Very interesting post! I'm sure you are on to something. The Grammys definitely go through trends with artists that are getting all the industry attention at any given moment. In the end, is the Album of the Year really the best or is it just the best marketed towards Grammy voters? (The same is true about the Oscars.)
Side note, I love your single! It's on high rotation on my current playlist. Looking forward to hearing more!
Chad Kroger standing above the rest?!? Just come out and say it. You can’t hide anymore. You’re a….*gasp* NICKLEBACK FAN! I’ve lost all respect for you. Shame………
(Please know this is all in good fun 😂. Although that would be an interesting article. Why does everyone love to hate Nickleback.)
My completely fact-free take on Nickelback hate is that they are immensely popular among people who are *not* obsessed with music. So for music critics and those of us who self-style as having "good taste" - professing appreciation for Nickelback is like saying "my tastes are not refined - I'm not one of the cool kids!"
Also involved in this - in any big magazine or website interviews or features on Nickelback, Chad Kroeger is not shy about the fact that the band meticulously craft their songs to be catchy. That flies in the face of the "cool kid" view of art as only being for art's sake, and makes it sound like they view their music more as a product than art.
Combining these two factors - you have a band who is reviled amongst people who spend their time online and in-person talking about music - but their fanbase comes largely from "normies" who's love of music doesn't also involve loving to read/write/discuss music.
Interestingly, the band has some notable musicians who sing their praises: Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, a billion solo projects - he's considered a savant by many prog and metal fans) and Jerry Cantrell (lead guitar, co-vocalist and principal songwriter of Alice in Chains) are two that readily come to mind.
Nickelback is similar to Lifetime TV movies. They know how to push your buttons in a particular way to get a particular response. Lifetime TV movies won't be considered "high art" anytime soon, but for some zero calorie, predictable fun - they have an audience. Nickelback's music is kinda like that, I think.
Lmao. I am not an active listener to nickelback but usually when something garners that much hate we’re being a little too critical. (They often deserve it though)
Interesting ! Do you think the Grammys still have the same value today as they did 20 years ago? It feels like the reputation of the Grammy goes hand in hand with the global reputation of America more generally e.g politically/econ/culturally etc, and with American hegemony being so severely disrupted in recent years they've taken a real hit in terms of significance. I think artists probably still like to receive them though lol
Great post!! Though they're still pretty relevant in the industry, the Grammys are more of a PR game than an actual acknowledgment of musical talent. Also I had no idea about this Santana-Kroeger collab, and it's way stronger than that top 40 hit they put out in 2007.
FYI: there was a time when no one who was actually a serious ‘rockist’ music fan gave the grammys a first thought, let alone a second one. It’s always been a top-down beauty contest for the biz, full stop. Thank you Clive for your service. Perhaps the WSJ will run a nice obit for ya. Wake me when it’s over - I’ll be reading those back issues of Creem I stashed in the attic.
Very interesting post! I'm sure you are on to something. The Grammys definitely go through trends with artists that are getting all the industry attention at any given moment. In the end, is the Album of the Year really the best or is it just the best marketed towards Grammy voters? (The same is true about the Oscars.)
Side note, I love your single! It's on high rotation on my current playlist. Looking forward to hearing more!
Thank you for listening! I’ve got a new one out May 16
Chad Kroger standing above the rest?!? Just come out and say it. You can’t hide anymore. You’re a….*gasp* NICKLEBACK FAN! I’ve lost all respect for you. Shame………
(Please know this is all in good fun 😂. Although that would be an interesting article. Why does everyone love to hate Nickleback.)
My completely fact-free take on Nickelback hate is that they are immensely popular among people who are *not* obsessed with music. So for music critics and those of us who self-style as having "good taste" - professing appreciation for Nickelback is like saying "my tastes are not refined - I'm not one of the cool kids!"
Also involved in this - in any big magazine or website interviews or features on Nickelback, Chad Kroeger is not shy about the fact that the band meticulously craft their songs to be catchy. That flies in the face of the "cool kid" view of art as only being for art's sake, and makes it sound like they view their music more as a product than art.
Combining these two factors - you have a band who is reviled amongst people who spend their time online and in-person talking about music - but their fanbase comes largely from "normies" who's love of music doesn't also involve loving to read/write/discuss music.
Interestingly, the band has some notable musicians who sing their praises: Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, a billion solo projects - he's considered a savant by many prog and metal fans) and Jerry Cantrell (lead guitar, co-vocalist and principal songwriter of Alice in Chains) are two that readily come to mind.
Do I listen to Nickelback often? No. But they undoubtedly have some well crafted songs
Nickelback is similar to Lifetime TV movies. They know how to push your buttons in a particular way to get a particular response. Lifetime TV movies won't be considered "high art" anytime soon, but for some zero calorie, predictable fun - they have an audience. Nickelback's music is kinda like that, I think.
Lmao. I am not an active listener to nickelback but usually when something garners that much hate we’re being a little too critical. (They often deserve it though)
Interesting ! Do you think the Grammys still have the same value today as they did 20 years ago? It feels like the reputation of the Grammy goes hand in hand with the global reputation of America more generally e.g politically/econ/culturally etc, and with American hegemony being so severely disrupted in recent years they've taken a real hit in terms of significance. I think artists probably still like to receive them though lol
Great post!! Though they're still pretty relevant in the industry, the Grammys are more of a PR game than an actual acknowledgment of musical talent. Also I had no idea about this Santana-Kroeger collab, and it's way stronger than that top 40 hit they put out in 2007.
FYI: there was a time when no one who was actually a serious ‘rockist’ music fan gave the grammys a first thought, let alone a second one. It’s always been a top-down beauty contest for the biz, full stop. Thank you Clive for your service. Perhaps the WSJ will run a nice obit for ya. Wake me when it’s over - I’ll be reading those back issues of Creem I stashed in the attic.