On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 4:36 AM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 12:27 AM, Michael <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Good is good, and crap is crap - no matter the genre or era. But safe >> and familiar is what the Grammys (and Emmys and Oscars) are usually >> about, which is why cultural rebels who were ignored or considered >> subversive back in the day were dismissed by the old guard/moldy figs. >> And if they stick around long enough to seem safe and familiar or >> elder statesmen, they are eventually rewarded with a lifetime >> achievement bauble or inducted into a pompous, establishmentarian hall >> of fame. > > I am not so sure about that. I think both Metallica and Bieber are crap, but > apparently most of the cool kids think they are good. > > BTW - the wikis say Metallica has won 9 Grammy awards, so I guess the old > foggies did not completely ignore them - though maybe all of their wins were > in the "best loud, obnoxious and unlistenable group or duo" category.
I don't buy Michael's argument. Each musical genre has its own fans and through the years diehard fans come up with some pretty esoteric artists and/or performances which they say are the top of the genre. And those who aren't fans of the genre consider the music crap. And diehard fans of a genre may consider an accessible song as crap even if (or especially if) it becomes more popular than the more authentic material. Emmys are safe choices because their voters, the people who make television, don't have time to watch a lot of television and they will vote by reputation. Oscars aren't always safe choices. There are always small independent films nominated and when they win there's criticism. If by safe choices we mean keeping out really obscure films, there have to be some eligibility requirements, especially as the large studios have been the force behind the awards. The problem with the Grammys is the fragmentation of the music audience. NARAS deals with the fragmentation by coming up with as many categories as possible, but for an awards show they have to come up with global bests and they have to do a lot of comparing apples and oranges to get there. If album sales become the only metric for Grammy consideration then stop the voting process and concede that the Grammy will reward the lowest common denominator. And over time cultural rebels either become part of the mainstream culture or they flame out. It's breathtaking to see a cultural rebel emerge and speak truth to power. But who can keep up the quality of the work consistently over decades and still remain a rebel idol? I'm thinking of somebody like Lou Reed and I think Lou's core audience is as old as he is. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
