Taylor Swift was insufferable, LL Cool J was jive, the Weeknd soared and the Eagles sounded like angels ferrying Glenn Frey to heaven.

But what struck me most was the changing of the guard. The baby boomers, the rockers, they’re in the rearview mirror, it’s a pop world run by young people and if you’re waiting for the classic rock era to come back I can only quote Pete Townshend…that song is over.

How did this happen? Wasn’t the business supposed to crater when the legends crapped out?

But the truth is Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean can all sell out stadiums, Ms. Swift too, and we haven’t had that spirit here since…well, maybe not 1969, but for a very long time.

The business may be run by old men, but soon they’re going to be gone too and it will be a whole new era. One in which separating the seeds from the stems in your gatefold cover will be completely history, just like waiting for your favorite song to come on the radio and knowing every track on a mediocre album because you bought it and can’t afford another.

We’ve been distracted, by piracy, by streaming rates. But the truth is time was passing, and despite the inane comments by Neil Portnow and Common, there’s tons of money in music and it’s only gonna get better. Arguing about streaming payments now is like bitching about home taping back before the CD came along to rain more riches upon the music business than it had ever seen before. Remember when people wouldn’t pay for broadband? The public wants to give you their money, that’s why you can’t get a ticket to see Adele and the rest of the hit acts. Sure, the middle class acts are struggling, but so is the middle class itself, that’s what Bernie Sanders is trying to save.

But Bernie Sanders was nowhere in evidence at this hermetically sealed show, where insiders were up front and there was rarely a sense of energy in the room. Scalia died but I heard no reference to the man single-handedly holding back artistic freedom… That’s right, try getting an abortion in Texas so you can continue your career. But every act’s a Republican these days, out for themselves and refusing to lift their brother. What a long strange trip it’s been from Paul Kantner giving the middle finger to the establishment.

But Bernie is about credibility and truth. Who wrote this show, who hired LL Cool J? The script sounded straight out of 1985, there was no honesty, no edge, just flattery and pabulum, and you expect those at home to be inspired to get it right? When everybody on stage is doing it for the exposure?

But you’ve got to question their judgment. Taylor Swift wore a slinky outfit, she’s outgrown her geekiness, but her production was a wall of sound, and not in a Phil Spector way. You could see it, but you couldn’t HEAR IT! And the last time I checked it was about what went into your ears as opposed to what went into your eyes.

And then there was the lame intro and the flashbacks to previous shows… Huh? That’d be like whipping out your baby pictures on a first date. Be present, isn’t that what the millennials strive for?

But there was an emphasis on hip-hop immediately. As if rock had been lost along the way and old farts were no longer entitled to seats at the table, it was refreshing.

And when the second performance was by young country stars… You know something has changed. There was no sense of history, no playing to the past, and that’s a good thing.

And then came the Weeknd.

HE COULD SING!

That’s what separates the amateurs from the professionals… You almost couldn’t believe it, we’re not exposed to such greatness, everything is faked, from music to videos, that’s the story of the twenty first century, and then someone with talent, from Canada, where they still believe in that, brings us back to where we once belonged. You couldn’t take your eyes off him, you were stunned.

Not so much when he segued into “In The Night,” but you can’t ask for everything.

Andra Day made Ellie Goulding look like an amateur.

As for the Lionel Richie tribute…talk about a train-wreck. Obviously it was payback for agreeing to be honored by Musicares, but this was the first truly tone-deaf performance. And why does everybody on the Grammy telecast have to perform with someone else? Have any “Grammy Moments” ever resulted from this? NO!

Then we had the inane recitation of the fable that country radio held back Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” because they thought it was about lesbianism. IT WAS A PUBLICITY STUNT! People can’t trust Hillary Clinton because she says what’s expedient, paying back all her donors along the way, and you’ve got the Grammys doing the same thing. Don’t they realize times have changed?

And I love Stevie Wonder, but thank god Maurice White was already dead, that was a lame tribute. Either do it right, with the whole damn band, or don’t do it at all.

And then came the Eagles…

I’d love to say Jackson Browne knocked it out of the park, but his voice was sketchy. As for the rest of the band, like the Weeknd, you just couldn’t believe their voices weren’t on tape. When the camera focused on Brittany Howard singing the “oohs” in the audience…I got goosebumps. These are our shared memories, at some point there will be no more Eagles, we’ll only have the records, revel in the sound while you can, as well as Bernie Leadon’s picking…what a concept, play the lead from the record and nail it! Then again, the Eagles were all about perfection, and you hated them for it. But how many of today’s acts will be selling out arenas decades hence?

James Bay and Tori Kelly sang in search of a song.

And then came “Hamilton”…

I first saw it at the Spotify party, at the Chateau Marmont, with glasses tinkling and people talking and it just didn’t work, it seemed like a segment from the small screen sixties.

But when I watched it at home…

I hated the coached audience, over-applauding.

But I LOVED the rapped acceptance speech by Lin-Manuel Miranda. How come this guy is more creative than all the doofuses on the main show?

But what I really took from this telecast was that “Hamilton” is a live event. Even the album misses the mark, it’s sans the shouting and the sheer passion of the production. “Hamilton” is the best musical event of the year, far outstripping the records nominated for the hip-hop award, and “1989” too. Because Lin-Manuel Miranda took a risk, pushed the envelope, he didn’t call Max Martin to ensure success, but hung it out there all the way. If you’ve seen the show you know what I’m talking about.

And now we’re in the middle of the telecast and it’s hard not to fast-forward.

Kendrick hooked you and then the production overwhelmed the message.

As for Adele… Did this song sound like a hit to you?

As for Bieber… Totally laughable. When he was strumming his guitar singing his song it reminded me of a high school student playing for his parents. It sucked. Why does this guy get a pass?

“Where Are U Now” was better, but a bit of a train-wreck.

But nothing like Lady Gaga’s tribute to David Bowie. It was jaw-droppingly bad. Why didn’t they just hire the original, Liza Minnelli, to do this faux tribute to a bleeding edge artist?

Medleys never work. If she’d just sung “Space Oddity” sans makeup and production it would have been better. Who’s responsible for this? Couldn’t Nile Rodgers have said no? But that’s the Grammys, where more is better and no one will stand up to Ken Ehrlich and Gaga is treated like a superstar, as opposed to someone with one hit album. Hell, this was a job for Annie Lennox, someone from the old days who’s still got it. What a disaster.

And by this time it’s kind of a blur.

The B.B. King tribute was good, but not so good you couldn’t go to the bathroom. Sure, Chris Stapleton needed to be on the show, but couldn’t he have done one of his own songs? And what did Gary Clark, Jr. do for us this year? As for Bonnie Raitt…I love her, she played some mean slide, but how about delaying her appearance until next year, when her new album is in contention? This was one of those boomer moments, throwing a bone to the aged, but the befuddled alta kachers had already tuned out and gone to bed, like they were gonna sit through the music of these youngsters, it contradicted almost everything they believed in!

But Alabama Shakes delivered. Got to give them credit.

As for Hollywood Vampires… Evidence as to why rock is dead and should stay buried. It was like opening a crypt from the seventies…ee-eww…

And I thought they were going to avoid a train-wreck ending, but they can’t resist, throwing everything including the kitchen sink into the mix, albeit spearheaded by one of today’s hitmakers.

As for the winners?

Who gives a shit. You’re not gonna remember ’em.

But I remember when bands refused to be on this show. Protesting its lack of pulse, and as much as Mike Greene made it legitimate, when Stephen Colbert can win two Grammys, what the hell are the statuettes worth?

There are way too many categories and the big sport is second-guessing the voters as opposed to applauding what’s real.

But the show was much better than the Oscars. Because it’s living in the present.

We never expected this to happen, to have all our classic artists dropping like flies, we thought they and their music were gonna rule until we died.

But it’s a new world now. One in which Clive Davis may be featured on screen, but he has absolutely no power.

Go to a music business event. Everybody’s 25-35. The generation’s changed. It’s their music business now.

And that’s a good thing.

But why do so many of the hits have to be written by committee? Are we so afraid of diversity that Max Martin has to work on all the hits? And when Universal sweeps the top category you wonder what it’s gonna take for a newbie to break in, one who doesn’t want to play by the rules.

But the truth is the barrier to entry is low.

I just wish that more people knew how to play, but even more knew how to think, how to be their own person.

It’s not about girl power, it’s about people power.

Music is the last bastion of the individual. We like you best when you let your freak flag fly!

How the hell does Dave Grohl know Lionel Richie?

That’s what I said to Felice, employing an f not an h, as Mr. Grohl strode to the front of the stage.

It’s become a ritual, two nights before the Grammys, they honor a superstar and rake in a ton of dough for Musicares, to help musicians, and we all know musicians need help, especially after Katrina, this is one thing the Grammy organization does right, and kudos to them for it.

And this clusterfuck, and that’s truly what it is, is one of the highlights of my year, because I can do twelve months of business in one night, everybody goes, from Jason Flom to Quincy Jones to Gary Dell’Abate… I’d be lying if I told you I was paying attention to the performances.

Because radio used to be segregated. As big as Stevie Wonder was in the seventies, many black acts toiled in the trenches of black radio, never crossing over. Some had hits on AM, but the Blaupunkt in my car stopped getting that band and I missed it not a whit. Radio ruled the decade and it all happened on FM, where rock dominated and the Commodores were someone you saw in the record store.

Until MTV, which democratized music, put the blacks up against the whites. Michael Jackson triumphed and then pop and hip-hop trounced rock and at this point the white sound has been marginalized, oh what a long strange trip it’s been (actually, Bob Weir was sitting at Bill Silva’s table, I talked to the latter, not the former).

Which is to say I’m not steeped in the Lionel Richie canon. I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for “All Night Long,” but that was the eighties, a perfect pop song that you couldn’t get out of your head, kind of like “Still The One” back in ’76. Some tracks are undeniable.

And some tracks can’t be covered by others. Florence of the Machine rearranged “Dancing On The Ceiling” to the point where it was neither here nor there, fish nor fowl, soul nor rock. The Band Perry employed exquisite vocals, why are all the best singers in country these days, and it satisfied but it did not elate.

And that’s when I went to the bathroom. That’s where all the action takes place during the show. After all, there are two tiers of people in attendance, the insiders and the wannabes. The wannabes sit in the back, enthralled, thrilled they’re inside the building, but like Harry in the movie with Sally the insiders ask how long it will be before they can leave, which they do, in droves, before the end, missing Bob Dylan’s once in a lifetime speech last year and Lionel Richie’s moving message this year. Richie came alive, gave props to Motown and Berry Gordy, for educating him and pushing him, one number one was not enough, what did Lionel have in the pipeline? Furthermore, Lionel said to give it all, you can’t take anything with you, funny how only the aged seem to know this and the industrialists think they can defy this, are you listening Sumner Redstone?

But when I was ensconced back in my seat Mr. Grohl took the stage. The hope of a generation, the Gen-X’ers, Mr. Rock and Roll, so overexposed that when he goes away it seems like he’s still here.

But by poking fun at himself for his attendance he calmed the waters, salved the reaction, and told of Lionel sending him a huge muffin basket after Dave fell off the stage and broke his leg.

And Dave was walking quite well, which is quite a statement, as you age you heal much more slowly, and Dave is deep into his fifth decade.

And I assumed Dave would not sing. Not everybody does. There are tributes and introductions and what could be worse than a matchup of Dave Grohl and Lionel Richie music.

But then the band started to play, and like Adam Sandler in the “Wedding Singer” Dave spread his arms and started to sing.

The song was “You Are.” I only know the title because Jimmy Kimmel recited it after Dave was done. But I knew the song. That’s what’s happened in the decades since the musical segregation, all the great hits of yore have seeped into our consciousness, they’re in the air, at weddings, bar mitzvahs, celebrations of all sorts. So when someone starts to sing a hit you smile and sing along.

But you’re never any good. That’s what separates the professionals from the amateurs, their pipes, their talent.

But it turns out Dave Grohl doesn’t sing so well either. It was Kurt who had the pipes in the group. But that works in rock and roll, as long as you stay in your range, Dave sounds perfect in “Learn To Fly,” but on “You Are”..?

He camped it up. He was us.

And unlike the pretenders plying the boards before him, Dave has experience, he’s a professional, he knows it’s about a performance, engaging the audience, creating a bond.

That’s rock and roll.

And that’s what Dave Grohl did last night.

He stood on stage singing a song we all knew and made it about all of us, we were suddenly in it together, we stood and clapped in joy!

You remember exclamation, when you were not there to take selfies, to produce a record of your attendance, but to have an experience and bond with the performer?

That’s what Dave did last night. He created a moment.

I’ve got so much love

That’s what Dave has. For the music, for the business, for the performance, that’s what he conveyed last night with a smile on his face.

You are the sun
You are the rain
That makes my life this foolish game

It’s about songs, the elixir of life that smooths the bumps and keeps us going. They get stuck in our head and never escape. And when we hear them…

Tell me it’s true
I can’t believe you do what you do

These are our heroes, writing and performing these songs.

And my love you’ll see
We’ll stay together, just you and me

There were better voices on stage. Singers who bludgeoned us with their talent. But Dave Grohl entranced us, by being smooth, by evidencing his humanity, knowing that it’s not about getting it perfect, but getting it right.

You had to be there.

Ain’t that what live performance is all about?

Do you feel optimistic? That your best days are in front of you? That you will marry your heart’s desire, live comfortably in a mini-mansion and do fulfilling work until a well-earned retirement?

Then chances are your parents were rich and you went to a good school and you’ve leveraged your relationships to get ahead.

But if you weren’t born on third base, if the guidance counselor in your public school was unaware of need-blind admissions, if everybody on your block was a rapper or a sports star or just doing drugs…

You’re probably wondering where your future went.

Used to be the media was on our side. Divining truth, looking out for us. Before Rupert Murdoch bought the “Wall Street Journal” and Judith Miller convinced “New York Times” readers that an Iraq invasion was justified. Now we can’t believe a thing we read.

As for television, Don Henley had it right, the bubble-headed bleached blond making seven figures wanted us to follow car chases, was more interested in the horse race than truth. It was all fun all the time.

Only it wasn’t.

Kind of like this election cycle. I can’t watch another debate, there’s nothing new to be said. Or the candidates don’t want to say it. The media says it’s important but the truth is it sells advertising and there you have it in a nutshell, the media-industrial complex has pulled away from the populace, and now the populace is rebelling.

It happened in music first, with Napster. Artists and executives couldn’t believe the public would steal music. But the public was sick of being ripped off and saw white collar criminals making double digit millions and not ending up behind bars. Why should they be moral? Especially when the media was constantly flaunting the immorality of artists. Money for nothing indeed.

And then the techies scooped up all the chips. This is when the artists got pissed. They could no longer sit at home and make a living, they had to get out and ply the boards, which may sound glamorous but is not, especially when you’re already married, and if you think the musicians take drugs for fun, you’ve never tried to sleep after giving it your all until midnight.

So the musicians hate the techies, who stole their lunch money. And on one hand you can tell them to get with the program, on another you can ask what kind of country are we living in?

Those musicians who do break through play by the new rules. Which is to do anything for cash and to try and chase the billionaires. They want to fly on their planes, if not buy planes themselves. Meanwhile, those at home are supposed to respect these players, as they have in the past.

Forget the prepubescents adoring wet behind the ear singers with little talent. That’s been going on forever. But an entire generation of music lovers, the baby boomers, and to a great extent their Gen-X brethren, have abandoned the scene. Sure, it’s dense and complicated, but there’s nothing that appeals to them, that satiates their souls, that is music for music’s sake. Everybody’s bitching they’re working too hard and can’t get paid.

Just like the rest of America.

But the rich move their corporations overseas to avoid taxes, not knowing there’s no such option for the public.

The entertainment business keeps telling us to partake of their wares when the truth is we’re disconnecting, not only in music, but film. Sure, grosses may be good, but only for a few flicks. We need cultural touchstones, we don’t need much else.

Like cable television or tablets or…

Cord-cutting is real. We’re sick of paying six bucks for ESPN we don’t watch. And why do we need the latest tablet, which is just product envy at best anyway, the old one is just fine. But the truth is the phablet, the large smartphone, is good enough.

And next we’re abandoning cars. Uber is just a start. Whilst boomers purchase six figure automobiles and prance around in their iron (aluminum!) showing off, youngsters don’t even get their licenses, and are looking forward to the days of self-driving cars.

Talk about change.

And it is all about change. We’ll embrace that which is easier and exciting… But we’re sick of being told we are inadequate and to do it the old way, ordained for the benefit of the rich.

Music labels still trumpet sales when streams are everything, and you can’t stop hearing that there’s not enough money in music. But why should the consumer care, he’s struggling too! And why should the consumer believe this, since everything that was nothing turns into a juggernaut, like computers.

The book business killed digital, sealing its fate as a marginal enterprise.

Those at the top want the status quo and those at the bottom are hungry for real leadership, that speaks to them and watches out for them.

But there’s no story to follow. Kanye West is all about himself. Justin Bieber is a nitwit. And reporters want to hang with their subjects, their publications full of hype to make us feel envious of what the subjects have got.

But we know the truth, we can never have what they have, no matter how much we put our noses to the grindstone, opportunities are scarce, the game is rigged. Some of us have given up, the rest of us are hoping for a revolution.

That’s what happens when there’s too much injustice. And the injustice in this case is institutions and groups who want to maintain the status quo to the detriment of the rest of us, and make us pay fealty and become wannabes to boot. You know why Oscar ratings are tanking? NO ONE CARES!

The public needs food and sex and shelter and entertainment.

But it also needs hope.

Right now what we’ve got is mainly false hope. Duplicity. Bait and switch. Envy. And as a result, disillusionment reigns.

That’s the story of Donald Trump, that’s the story of Bernie Sanders. They’re speaking a truth to their constituents that listeners don’t hear elsewhere. It’s thrilling to have politicians looking out for you as opposed to guarded corporatists always plotting to get ahead in the future, benefiting themselves, not caring about anyone else. Mark Zuckerberg tweaks Facebook algorithms for himself, not for you, not even for corporations. But we can’t stop hearing about the triumphant social network.

Sure, there are idiots spinning falsehoods trying to become social media stars. And the media whips out winners to keep us playing the game, as if everyone could win the lottery.

But the truth is the game is rigged and no one is on our side. The artists jettisoned us long ago, when MTV could make them rich, when Napster made it harder to make money. The media is like the musicians, complaining of lost advertising and thinner margins. The websites say we have to endure click-bait to pay their bills. Every entity in America is desperately trying to climb and survive, meanwhile we’re at home out of options.

So when you see the shiny show on TV, when you read about the rich and famous, don’t buy it. Know that there are more just like you, that the power lies with the people, not the corporations.

It’s morning in America, and the entrenched are about to get a huge wake-up call.

BBC Music Moguls Masters Of Pop 3 of 3 Myth Makers 720p

Kanye West is playing the media like a fiddle.

You’re sitting at home scratching your head. How does a guy without a hit record sell out Madison Square Garden for a fashion show?

The media made him hot, it reports on everything Kanye does. And like Donald Trump, he says the unthinkable, he boasts about his greatness and being squeezed out of fashion’s inner circle and the public eats up every word, because people need heroes and they ain’t gonna be Anna Wintour and the rest of the ice cold icons, but a guy like them, who came up from the deep.

It’s about clicks, readers, ads. Media needs eyeballs to succeed. Reporters love Kanye West. It’s got nothing to do with credibility or art, it’s about story.

Just like Taylor Swift. My insider brethren puked when Taylor gave fans Christmas presents. At least do it anonymously, don’t record it, don’t go for the victory lap. But this wasn’t about doing a solid for her fans so much as keeping her name in the news. And the media reported it and the public bought it.

Like Jimi Hendrix burning up his guitar at Monterey. It was pre-planned, it was his PR agent Keith Altham’s idea. It’s not that Jimi wasn’t talented, but how do you get everybody to write about him, how do you get everybody’s attention?

That’s the game. And it keeps changing. Right now social media is king.

But it’s all a manipulation. If you feel duped, you should. Controversy sells. And the stars you admire are oftentimes not the geniuses, but the people behind them.

Now they couldn’t make a show like this in the U.S. Because we’re so busy lauding the players that they overwhelm the message. Story is secondary to special effects. Tom Wolfe’s “Right Stuff” made Chuck Yeager a star, but that wasn’t the point, that’s what the press took out of it. They needed someone to champion.

Are we gonna champion you?

“But the things that last are worth having lies told about in the first place.”

So Pete Townshend says his band sucks, he slags others as pretentious. Spontaneous outburst? No, done upon the instruction of his manager Chris Stamp, who saw that a little controversy would aid the band.

You’ve got to have the chops. But that’s not enough, certainly not today, where there are so many messages, where you’re competing not only against the pros but the amateurs.

If I have to listen to one more story about the money PewDiePie makes…

That’s right, I know who he is, I tried to watch one of his videos, I was bored to tears. It’s a blip on the radar screen, it’s not forever, but YouTube has to show someone is making money other than them and it’s a good headline, especially for people who don’t care. Guy playing video games online makes millions? That’s INTERESTING!

We know that Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube because we’ve heard the story over and over and over again. The press doesn’t want to print the usual suspect story, how an act is a label priority, the songs were written by Max Martin and every promotion man is on the case. No, they’re looking for something that will titillate the audience, who cares if it’s true!

Ozzy Osbourne biting off the head of a bat…

Van Halen and the brown M&M’s…

Do you think these were major news events that the AP couldn’t help but spread on the wire?

No, they were manipulations foisted upon you by the handlers and the press so you’d pay attention. They’re good stories, nothing more.

Not that Ozzy and Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix are not good.

It’s just that they needed a bit of a push.

The press turned on Taylor Swift, saying she a dating nightmare, a stalker out for revenge. Did she get up in arms, did she sue? No, she gave access, she embraced her enemies, she made them complicit in the game, she gave them what they want…more eyeballs.

If you want to be out front you’ve got to worry about your image and if you want to break big you’ve got to be in the news every damn day. This is what the alta kacher musicians don’t understand… You can’t sell if you’re not top of mind. Don’t come with an album every three years and expect us to care for more than a month. You’ve got to feed us constantly, so we’re drawn to your work, so we talk about your work, so you make money.

You’re competing against everybody. Your video on YouTube is up against the finger-puller, the sports stunt, the wannabe musician. Used to be you had to get signed to a label to play, and if you weren’t on the radio, good luck. Now, if you’re not down in the pit with the great unwashed you’re not gonna survive.

And sure, you risk overexposure…

But it’s one thing to satiate your fans, it’s another to piss people off.

And how many people knew who Meek Mill was before he started attacking Drake?

Forget the hogwash about the music business revolution, the one wherein the established players are toppled by the wannabes with new tools. That’s just a canard sold to you by people who get rich giving you hope. Whereas you can’t even get access to those truly in power. And those in the driver’s seat are skilled, with relationships. Now, more than ever, we hear great songs that go nowhere, because there’s no buzz, no story, no one pushing the button putting the player up front and center. For a moment there you could zoom to the top via spontaneous virality, but that disappeared with the aughts.

We’re serious now.

Competition is stronger than ever.

And the reason you know about certain acts and not others is because those acts employ professionals to get the story out and the media repeats it. And this is not sending a bio, don’t even bother. Can the MP3. Better to have a riot at your show. Or to sing about sex with Taylor Swift, which Kanye did.

And isn’t it funny that it wasn’t Beyonce’s fans trumpeting her Super Bowl performance, but the right wing media who were offended, who bought right into the story, that she was a revolutionary who was anti-police.

No, she’s just another pop star trying to make a living.

See also – Music Moguls