Grammy day: what's old is new again
Dear Grammy Nomination Committee,
Fountains of Wayne released their first album (self-titled) in 1996. Their second album, Utopia Parkway, was released in 1999 and contained the college radio hit Denise. Their new album, Welcome Interstate Managers, would therefore be their third - and worst - album.
So, can you please explain to me how Fountains of Wayne qualifies for Best New Artist? Yes, I understand that your definition of 'new artist' is a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist, but I am not sure what qualifies as "public identity" for this purpose. Call me crazy, but I think a band that is on its third release on a major label (Atlantic and Virgin) just doesn't get the new label.
Also, your Best Female Rock Performance category nominees include Pink and Avril Lavigne. Didn't you mean to put them in the Pop category? Please tell me this was a mistake on your part.
Well, at least there was no Jethro Tull in the metal category, I'll give you that much. But what I really want to know is, did all of you on the committee really sit around and listen to that whole Nickelback album? If so, you have my sympathies.
Not for nothing, but I haven't taken the Grammy Awards seriously in years. I give more credence to Howard Stern's annual award show than I do yours.
Just saying.
M
Comments
Obviously, you haven't checked out the spoken word nominees yet. Even worse.
Posted by: Eric Lindholm | December 4, 2003 02:48 PM
I've been making the (perhaps cynical, perhaps not) assumption they define establishing 'public identity' as 'getting your video heavily rotated on MTV, VH1, BET and/or CMT'(not that there's anything right about that...)
Posted by: Ferro Lad | December 4, 2003 02:54 PM
Don't worry, Metallica went full circle on Jethro Tull's ass by eventually winning a metal Grammy in 1999 for something off of "ReLoad". Two wrongs make a right!
Of course, you've got to give it up to the terminally hip Grammy gangstas back in the 60s... records of the year included Herb Alpert's "A Taste of Honey", Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses", 5th Dimension's "Up, Up and Away", and Stan Getz's "Girl From Ipanema", and, of course, Percy Faith's "(Theme From) A Summer Place". Rockin' good times!
Posted by: Norbizness | December 4, 2003 02:54 PM
Grammys. Heh. Oh, that's right. The awards given to fake bands and twenty year old newcomers.
Please pardon me while I ignore them. In fact, I wouldn't have even known about these nominations if you hadn't posted about them.
Back to the Tull.
Posted by: Keith | December 4, 2003 03:01 PM
Eric, I saw. I chose to ignore lest my head explode.
Posted by: michele | December 4, 2003 03:10 PM
The really neat trick was Lauryn Hill winning Best New Artist twice.
Welcome Interstate Managers is uneven -- there's about five straight songs in the middle there that kinda suck -- but "Stacy's Mom" rules.
April Levine? Ohmigod, she's like, so totally punk!!
Posted by: Thlayli | December 4, 2003 03:35 PM
The new artist thang,among others ,is a BS category.Hell,Shelby Lynn won after,what,10plus years in the biz.I can't remember exactly what she said when she accepted,but even she thought it was odd.
Posted by: mbruce | December 4, 2003 03:49 PM
I don't know exactly how it works, but I think the record company you record for has to submit you for potential nomination. Maybe the best new artist is for the first time they were submitted for consideration.. That's complete conjecture, based solely on me reading a story that said one artist didn't qualify last year because his record companies didn't submit his stuff. If I'm off base, I'm sorry, but if that's how it works, it could explain some of it. Not someone getting the award twice, but some of it.
Posted by: Rob | December 4, 2003 03:52 PM
Kinda makes one miss Rob 'n Fab.
Posted by: ccwbass | December 4, 2003 04:54 PM
Go ahead,CCW,blame it on the rain.
Posted by: mbruce | December 4, 2003 05:04 PM
The Grammys have always been essentially an industry sales reward tool. Since sales and quality are currently about as divorced as they've ever been, the Grammys suck even worse than they otherwise would. Commercial radio is just as bad as the Grammys, though.
I'm just extremely grateful that it's now vastly easier to find musical alternatives via the Internet than it ever was in the pre-Internet past.
Posted by: MikeR | December 4, 2003 05:07 PM
Herb Alpert ROCKED! (I still want to bang the chick in the whipped cream)
I do agree with Michele that the Eff Emmies are the better awards show though. Listening to a very confused Mickey Rooney accept an award for being annoyed was classic.
Posted by: Steve Hogan | December 4, 2003 08:46 PM
Don't forget about "Radiation Vibe", Michele. That was a bigger college hit than "Denise", if I recall correctly.
I'm happy for FoW for the Grammy nomination, but it kind of feels like when They Might Be Giants got nominated for the "Malcomb in the Middle" theme song. You want to just say "hold off until you can give them a lifetime achievement award" (or in the case of FoW, a best pop artist Grammy).
Posted by: Cam | December 4, 2003 11:42 PM
Jethro Tull is metal? Did someone actually say that??
Jethro Tull is prog rock. And darned good prog rock, to boot.
Posted by: Curt | December 5, 2003 12:30 PM
I remember when Alanis Morissette won best new artist in 1995, but she had previously won a Juno(canadian grammy)for Most Promising Artist in 1991 on an album that went platnium. She had also released 2 albums before "jagged little pill," but I guess since those albums were not grammy worthy, they do not count. YOU ARE ONLY A NEW ARTIST WHEN THE GRAMMY'S SAY YOU ARE. If that is the case then if MoJo Nixon puts out an album, that happens to catch on, he then could be nominated for Best New Artist despite he 15 previous albums....
Posted by: Bry | December 10, 2003 04:31 PM