Justin Vernon On Bruno Mars’ Grammy Win: “You Absolutely Have To Be Shitting Me”
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In 2012, four years after their debut album had come out, Bon Iver won the Grammy for Best New Artist. But Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon had a conflicted relationship with the show even then. Bon Iver declined to perform on that year’s show, with Vernon saying, “We wanted to play our music, but were told that we couldn’t play. We had to do a collaboration with someone else… I don’t think they wanted us to play.” (Sounds familiar!) And this morning, Vernon has reacted to last night’s travesties with the same annoyed disbelief that many of us are feeling.
Here’s what Vernon tweeted about Bruno Mars’ dumbfounding Album Of The Year win:
scanning headlines after playing Mexico City last night (holy shit did we feel at home… Unbeelievable city)
Looks like Grammies are still something serious musicians should not take seriously !Absolutely NO offense to Mr Mars, but you absolutely have to be shitting me. 1/2
— blobtower (@blobtower) January 29, 2018
And he also tweeted a few more things about how the Grammys simply don’t matter in the bigger picture of music in general:
The Grammies are for the music Industry. Music, itself, is for everywhere else and everyone else. Good to remember.
— blobtower (@blobtower) January 28, 2018
To be factual, Mr Mars made a name in the INDUSTRY by making hits OUT of hits of yesteryear (see: https://t.co/pnZWXdQD3L)
SO… no real need to be mad, even, at the Grammies.
SZA? KENDRICK?I’d say move on from this shit show.
Felt like a Democratic Party Party, not R’n'Roll
— blobtower (@blobtower) January 29, 2018
And he took Recording Academy president Neil Portnow to task on the “shitty coach language” in his comment that women need to “step up” if they want to win Grammys:
While some awesome musicians do win, what is WINNING?
Shitty Coach language: pic.twitter.com/Fu2M1qR2l3
— blobtower (@blobtower) January 29, 2018
UPDATE: Vernon has jumped back on Twitter to add that he’s “with Lorde” and that Grammys showrunner Ken Ehrlich is a “dick producer”:
— I have to say Ken Ehlrich is a dick producer. I’m with Lorde on this, hard. Ken told us Holocene (roty, soty nominee in 2011 (?)) was “too long and slow and that we’d lose 4-6 million viewers cause of that” – and that he’s broken a lot of careers on the show, so I should listen
— blobtower (@blobtower) January 29, 2018
Stars: They’re just like us!
UPDATE 2: Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold has weighed in too, writing, “Aside from Kendrick / SZA / Jay Z nothing that was nominated was very good in my opinion, but to give it all to Toys R Us Gap Band is pretty ridic.”