There was a time when rock and roll dominated the musical landscape of
the United States and the world. That time, however, is now long past.
Gone are the days when Pearl Jam and Nirvana, or Led Zeppelin and the
Eagles, or the Beatles and the Rolling Stones dominated music with rock
and roll lifestyles, actual instruments, meaningful lyrics and, to put
it bluntly, real talent. Here seemingly to stay are bands put together
by corporations, lip-syncing, synthesizers and sampling and a focus more
on costumes and makeup and dancers than actual music.
If it seems like a degradation of the American music scene…well, that’s
because it is. This year’s Grammy Awards are a perfect exercise in the
extremes. "Musicians" such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars may be
the focus now, but Dave Grohl, formerly the drummer of Nirvana and now
frontman for Foo Fighters, will be one of the few representing rock and
roll at this year’s Grammys. Noted Grohl, "It feels great to be the guy
with gray hair in his beard who is still invited to these things. Twenty
years ago, I never thought I'd even have a career in music this long."
Grohl is 43 years old, old enough to be the father of many of today’s
performers.
Is there anyone out there who Grohl really likes now? Turns out that
he’ll be competing with Adele for album of the year, and it is, in fact,
Adele who he thinks highly of. Noted Grohl, "I'm glad that we're with
Adele in the same category. It means we've done something right. I think
she gives us all hope. She's made an incredible record, and she's an
incredibly talented artist, so maybe it is true that the cream actually
rises to the top. There's a reason why that record is so (expletive)
huge. It's good. It's inspiring when something legitimate gets
recognized for what it is. It's such a cliche, but it's a huge
achievement to be nominated."
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