By Shannon O'Neill
For the Daily
The 1997 Grammy's: the glitz, the glamour, the schmaltz. So, who will stand at the podium this year, amid the sea of black suits and slicked-back hair of industry bigwigs, and thank mom and god and the muses for such an honor? Will Beck's "Odelay" triumph over the cheesy craftsmanship of Celine Dion's "Falling Into You?" Is this the year that the zany kid in the back of the music industry classroom overthrows the popular and perfectly coifed crowd in the front row? One can dream.
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The 1997 Grammy Awards Tonight at 8 On CBS |
Sheryl Crow's "Sheryl Crow," for best rock album? Of course the field itself is pretty limited. The low key Dave Matthews Band and the typical nods to Bonnie Raitt and Neil Young with Crazy Horse is as rockin' as this category gets. Could you really see Gwen Stefani of No Doubt bounding up to the stage in full Tigger mode to accept a Grammy? It is still a mystery that No Doubt and Neil Young are considered to be in the same musical stratosphere.
Some more surprises: The Journey nomination for best pop performance and Hillary Rodham Clinton for best spoken-word album. Bruce Springsteen has made a leap into Contemporary Folk this year, perhaps only to squelch the chances of newcomer Gillian Welch. Proof positive that the old dinosaurs need to move on to new pastures.
Beware children, you are now entering Grammy Land, where half the nominees are over-hyped and over-played candy for the ears, and the other half are obscure category fillers. Will the dark horse ride into New York's Madison Square Garden this year? Has "alternative" finally risen to the top? Have the men in suits finally seen the light?
If the stars are aligned right, Billy Corgan and Beck may be shoving gold trophies into their polyester pantsuit pockets. Garbage's Shirley Manson might kick the sunshine out of cutesy Jewel for Best New Artist, and Mary J. Blige could out-soul the R&B cheese fluff of Whitney Houston. Or, it could be another year of the super-bland ballad rising to the top. A word to the wise as the pressures rise: Remember Milli Vanilli.
Man of the year, Beck.