TMS Discussion: Why I Never Bother Watching the Grammys
(Reuters)
Unlike the film sector of awards season, where I used to tune in for every televised ceremony for enjoyment as a kid, and later, mostly for easy articles to write as an adult; I’ve never bothered with the Grammys much. I love music as much as movies, yet for some reason I feel it’s harder to review and vote on musical art. All art, including film & TV, really shouldn’t be a competition like sports. I can agree with this even when I have preferences during awards season. But for some reason I find it extra difficult to critique music. I think part of it is, even though I’m not a creator in the film industry, you can still tell when a story is executed badly on viewing. With music, it feels a bit more intimate. You need a whole team of cast and crew to make a movie or TV episode. You only need one person to make a song, even in the studio [though, it’s obviously more convenient to have a band, producer and engineers]. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of bad lyrics or production out there to clown on, even if you’re only a listener and not a musician. But I guess I feel writing a script is a little closer to writing an article than writing a song or score is.
But anyways. Back to the Grammys. The only times I vividly remember watching the awards show is in 2000, when Christina Aguilera won Best New Artist over Britney Spears; in 2010, when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Album of the Year with ‘Fearless;’ and in 2015, when Beck won Album of the Year for ‘Morning Phase.’ The first was because I was a big fan of Xtina and Brit in elementary school, like most girls my age. The other two were because I just happened to be in the living room when someone else in the college dorm or house wanted to watch the show. After the hot messes that were the Golden Globes and the Oscars this year, I only assumed the Grammys wouldn’t be any more eventful. Surprisingly, the 30 or so minutes I did catch last Sunday night, weren’t too bad and more entertaining than whatever was going on at the Oscars [especially the execution of the In Memoriam segment].
(Rich Fury / Getty Images)
Another reason I don’t give the Grammys much attention is that this ceremony has over 70 categories—more than any other yearly awards show. Yet only five of those bloated categories are actually televised. It’s more of a glorified, recorded concert/festival than a proper presentation. Which is fine, but I don’t care enough about every single artist performing to stick around for 200 minutes of screentime. On top of that, with each passing year I feel like I’m aging out of the demo for the rising stars. Hollywood caters to young people, but the record industry seems to barely cater to anyone out of college, especially with pop and hip-hop. Names like Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Brothers Osborne and Billy Strings are completely foreign to me. I can appreciate someone like Billie Eilish, channeling her angst into the alt-pop genre, but again: she’s a teen idol. I guess this is me reaching ‘geriatric millennial’ status lately.
Am I out of touch? Have I outgrown celebrity exposure? Are awards shows passé these days? Did the pandemic make everyone realize there are better ways to amuse yourself? I’ll let you be the judge.