable and intertwined with your youth, you can’t help but feel it in your gut when it comes to an end. I’ll never stop blasting the Beastie Boys. R.I.P. MCA.

Goodbye to One of the Greats: R.I.P. Levon Helm

Levon Helm, legendary drummer and vocalist for the Band, passed away from throat cancer last Thursday. Helm was unique in many ways — not only was he one of a select few drummers who also took over singing duties, but the Arkansas-native’s All-American voice was one in a million. If purple mountains’ majesties and fruited plains could sing, they would sound like Levon Helm.

Below, watch a clip of the Band performing their classic and timeless single “The Weight” from the Martin Scorsese-directed film The Last Waltz, which documents the Band playing their farewell concert in 1976. Then listen to the studio cut of the fun-loving “Up on Cripple Creek.”

The Band – “The Weight” (Live from The Last Waltz)

The Band – “Up on Cripple Creek”

Chromatics – “Lady” / The Perfect Night Driving Song

There’s nothing quite like a solid “Night Drive” playlist, whether you’re throwing it on in a city with flashing lights or on some long and winding road. It needs a steady but compelling beat, with an aura of mystery about it. For me, the 90’s classic “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega is a perfect example. For a more indie-electro approach, I strongly suggest you download “Lady” by Chromatics and sync up your iPod. In fact, download the whole album, Kill For Love. It sets the mood perfectly. Two pieces of evidence that prove Chromatics can pinpoint the “Night Drive” aesthetic:

  1. Their previous album was called, uh, Night Drive.
  2. Johnny Jewel, Chromatics’ main man, was originally slated to score the entire movie Drive. The one with Ryan Gosling. If you’re one of the 99% of girls and 73% of guys that think Ryan Gosling is hot, well, there’s one more reason to check out this track. No, he’s not in this video, sorry.

It’s Official: Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs is a Genius

Hopefully you’ve been watching the Coachella live stream this weekend. Or maybe you’ve decided to refrain from watching so as not to bang your head incessantly against a wall in anger for not being there. Don’t worry, my bruises aren’t too bad. I caught the tUnE-yArDs set today and it was absolutely incredible. For those that aren’t familiar, tUne-yArDs is the vehicle for Merrill Garbus and her completely unique compositions. Her last record, 2011’s whokill, is both catchy and experimental, with its drum beats, random sax lines, and Garbus’s guttural singing. Here’s the newly released video for the first cut on the album, “My Country,” complete with multitudes of colors and kids.

Seeing tUnE-yArDs on stage though was revelatory. She does all the drum and vocal loops live. Watching her work is incredible, even if you’re not into the music that much. She’ll get to work on a complex drum beat, adding layers upon layers, after which she’ll do syncopated vocal harmonies (remember how I feel about vocal harmonies) until it’s a full chorus and percussion section right there for her to manipulate with the tips of her toes on the pedals. The energy she brings to the show is amazing, as she strums along on her ukulele and yelps in tune with her loops.

No one’s put up a good recording of her Coachella performance, so I’ve posted a Studio 360 performance of “Bizness,” one of her best tracks. It’s weird seeing the audience sitting down instead of dancing, but it looks like the venue didn’t exactly provide for festival behavior. It’s still a great example of watching how Merrill Garbus does her thing.

Are you hesitating? I know what your hold-up is — it’s those darn capital letters, isn’t it? It took months for me to finally check out tUnE-yArDs because I hated those random capital letters. Don’t make the same mistake I did.