I'm not ready to make nice, I'm not ready to back down

A few years ago I purposely stopped watching the Grammys on t.v.; and forced myself to not read anything directly about them. As the music fan that I am, this was a loss, because I could count on the people at the RIAA (the Recording Industry Association of America--the people behind the Grammys) to expose me to some good music during their annual broadcast--Diana Krall, Shakira and Ricky Martin come to mind. And don't laugh: if you saw Ricky perform La Copa de la Vida on the broadcast, you understand.

Anyways, sometime after Diana sang I Can't Give You Anything But Love with Erika Badu, the RIAA decided to start suing people over file sharing. This pissed me off to no end, because in my view the RIAA took away a valuable way for me to become exposed to music. When MTV stops playing music, one tires of the 5 songs on the radio, and where all other avenues for new exposure don't exist, file sharing was a way for me to find new music AND to hear it enough to want to buy it. I know that I ended up buying more CDs because of the files I found... but, thanks to the RIAA and their suits, I no longer allow myself the avenue. Consequently, I've become less of a music consumer: I buy less music because I am exposed to less music, and the stuff I do hear on the radio I don't like enough to buy (I still don't understand how Lips of an Angel is popular--a scratchy, growly, about-to-go-off-pitch voice is a good thing? The country version is better sung, but it's now tainted in my mind by the original... I guess I'm just getting old: I don't understand Beyoncé either...).

Anyways, to fight back at the loss blown to me by the RIAA, I retaliated with the most direct attack I could: I stopped giving the Grammys my attention (I even know how to freaking spell the awards correctly! for Pete's sake). I no longer got excited for the announcement, nor bemoaned my missing favorites. I do not visit the RIAA's website nor the one devoted to their awards, and I've not seen the show in a years.

All of which is probably ok... I'm still not really over viewing the popularity contest that it is: Smooth over I Want It That Way, "When the Pawn..." not being best alternative album, come to mind.... And a new atrocity from last night: My Humps is a Grammy winner?!? (And, ironically, Is It Any Wonder? just started playing on my iTunes....)

I am happy about the Dixie Chicks winning tho :)
(I do wish Beyoncé had won "Best New Artist" a few years ago, tho... [grin])

I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should