Although I have poked fun at the Entertainment Industry’s obsessively self-congratulatory award shows for years, I have to say that it was a thrill (even if a hypocritical one) to attend the Grammys!

First, we were able to bring together nearly the complete team that worked on my project (Alan Lomax in Haiti, 1936-37, a 10-CD and DVD boxed set), from studio engineers to producers and even the fundraisers, along with family members; and some of us were meeting in person for the first time after years of phone and email collaboration. At our small luncheon at a Hollywood eatery, former California Governor Grey Davis surprised us with a visit to congratulate the team.

Second, it was a treat to bring my 7-year-old daughter and to have her as my guest nearly stageside for the evening awards show, which, with a cast from Jagger to Gaga and Eminem to Streisand and even Dylan, was an impressive smorgasbord of talent with lots of unpredictable moments. Among her favourites were the performance by the British band Muse and the colorful, Muppet-inspired Cee Lo Green duet with Gweneth Paltrow (F**** You). Not a fan of Bieber, she did enjoy the Eminem/Rihanna performance! My own favorite musical moment was Nora Jones’ rendition of the Dolly Parton classic, “Jolene”. Who knew? Of course there were lots of celebrity-sightings (a somewhat redundant concept when a good chunk of the audience have some claim on celebrity-hood): we were seated near to Elvis Costello and Dianna Krull, had Rihanna and Cyndi Lauper parading below us, and stood at the party with Esperanza Spaulding, the talented winner for Best New Artist. The Trustees Awards, presented at a ceremony the night before, allowed for more generous tributes for longer-term contributions to the industry (Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton, the Ramones, and even Roger Linn, the inventor of the drum machine).

Although it is an industry in its death throes, its professional organization, The Recording Academy, puts on a good show, and the Grammys remains one of the last award shows to cover the gamut of genres (from country western, to hip hop, to classical and world music). The Academy clearly wanted to link generations through tribute pieces and performances with mentors. And they keep the telecast highly performance-heavy and award-light, leaving most of the awards to the earlier, pre-telecast ceremony next door to the Staples Centre in the Los Angeles Convention Center (which is where my categories were announced).

Oh, and we lost in our two categories (!), but it was only about 5 minutes of disappointment, and then it was back to enjoying the show (and in one category we lost to The Beatles, so who’s going to complain?). So I came away with a medallion and not a statue, but glad that my project (and Haiti) got some recognition.

Posted: 03|19|11 at 9:50 am. Filed under: Uncategorized.
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