Except the production values... were those people asleep the whole show, Mikes were cutting on and off, misques all over the place, you could hear backstage people calling shit out during presentations... Other then the technical side, the only biggie for me was Nelly's horrible lip-syncing.
(wc-47)
Cerebus: Barbarian, Prime Minister, Pope, Perfect House Guest.
"Graft is as necessary as throwing up when you drink too much."
Originally posted by ManiacalClownI didn't watch them because Alias was on, and Avril Lavigne is not on Alias. Who won?
Everyone who attended because they got to see Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, and Dave Grohl do LONDON CALLING!! Very sweet lite nod to Joe Strummer. Add to that the Coldplay performance and this was probably the best telecast in years.
Well, (again) except for the production values...
(wc-47)
Cerebus: Barbarian, Prime Minister, Pope, Perfect House Guest.
"Graft is as necessary as throwing up when you drink too much."
Norah Jones-excellent talent, good for her. All the Grammys, plus what will now be a lot more attention and hype, may hurt her career in the short run. And isn't the Best New Artist award a kiss of death?
I'm in total agreement over the performance of London Calling. It was jaw-dropping brilliance.
Originally posted by The GoonI'm in total agreement over the performance of London Calling. It was jaw-dropping brilliance.
Jaw-dropping.....err ummm well
I'm with this columnist:
The aura of compromise hung thick during the tribute to the Clash's late Joe Strummer, in which Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Steve Van Zandt and Dave Grohl tried mightily to bark "London Calling." From the phony Cockney accents adopted by three of the four singers to the fact that there wasn't a single certifiable punk among the lot, anyone with a smidgen of appreciation for the Clash's legacy had to wonder: Was Johnny Ramone washing his hair in some other part of New York this evening and couldn't make the gig? And what about Strummer's former bandmates: Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon? Must've been out doing the laundry.
I'm not a big fan of sites that want you to register, so check out the reprint over here (centredaily.com)
Of course, that's downright kind compared to *this* column, (suntimes.com) ruling the performance a "slaughter."
Those reviewers are on crack. The point of "London Calling" on the show was meant as a tribute to Joe Strummer. It's irrelevant that the performers aren't "punk"; in fact, it shows the respect that the Clash garnered across musical boundaries. On a night when there was so much focus on young acts, it was nice to see a tribute to a music pioneer.
I wish something similar had been done for Jam Master Jay, instead of the Nelly segment.
If rumours are correct, the remaining members of the Clash will be performing with various singers when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The "London Calling" performance was very good, especially Elvis Costello, who is quite capable of making punk-rock with the best of 'em (but is too talented and creative to confine himself to any one style).
It is, however, very weird to turn on a major awards show and hear an announcer say "coming up...an all-star tribute to The Clash!" I remember the days when the mainstream thought punk rock was some sort of depraved noise. Now not only do you have punk rockers getting acknowledged at the Grammys, but you've got a situation where there can be a routine teen-pop star who happens to be pogoing and singing about skaters (not to say she isn't a poseur, but still) and no one thinks it's odd. Not saying this is good or bad, just that it seems strange to me.
And I agreee with Bullitt that a remake is not a ripoff. I'm sure Stevie Nicks is pretty happy about it.
That Sun-Times article reminded me of why I always say hello to Jim DeRogatis when I see him at Metro. Though I have to say the pure nostalgia factor of seeing Simon & Garfunkel together made me forgive the rather creaky performance.
There was one flash of joy out of this dreck though...The Flaming Lips won a Grammy! Best Rock Instrumental went to "Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)" the last track off of what should have been the Album of the Year Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. I guess we take what we can get though. At least they got something, unlike Wilco who just plain got screwed totally by not even being nominated.
Originally posted by skorpio17My main criticism is that I hated the Dixie Chicks winning awards for ripping off Fleetwood Mac. Nothing original.
And you're a Creed fan?! Okay...
"It's like you lost your keys in the garage, but you look for them in the living room because the light is better." -Bill Maher, on the impending war in Iraq
My calling it a rip-off, a cover, or a sample. It is the same as taking using someone else's hit, tweaking it country, and messing it up. I also didn't like that country guy who just took Elton John's Tiny Dancer. And I didn't like Lauren Hill winning awards for Killing Me Softly either. So, I'm consistant in my anti-ripoff stance.
James Taylor shows how to perform live, you need a voice.
Jimmy Fallon did a better Avril Levigne performance on the MTV awards.
As far as Creed goes, I could watch that Sacrifice video a hundred times.
Blast the oily hides of the critics who say Elvis Costello isn't punk! Have any of these cretins listened to his early work? That tribute rocked my friends. It certainly rocked my spleen nicely.
Are you ready for Mahkan-mania to run wild all over you?
Would it be controversial to say, in my opinion, Costello was more punk than Strummer was?
Elvis, Grohl, and Lil' Steven were perfectly fine in London Calling, but it was an obvious strain on Springsteen. I'd consider shitting on him doing it, but then I excise his mid 80's fluff,and realize Springsteen's better than I give him credit for. And while I recognized No Doubt's Tony Kanal on bass, who was the drummer?
A JMJ and/or Harrison tribute would've been nice, too. Springsteen also would've been better served by doing Harrison instead.
Norah Jones = The 21st Century's Tracy Chapman.
Michelle Branch deserves more credit than she's getting.
I have a special friend. He's the baby Jesus and I love him and...and...he don't give me no s**t and he don't f**k around and he's just the f**king coolest guy and I wanna say I love the baby Jesus.I can't say enough.I love the baby Jesus and I think...he's the best thing and he's really great when he shares his love for everbody.You know what I mean?I can't even see a manger without thinkin' about him,eh?I just love the Jesus.I've only been into him for a couple of hours though,but I'm really into him. --Bruce McCulloch
Originally posted by skorpio17My calling it a rip-off, a cover, or a sample. It is the same as taking using someone else's hit, tweaking it country, and messing it up. I also didn't like that country guy who just took Elton John's Tiny Dancer. And I didn't like Lauren Hill winning awards for Killing Me Softly either. So, I'm consistant in my anti-ripoff stance.
You're definition of "ripoff" seems to differ from mine.
The Dixie Chicks having the full legal rights to re-do "Landslide" however they want is not a "ripoff." If you don't like their version, so be it.
Jennifer Lopez stealing the beat for "Jenny From the Block" from The Beatnuts without proper credit IS a ripoff.
(edited by Bullitt on 24.2.03 1626) Matthew Good - Playing Calgary March 24th AND 25th. Be there.
I enjoyed "London Calling" for what it was worth, but it did bother me a bit. Would Joe Strummer have wanted it? The Clash was a true punk rock band, and punk rock was never about all-star jams at the grammys. That being said, all four guys clearly tried their best and it was probably my favorite performance of the night. Made me cue up "white man in Hammersmith Palais" in the car this morning.
As a big Roots fan, their performance with Eminem disappointed. On one hand, any mainstream recognition for the Roots is good new, but they really were given no chance to shine until they ripped into the guitar part from "King of Rock" on the last chorus. That, of course made me Eminem did his thing solo (he's earned his Grammy spot) and the Roots were backing DJ Run and DMC through "King of Rock" and "Rockbox" in a shout out to Jay.
Avril sounded awful. "The Rising" is a nice song, but been there, done that. When I heard about Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, I was all fired up for "picture" (awful guilty pleasure song), but got a big disappointment when they sang that other stinker.
The Dixie Chicks are entitled to cover any song they want, but God, IMO it's just so much worse than the original. Gwen Stefani was looking hot hot hot, and there's nothing wrong with Simon and Garfunkel singing together.
on the whole "Landslide" thing, it's one of those situations where if you're gonna cover the song, you have to make it you own, do something really different and creative with it (in the sense of applying your style as an artist) to make it work. That, to me, is what makes Marilyn Manson's cover of "Sweet Dreams" work (and I thinkit's just as hard a song to cover with any kind of decency). The Dixie Chicks, though, seem to me to be trying to imitate Stevie Nicks, and she's just one of those artists where imitation is just not acceptable, or even possible.
Norah Jones as the next Tracey Chapman? Don't be so sure about that (assuming you're implying one-hit wonder status). Will she be taking home eight Grammies in the future? Unlikely. But I own that album, and if she can put together anything nearly as good as that for her next effort, she'll likely be around for quite a while.
Best performances were James Taylor, and Coldplay, IMHO.
Power flows to the one who knows how -- desire alone is not enough.
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