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I used to have some respect for Lady Gaga. With all her pretentious Yoko Onanisms, Stefani Germanotta, Gaga’s real name, is actually a hard-working and, at times, polished singer.
But to watch Gaga, at the 61st Grammy Awards, perform a number called “Shallow” was to endure an assault on the eyes and the ears.
Legs permanently splayed like an arthritic street walker, Gaga traipsed around catatonically, attempting to head-bang, but getting disoriented. Some things are best left to a macho, metal-head guy.
Gaga’s look was not a good one. But her sound, which is what counts here, was positively terrible. Yet, Gaga—lugging microphone and mount around like a geriatric with a walker—was a highlight in what was a pornographic, cacophonous extravaganza.
Aside the gorgeous Alicia Keys , host of the 2019 Grammys, who is talented and charming, and Dolly Parton, a consummate pro—the event showcased the gutter culture that is the American music scene. The country is truly in the musical sewer.
The petulant female artists, so proud of their seized power, showcased power, all right—but it was all in the hips, the pelvis, and in thrusts and twerks of the tush. Not one transcendent, inspiringly beautiful dance move did these throngs of crass stompers execute, on the pimped stage.
Janelle Monáe? The sum total of this artiste’s musical “talent” is simulating sex on stage. “Let the v-gina monologue,” she hissed venomously at her adoring, masochistic fans, while moving her nether regions to a base, atavistic beat. Indeed, in an orifice, Miss Monáe has found the right interlocutor.
Let us stipulate for the record that this is never about lyrics. Cardi B screaming that she “likes morning sex” but that nothing in this world does she love “more than checks” is not an issue.
Put it this way, if the greatest composer ever, Johann Sebastian Bach, set his divine, god-like cantatas to the saucy, naughty lyrics of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, would I decry his sublime composition as immoral? Don’t be daft. The music of J.S. Bach would still be sublime if it were set to Cardi B’s gutter language.
My point: Cardi B doesn’t make music. The category for which she and her sisters should be nominated, if I am being charitable, is street theatre.
Incessant, asinine, genital-speak is one of the things that distinguishes these female artistes (as in “a person with artistic pretensions”) and makes them particularly repulsive. Do they not realize some things are best left veiled and mysterious?
Women of Monáe’s ilk are first to robotically protest the objectification of their sex, but are complicit in ensuring that The Act itself suffers the very same fate: sex has been made an object, a fashionable accessory, part of an empowering, emasculating life-style.
Screaming there was aplenty at Grammys No. 61. But good voices? None at all. Informed we were that the insipid Kacey Musgraves, a two-chord whiner, is what passes for country music, these days.
While I don’t much care for the country twang, for a while, country music was the closest to rock one could get. The riffs, the relative facility with the instruments, and the musicians’ manliness—amid the rapid queering of rock outfits—resembled the rock of yesteryear. But Kacey Musgraves versus the fabulous Faith Hill? Never the twain shall meet. Why, Musgraves makes me miss Sarah McLachlan and her soft-pop Lilith bosom buddies.
The only great melodies on stage, February 10, 2019, were the few achingly beautiful old songs botched by the newbies’ ugly warbling.
Yes, it’s the custom to yodel and ululate. Nobody learns to sing properly. An example of a caterwauling duo was Chloe x Halle, who absolutely mutilated the exquisite, evocative “Where Is The Love,” performed, in 1972, by Donny Hathaway and the heavenly Roberta Flack.
Again, not one memorable song did I hear, sporting a decent chord progression and some melodic variety; not one vaguely competent guitarist or instrumentalist: nothing at all. As musicians, most of the performers were objectively G-d-awful. Moving melodies, harmonic complexity, gorgeous arrangements, furious licks, superb singing and impossible time-signature fluctuations—by the sound of it, these are competencies lost.
Players (Chris Cornell – “When Bad Does Good”) sustained one or two pitches and exhibited little proficiency on any of the instruments they belabored (St. Vincent, “Masseduction“).
In all, instrumentalist these days can mostly only strum, and produce an amorphous blend—an ill-differentiated, sloppy sonic porridge. Such a structureless cacophony pleases the lazy ear because it’s repetitive, and chock-full of blurry, angst-riddled crescendos.
This deficit in skill is understandable. Why bother acquiring instrumental proficiency, instruction in composition or voice training, when a guitar is just a sexy prop? Swaying hips, a jutting pelvis, bedroom whispers or affectation and attitude (Dua Lipa, H.E.R. ) will get you all the attention and fame you crave, because these gutter-culture commodities are what’s in demand.
Which is where Cardi B comes in. “Be Careful” (an actual Cardi B number, in whose video she culturally appropriates the “Kill Bill” wedding scene). Even if you forget that a glorified lap dancer is not a musician; don’t get addicted to this woman’s audial porn.
As to H.E.R, formerly Gabi: She calls her winning album an “EP,” which stands for “extended play.” My point precisely. What my trained ear hears is aimless, skills-less, stream-of-consciousness, monotonous musical phrases, characterized by little to no harmonic resolution, other than spasms of caterwauling.
And the winner is … Give it up for technology. The tartlets I watched “sing” at the 61st Grammys would have been even more inaudible and tuneless were it not for the mighty Auto-Tune: the “holy grail of recording,” that “corrects intonation problems in vocals or solo instruments, in real time, without distortion or artifacts.”
Indeed, this T & A line-up would be reduced to even more embarrassing grunts, out-of-tune yelps, and bedroom whispers, if not for the Auto-Tune technology.
***
Ilana Mercer has been writing a weekly, paleolibertarian column since 1999. She is the author of “Into the Cannibal’s Pot: Lessons for America From Post-Apartheid South Africa” (2011) & “The Trump Revolution: The Donald’s Creative Destruction Deconstructed” (June, 2016). She’s on Twitter, Facebook, Gab & YouTube
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Dolly Parton’s attempts to erase the effects of aging have turned her into a hedious caricature.
Linda Ronstadt on modern country music:
I didn’t watch the show but I listened to all the songs the next day. Not anything even close to a hit, much of it just plain garbage. In 2 years no one will remember who sang any of these songs and they won’t remember any lyrics. In 5 years they will all be totally forgotten. Very sad.
Why did you subject yourself to this, Ilana? Channel changer or off switch broken on the TV? It sounds as if it was three hours of your life you won’t get back!
Yeah, of course it is utter shit.
But you guys are the types who think Queen is the apex of musical wonderment.
Thus disqualifying any and all of your judgments.
Ms. Mercer,
I couldn’t agree more. It is truly sad that such drivel is perceived by current young adults as something worthy. There is a reason why Joni Mitchell got out of the BUSINESS.
At a recent dinner party, two young adult children of the host, visiting from Seattle, sat me down to listen to multiple “songs” by a popular rap singer to convince me that the music had merit. Instead, I had them focus on the insipidity of the melodic lines. After four such exercises, I could see their slight dismay. Then I asked them to listen to an alternative recent song, “Take Me To Paris” by Inara George. By the end of the first stanza, the women at the table had to get up and retire to the kitchen, as they were emotionally overwhelmed. It seems they had never experienced the direct connection that a brilliant combination of melody and lyric can make to human emotional and intuitive cores.
I am 65, and blessed to have artist like Inara George creating new work I can really enjoy. I just found a local (Atlanta) artist who goes by Adron, with a recent album called “Water Music” that is filled with brilliantly composed melodies, great lyrics, wonderful vocal and instrumental performances. All is not lost, quite yet.
Is there anything you dont reply to??? You’re just a another troll who needs to be blocked.
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And, of course, here’s what the best country musician ever, Merle Haggard, had to say about the present state of the art:
“I can’t tell what they’re doing. They’re talking about screwing on a pickup tailgate and things of that nature. I don’t find no substance. I don’t find anything you can whistle and nobody even attempts to write a melody. It’s more of that kids stuff. It’s hot right now, but I’ll tell you what, it’s cooling off.”
This, sadly, is true as regards her looks. But Dolly “means well.” And she was and is a tremendous musician. And a nice person.
‘Jolene’ is a more moving and interesting song than anything on the stage at the Grammy’s. And it’s probably not even my favorite Dolly song.
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the usual musical Jewporn.
inflicted on us by the poisonous ((recording industry))),
itself a branch of
(((Hollywood))).
something which the (((Issacsohn-Mercer))) is well aware of,
but somehow neglected to mention.
Says somebody “replying” to a non-reply. Who doesn’t even know what a reply is.
My friend, I listened to the song you highlighted as a brilliant combination of melody and lyric , and while her voice is appealing and the musical arrangement is simple yet tastefully done, if you consider this lyrical brilliance, I am sorry to inform you that you have become one of them.
That is, to put it simply, “a sophisticated prole.” This quite frankly sounds like something that they would play during a coffee commercial and selling in the front bin at Starbucks.
You see, the point of the modern conspiracy is to make everyone a prole. When that happens, people such as yourself can see themselves as the one eyed man in the land of the blind…without acknowledging that they have one eye.
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Depth?
There is rap, much deeper than the music posted above, although once again, it is melodic and attractive. and there is no necessity that says that you must like something that you do not. It is quite possible that rap, or black music at a whole does not appeal to your sensibilities, that is not a problem. But I would say that true intellect involves being able to fairly assess the merits of that which you like, as well as that which you do not.
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Pleasant voice but Ms George desperately needs to learn breath control.
I’m a flea market guy specializing in vintage vinyl. Some of my customers are collectors. Some are nostalgic for the music they grew up with. Some are audiophiles. And some are young people. Teens and twenty’s who are just looking for good music. Popular American music is indeed experiencing a dark age.
Agreed. But I hate to see vanity cause a person to the extremes.
Okay, the first couple of minutes of your video are a little funny, overweight, hipster-bearded White guy lip-syncing some bad rhyming. Funny, I guess. But do you guys call your sad imitation of what was called “Beat Poetry” in the ” 50’s, “black music”? Another thing I find humorous is these beat poets, I mean “rappers”, who rhyme about how their people need to do better. You guys really believe in the hoodoo, don’t you?
Rodger Waters
Lady Gaga in 25 years.
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SNL’s entire production staff is Jewish. Its writing staff is Jewish. Everybody at NBC corporate is Jewish. So here’s what Jews think is funny, from SNL’s 2/09/19 Halsey episode:
cold open – Jeff Bezos’ penis
Them Trumps – racist cops
blackface conference
video about inappropriate Valentine’s Day cards from family members, includes the lyrics: “I’m bumpin’, I’m bangin’, I’m bonin’…”
[THE ONLY non-SJW or non-sexual sketch: escalating family phone disasters]
women of Congress (Dem superheroes, no republicans)
Weekend Update slams VA guv, but omits he’s a Democrat
Pence gay innuendo joke
Abusive karaoke singers
Black History month tribute (emphasis, No Whites Allowed)
Online butt fetish
Noisy corpse
So it also goes in the music industry: incest, twerking, bitches ‘n hos, niggas, crime, violence … the more transgressive, the more Jews love it. Without yet seeing tonight’s SNL, I can already predict its debauchery vibe.
obwandiyag: They’re mad because you hurt their feelings by saying rock is/was not the bestest music evah.
Seriously, someone with real writing talent (not I) should post a tongue-in-cheek description of Prince or Springsteen or Dylan or some member of Pink Floyd or Jagger as the greatest musician OF ALL TIME; at least 80% of the people who comment here would be completely taken in. That’s how far we’ve sunk.
This is a very interesting phenomenon in the West and seems tragic. I remember that the queens of India and Pakistan, Lata Mangeshkar and Noor Jehan respectively, singing well into their grandma years in front of massive audiences looking – well, like grandmas…
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Peace.
I don’t understand, is this a bad thing?
Richie, I’ve read a few dozen of your posts now, and it seems as though you could have written the “white guy’s verse” yourself, or at least agree with most of it. Am I mistaken?
You mean Roger Waters?
If not I am not familiar with your reference.
This one doesn’t have a tatt on her forehead.
Yeah, I think Lata Ji was like almost 70 in that concert I posted.
Just sayin’, women should be able to age with dignity and not worry about competing with 25 year old tarts. That’s the way I see it anyway.
Peace.
Gaga below par at *GRAMMYS 2019*
Sorry Truth, I could only get through about the first minute and a half of the video, that beat poetry thing just reminds me too much of Allen Ginsberg and Ned Flanders’ parents. That being said, I don’t think preaching about taking care of your kids, getting a job and whatever else he was saying, works. I know a lot of black people do that “positive thinking” thing and keep repeating self help mantras to themselves, there’s a nice black girl in my company who has post-its all over her desk about how she’s strong and getting stronger and getting smarter, I just don’t buy into it. If Led Zeppelin would’ve come out with an album about how White kids should study harder and take care of their bastards, they would’ve been laughed off the stage. I’ll bet the young kids listening to these preachy “raps” are laughing, too.
Ah the one-eye…the age/epoch of Horus…the prevalence of the one-eye is indeed increasing:
Peace.
Richie, RICHIE…
The point of the song was not “positive thinking”, the point of the song was to get in the head of the “typical” white man as to his frustrations with black people. THAT’S…WHY…HE HAD…A WHITE MAN…LIP SYNCH IT…
I thought this was fairly obvious.
I guess it was a little to deep for you after all.
But that’s alright, I hear GWAR is coming to Barclays this summer.
Damn! I thought I snuck that one by!
You are slick Bro.
Zechariah 11:17.
How would an eggplant have any idea what was in the head of a Human Being, I mean White man? We are so different from you guys, you have no clue what we’re thinking about.
I agree with Diversity Heretic above. Use the on/off switch. The kids call what you did “Hate Watching”. I can’t listen to more than a minute or two of techno or rap or the rest of that.
For myself, I’ll not bemoan the death of guitar virtuosity as long as Albert Lee, Vince Gill, Steuart Smith, Hershel Yatovitz, Bruce Cockburn, and/or David Hildago are still working. AFAIK Jason Boland, Brian Henneman, Chris Isaak, Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Great Divide and a host of others are still cranking out fantastic Rock & Roll. You will never hear this on the Grammys or on the radio crammed between 30 minutes of commercials every hour, but it’s out there.
You’re right there Richie, I shouldn’t be trying to mimic the white man’s way of life. I actually tried that once, about 10 years ago I had just turned 40 and I wanted to experience the vastly different lifestyle that the white man lives, so I tried something that I had never done before, and no black person whom I know has either; I ate food.
It was a little strange but then an hour later I had this incredible urge to go to that little room in the back of the house that I always see white people going to and hiding for 15-20 minutes at a time.
A few years later a white man told me it’s called “the bathroom.” I sat on this white, ceramic throne, and this foul-smelling brown substance expressed itself from my recutum.
Quite traumatizing. I will never do that again.
There are always extremes and the US is nothing but a nation of extremes like few others. During my extensive time in the US I often encountered black and white Americans who got along fine both socially and in the workplace, these were mostly middle and upper middle class people. I often commented that the people on 30K PA had more in common with others of different races earning a similar amount than they do with those of the same race who were earning vastly more.
Ghetto blacks do as much harm to the image of black Americans as do white trailer trash to the image of white Americans. There would probably be more chance of real progress were the pressure on the degenerates to come from those of their own respective races. Can’t we all just get along?
True beauty is indeed ageless. Some women have a very short shelf-life while others maintain their beauty throughout their lives. Few things are sadder to me than when a genuine beauty reaches a “certain age”, has “work done” and mutilates herself. Instead of preserving their youthfulness and good looks a great many end up looking like freaks.
Obviously it stems from ego and insecurity which is largely due to cultural influences. It’s tragic.
Jewish country music:
Jewish Rock ‘n’ Roll music:
Yeah, well, I notice you’re still using the White man’s language, typing on the White man invented computer, probably wearing White man style clothing, living in a country built by White men. And probably still staring lovingly at that picture of Ann Coulter with Kid Dy-No-Mite wishing it were you standing there. Man, I wish you guys would’ve listened to Marcus Garvey.
Hey, I hear Palermo (or the Ukraine, I’m starting to wonder about you to be honest, Bro) Is pretty nice too.
I wish I could move there. Everyone I know who goes to Southern Europe tells me it’s a paradise. And now they’re keeping out the “refugees”, has to get better. Maybe?
I remember seeing a picture of the two together a while back – there was some serious “hover hand” going on. Anybody can do that. Tons of nerds line up at comic-book conventions to stand next to pretty blonds that they can “hover hand” with. Ain’t no thang!
Peace.
Yeah, but there are probably a dozen pictures of them together wearing different clothes.
If it was that nice, you’re great-great grandfolks would not have left.
And I’ve been to a few countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, including Italy (although not Sicily). It is a paradise… IF you’re an American on vacation. Otherwise you smile and serve them wine, or try to sell some touristy crap to them (which is increasingly made in China), or you get a job (which are becoming increasingly rare), and try to raise your family in a 400 sq. foot flat on $150 American dollars a week.
The truth is, that most of those people in “paradise” are trying to move to the snowy rainy regions of the north where the smart white people live.
And this is from a man who as been there and talked to them.
OK – that would imply that they are friends or acquaintances, but the “hover hand” implies that they are not together. I just looked it up and seems like he does have his hand on her shoulder or waist in a couple of other pictures, so…DYNOMITE!
Now here’s the thing Truth, which one according to you is the biological man in that duo though?
Peace.
Well, you’re wrong. A hundred years ago, maybe a little more, when Europe was overcrowded and the US was pretty empty, people were trying to leave. No one is trying to leave Southern Europe for Northern Europe or the US anymore. There are people from Eastern Europe moving West, but even those numbers have dropped.
As for my grandfather, he left for a little adventure, his brothers and cousins that stayed behind did pretty well. And they have a great lifestyle. But that’s the way it goes. My grandfather loved America, baseball and the Constitution. So I get to grow old here.
Both. I’d put a year’s salary on a chromosome test.
This is getting bad. I didn’t know the Superbowl was happening this year until the Friday before it was played. Of course, I didn’t know who was playing, but I never do.
Now the Grammys have come and gone without me knowing about it. I usually hear about it beforehand somewhere, online usually. It seems I’ve taken avoiding popular culture to a whole new level (for me.) I’m happy about that, but I wondering if/when I’m going to start sitting on my front porch holding a shotgun.
The last memorable Grammy awards “ceremonies” was when Hannah Montana (I don’t know how to spell her real name) did her vulgar thing. I didn’t watch the show, but saw her controversial performance on youtube. That year, she was lambasted by the unbelievably arbitrary media for being too crude, while a nearly nude Lady Gaga, wearing little more than a couple of clam shells, was held up as the epitome of style and grace – a model that Hannah should strive for. Okay. I guess there are good tramps and bad tramps.
I owned a music store for nearly twenty years, yet the Grammy awards “ceremony” is absolutely the last thing I’d ever want to see. There’s something sad about that buried in there somewhere. Even sadder is that I find those two women more repulsive without clothes than with.
Love it! Hey if you have a photo with the hand showing the long ring finger, I’d love to see it.
Peace.
No offence but you sound 75 years old and fixated on the music of your youth, and you’re completely out of touch. St. Vincent is phenomenal, as were many of the other artists on stage that night.
My friend, and I’m not trying to be mean when I say this, but the stuff you write on topics, like immigration and race-relations, is humorous. Maybe you are one of these CIA paid shills, because it is so over the top ridiculous, but I tend just to take you as what you are, and Eyetalian, blue-collar guy from the Tri-state area.
I’ve known these guys, so I tend to believe it. I knew one guy for instance who had to go to the midwest for the first time and rented a big caddy. He was driving around looking for an address on a dark road and was traumatized by not being able to see where he was driving. My friend asked if he put on his high-beam and the guy said “what’s that?” He had been in NY/NJ HIS WHOLE LIFE and didn’t know cars came with them.
In any event, Richie, people in Southern Europe would sacrifice their eye teeth for an American visa. Just take my word on this one. I’ve worked in the Middle East and Asia and been to Europe a few times as well as parts of Latin America… and this is not bragging because compared to MANY people I know, my background makes me nothing more than an American knave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=182&v=bqo-7rtGwOU
Talha, I look back at my atheist/Buddhist days, and I wonder how I could have been so stupid.
Dang…there it is again. Wow!
One thing to keep your eye(s) on. The Saudis are opening up their country for more archaeological exploration – the stuff I’m reading about that is coming out of that area has the potential to really shake a lot of historical assumptions up.
Peace.
I think you’re right, and I also think that they know exactly what they are going to find.
Speaking of the digit ratio thing. They say that it is about 95% accurate, men will have a longer ring finger 95% of the time, women will have a longer/even pointer.
Talha, the world we live in is basically a carnival funhouse. Sometimes I just want to get off.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1752267-mike-tysons-recent-revelations-show-he-has-toughest-bout-yet-on-his-hands
quote
“the event showcased the gutter culture that is the American music scene.”
Exactly!
I may be old[er] (62) but I got to see all the good bands.
When you first introduced me to that, it blew my mind. I even checked out my wife’s hand – even though I’ve literally seen her give birth to my kids!
That is exactly what it is:
“Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children; as the likeness of vegetation after the rain, where the growth is pleasing to the tiller, afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter is a severe torment, and forgiveness from God and (His) Good Pleasure. The life of this world is but delusion of enjoyment“. [57:20]
That video by Mike Tyson was great – I hope he does stay sober.
Peace.
Alicia Keys is not gorgeous! She is considered beautiful because she’s black. If judged as a white woman,she’s meh. And why the hideous outfit and giant headscarf?
Yeah, I really liked Mike, but look at his hand.
Well, you, being a Negro, would never be able to understand the mind of an Italian, but you’re certainly entitled to your opinion.
Yes of course. Sorry about the misspell
The Grateful Dead were (was?) the backup band on this album.
What an asshole you are.
Only on the studio tracks. The Grateful Dead are/were incapable of the musicianship demonstrated on the live tracks.
The article seems to say that Chris Cornell performed at the 2019 Grammy Awards. He died in May 2017.