Janice Williams Loves Austin

You’re right, I’ve been a slacker this week and I need to get back in the swing of blogging. My mom was here for most of the week, visiting, and it was more fun to talk to her and watch TV than think of something to write about. But I’ll be back in the habit soon, I swear.

And I’m starting tonight with my recap of the Grammys. First, I just heard that Austin’s Pinetop Perkins won a Grammy that was not televised. Congratulations to him. There will be a celebration for him on Wednesday night at Antone’s. Yes, you just might see me there.

Otherwise, I thought the Grammys were very good tonight. I’ve quit watching them for the last few years because it always seemed to be full of music that was uninteresting to me. Tonight’s telecast was varied and interesting and covered all the genres of music and honored the old and the new.

So now, let me take you into our living room as Mark and I watched the show. He makes shows like this so much more interesting because he knows interesting information about so many artists that play or are honored. With that in mind, here are some of my notes and our snarky comments as we watched (and forgive me if I misspell, it’s too late to be Googling the people I don’t know).

First, if you read no further than this, the highlight of the night for us was Vince Gill’s acceptance speech for the Country Album of the Year. Ringo Starr and Dave Stewart presented the award. Vince Gill accepted and then said, “I just had an award given to me by a Beatle! Have you had that happen yet, Kanye?” If you will recall, Kanye has been very vocal when he has been passed over for various awards.

So I guess the second highlight of the night was when Herbie Hancock received the honor of Album of the Year, the biggest award of the night. Mark’s kept exclaiming, “I love it. I love it. Herbie Hancock I don’t even know the record and I love it.” Funny. Kanye will probably be on all the gossip sites tomorrow complaining about how he didn’t get what he deserved.

Okay, now the rest, chronologically.

Alicia Keys sings with Frank Sinatra. How do they do that?

Carrie Underwood steps out on stage with a stage full of performers in Stomp? They are banging on trash cans and look like they’ve just crawled up from the sewer. Mark comments “I love country music.” Carrie was very good though. We like her.

Jill Scott is up for Best Female R&B. I say, “I’ve never heard of her.” Mark says, “Yes you have.” I find that very funny. Still don’t think I’ve heard of her.

Beatles tributes were good. That kid could sing!! The Cirque de Soleil show looks interesting, but still a little creepy.

Miley Cyrus and Cyndi Lauper take the stage to prevent an award. Miley says, “Cyndi won best new artist in 1985 and that is just amazing.” Marks adds, “. . . especially if you had heard her sing!”

The Beatles music is nominated twice in one category (Soundtracks). One of them wins and George Martin and his son and Ringo accept. I like that the Beatles are still relevant.

Tina Turner and Beyonce sing Proud Mary. I look up Tina Turner’s age on the internet. 68! She is incredible. Yes, she’s looking like she’s slowed down a lot since the 1980s, but the woman is 68! I couldn’t wear clothes that tight and I’m 20 years younger. Beyonce is a knockout and so talented. Marks says, “I bet that Beyonce could kick your ass. . . .look at those legs!” I agree, that is some powerful woman!

I looked up Andy Williams and Burt Bacharach ages, too. They are both 80. This reminded me of watching shows like this with my family and we’d pull out the Reader’s Digest almanac to look up ages. It isn’t necessarily easier now, but at least they all are on the internet somewhere.

Brad Paisley sings Ticks. I’m glad they had another country performance, but why not Vince Gill. I hate that song Ticks. It is the kind of song that you enjoy in a bar when someone sings it and you laugh and then you forget it. It is not the kind of song I want to hear on the radio every 4.6 hours in high rotation. Love him. Hate the song. Fast forwarded. And the neon ticks just made it worse.

Dierks Bentley comes out with Carole King. I wonder how many people watching know who she is and what a phenomenal songwriter she is. Mark did backline at a wedding a couple of years ago here in Austin and it was her son or stepson getting married. She was there as a guest. A cool brush with fame.

NOTE: Backline is when someone supplies the drums, amps, pianos, organs, etc. for a band that doesn’t bring their own gear to a gig. That is Mark’s job so he has close contact with lots of these performers.

We liked Feist. Mark says there is an interesting story about her but he couldn’t remember so I’ll have to look her up. Her singing reminded me of Melanie singing “Brand New Key.” Remember that one?

Poor Keely Smith being teamed up with that idiot Kid Rock. I like her on my Louis Prima records. She still has it, too . . . but Louis is dead and she has to work with Kid Rock. (I think Louis Prima is dead. I’m not going to go look it up.)

Speaking of backline, I bet no one else made the comments Mark made when Alicia Keys performed again. She played her big piano and then got up and just sang with the wireless mic. She moves to the stage that juts out into the audience. On that stage is another keyboard. She reaches over to play a note or two, then goes back to the main stage. Mark wonders why they have that keyboard. I say, “For her to play!” Mark gets disgusted that the backline guys on the Grammys had to “set up that whole thing so she can touch it twice!”

I do like John Mayer playing with Alicia Keys. My nephews and sister hipped me to how cool he is and his Stevie Ray Vaughn influence makes him okay by me.

An example of Mark’s extensive knowledge. Max Roach (who just passed away in 2007) received one of the Grammy legend-type awards. I didn’t know who he was. Mark says “He was an architect of the whole bebop jass thing. He had a very long career and recorded with all the giants–Coltrane. He was known for playing drums in a melodic way. He had a song called The Drum Also Waltzes.” I swear, Mark is a walking music encyclopedia.

LOVED the orchestra and Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang playing Rhapsody in Blue! I don’t know that there are enough opportunities for people to hear great classics like that anymore and I’m glad they did it on the Grammys. Beautiful song.

My sister emailed during the show and was glad the writers were on strike because it seemed to make them fill with more performances instead. She may have a point. I wish they had filled with music instead of letting Taylor Swift and Juarez have their awkward stilted “ad libbed” moment. Boring. Juarez is a HUGE superstar. Mark did his backline at an Austin City Limits taping last year and said it was pure insanity with the roomful of screaming women.

Finally, they got to Amy Winehouse in London. I do hope that woman gets her life straightened out. I love her music. I heard “Rehab” at a Supercuts one day and had to immediately go find out who it was and get that album. I thought she had a terrific performance. I liked when she made her “fank you” speech. That accent! Mark marveled that his company did her backline just last year at South By Southwest. Yes, she was one of those nearly unknowns that was playing some club for 30 minutes during that chaotic week of spring. She’s come a long way in a year!

When they go through all of the famous people who have died I always am surprised by their deaths once again. I found myself saying “Oh, HE died?” and then realizing I knew it at the time. Luciano Pavarotti, Porter Wagoner, Hank Thompson. Mark hadn’t heard that John Stewart died just a few weeks ago. I knew him from the song “Gold” (with backing vocals by Stevie Nicks). It was a hit in my first year or two of radio. But I learned when he died that he wrote “Daydream Believer,” (Monkees) too.

Big almost-finale of music with John Fogerty, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard. Interesting to watch Fogerty after Mark had just worked with him at Christmas (and I wrote about that in the blog). He is getting old. Jerry Lee Lewis IS old, there’s no getting about it. But Little Richard seemed in fine form and still looked exactly like he has for 50 years. Advice to young up-and-comers: Wear make-up and wigs when you are young and you will never get old! I commented that Little Richard was great but seemed very angry. Mark said, “He’s probably mad that he’s facing the wrong way. He always faces the other direction at the piano.” I said, “Would he really get mad about something like that?” Mark said, oh, yes. Mark did the backline for Little Richard at that big 40 Acres event last year on the UT campus. He said Little Richard was quite demanding. He also has troubles with his legs and they spent the show trying to make his piano stool comfortable and high enough for him. That might have been an issue tonight, too, because he appeared to have just a regular piano bench.

Then the big finale with Herbie Hancock getting the first album of the year for a jazz performer in 43 years. I wonder when (or if) a country album has gotten album of the year. But that question will have to wait. No Googling tonight.

So now you have spent an evening at our house watching an awards show. It is one of our favorite things to do . . . as long as we can fast forward through the commercials, the boring acceptance speeches, and the lame performances.