Watched a good part of the Grammy Awards last night - by which I mean a lot, not a quality part. I admit to reading Keith Snyder's comments this morning and some comments in the newspaper before writing this, but it didn't exactly change my thinking, just clarified it.

A while back I wrote a piece for a fanzine about my (not exactly secret) love of modern country music. My past article in Littlebrook 3 IS available through efanzines (http://www.efanzines.com/Littlebrook/). Issue #4 isn't posted yet, but i can email it as a word file if you want to see it). I it I compare being a country music fan to being a fan of science fiction - misunderstood, knowing that the stuff is GOOD if only someone would listen/read it. And I even mention Gretchen Wilson in the article. Last night was NOT my idea of a good example. Of much of anything.

There are a gazillion and then some Grammy categories, including god-help-us the long time polka category (what, no klezmer? Now THAT deserves more attention) and most focus is on pop/rock and hip-hop/rap, it seems, at least for what the humongously long ceremony (with what 12 live performances) showed. Celebrating "southern rock". Well, gee, I sure think of Matthew McConahey (an actor I like when I see him) who introduced the segment as a good ol boy. Yep. Lynyrd Skynyrd indeed. Oh yeah. I still wonder what planet i was on when "freebird" came out as i've never heard it and I think "Sweet Home Alabama" is a catchy awful song. Wth lyrics like "In Birmingham they love the governor" and "and the governor is true" and "Now Watergate does not bother me". Bothered me. Big time. Shoulda bothered _everyone_ with a brain. And of course, how pissed they are at Neil Young for daring to badmouth "southern man". Oooooo. Sorry, but it's a far better song and no one "loves the governor" in it.

So I'm pretty appalled at THAT representation of country music. And the nostalgia factor of giving a Grammy to Loretta; yeah, yeah, she's Loretta Lynn. I don't listen to her either. I admit to being pleased that Gretchen Wilson was nominated for new artist - don't think that many country musicians have made that category.

The "Across the Universe" bit could have rocked, but it felt way too thrown together and thin. Not enough harmonies, wrong song to pick given the real lack of heat in the song. It needed strength.

What rocked me? Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone doing Joplin. Intro'd by Kristofferson - now THERE's a songwriter. And Melissa is someone who deserves much attention - not even for her appearing without hair. I'd forgotten that she's been dealing with breast cancer. How exhausting was that? Queen Latifah made it far more interesting for me than it might have been otherwise. Tim McGraw didn't sound that good live, alas. I heard a couple bands who sounded vaguely interesting. And well, it served to remind me that I'm now my parents, unfamiliar with music of "the young folks".

But dear gods, let's not pander to the southern hair bands any more, shall we? The "in your face" crapola. There's good country out there (and sorry, Alison Krauss is very talented by her voice sets my teeth on edge, so she's not my fave example either). There's damn good music out there, in a number of categories, including country. Maybe next year....