Grammys 2015: Manson crushes West... but not totally

The Grammys, as ever, provided a focus for bad behaviour, most of it of the uninteresting sort.

The red carpet brought this gem, the implication that Taylor Swift was there to get laid:

http://bealiveplaydead.tumblr.com/post/110617904144

Meanwhile, the success of Beck upset Kanye West. Obviously, West isn't really a tiny child who can't understand why his favourites don't win; he just seems to think that his "brand" is somehow "enhanced" by pretending he's fighting for Beyonce's honour:

"Beck needs to respect artistry and he should've given his award to Beyonce."

Yeah, that's how awards work. It's like a fucking white elephant gift exchange. Perhaps they should just put all the prizes in a skip and let Kanye deliver them to the home of the person he decides is most worthy.

You know what? There's no need for the rest of us to tut at West, because Shirley Manson's taken him to pieces:

"Dear Kanye West,

"It is YOU who is so busy disrespecting artistry.

"You disrespect your own remarkable talents and more importantly you disrespect the talent, hard work and tenacity of all artists when you go so rudely and savagely after such an accomplished and humble artist like Beck.

"You make yourself look small and petty and spoilt.

"In attempting to reduce the importance of one great talent over another, you make a mockery of all musicians and music from every genre, including your own.

"Grow up and stop throwing your toys around.

"You are making yourself look like a complete twat.

"P.s. I am pretty certain Beyonce doesn't need you fighting any battles on her account. Seems like she's got everything covered perfectly well on her own."

You've got to admire the artistry in that.

There is a slight problem, though. This line:

In attempting to reduce the importance of one great talent over another, you make a mockery of all musicians and music from every genre, including your own

These are the Grammys you're talking about Shirley. The Grammys are pretty much an attempt by a jury to reduce the importance of one talent over another (or Sam Smith, sometimes).

Ultimately, it's all a dog-and-pony show. West might have behaved like an out-of-towner, his timing is poor and his approach gauche, but isn't half the reason the big awards shows attract television coverage and sponsorship is because people feel invested enough in them to talk about whether the right person won? West's problem is he forgot he was part of the awards machine, not that he prefers Beyonce to Beck.

Two turntables and a singing microphone toy: Beck v Bieber

Some excellent pomposity-puncturing work over at CBC, where they offer you the chance to see if you can tell the difference between Beck and Justin Bieber lyrics.

They reckon it's harder than you might think.

It might just be the last of Beck's dignity ebbing away, that sound you hear.

Coyne calls Beck a dick; Beck's kind of a dick about it

Beck and The Flaming Lips went out on tour together, and Beck thought they were having a good time. But then... well, then things turned sour:

The 'Loser' singer hired The Flaming Lips to support him on tour in 2002 but frontman Wayne Coye criticised him after the gigs, describing him as a ''d**k'', which led Beck to believe he wasn't liked in the industry.

He said: ''I really don't know [why he said that]. I was very surprised, because I have a videotape of the last night where they were saying, 'I love you, this tour has changed our lives, you're a brother', so it really messed my head up. I went around for a year thinking people hated me.''

For a year. Based on one word in one interview from one man.

The tour, by the way, happened in 2002.

He then continues to pick away at it:

He added in an interview with MOJO Magazine: ''Wayne probably sensed I'm the kind of guy who cares what people think, that I don't come off as some asshole rock-star type.

''What he didn't know was that I was really sick during the tour, I had some condition and I barely had the strength to pick up a guitar.

''So after the shows, I had to go to my bunk and sleep. One show, I got food poisoning so I delayed it half an hour, which he probably thought was theatrical. But we had a good time! I was hoping afterwards that we'd do a record together.''

You know what, Beck? It's probably this sort of churning over something which happened a spaniel's lifetime ago that made Coyne think you were a dick in the first place.

Coming tomorrow: Beck on why that third-grade teacher who said he was disruptive had failed to take account of the weather conditions on the day.

Poison in the Beck?

Murky claims surface in Vanity Fair that Beck pulled out a film project, leaving the aspiring producer so bereft they took their own life.

Beck can hardly be held responsible for that - after all, you can't do business on the basis of worrying about how upset people will be if you didn't. What's murky, though, is the distance Beck seems to be putting between himself and the late Theresa Duncan.

The film, Alice Underground, was to be about a rock star kidnapped by schoolgirls who try to help him leave the Church of Scientology. Duncan told friends that Beck was keen on the movie - and on emulating the protagonist by also leaving the cult; and, when the Church started to get worried about the project, that he pulled out.

Rubbish, cries Beck:

"That's ridiculous. Totally false," Beck told the mag about his alleged agreement to work on "Alice."

"Had we been closer and discussed anything as personal as religion, I would have only had positive things to say about Scientology."

[...]

"We never met to discuss the film," Beck said. "I did explain to her I wasn't looking to act right then, and with the album, tour schedule, and a baby on the way, it wouldn't be feasible."

You have to wonder how one person can be sure they met and talked about working together when the other is equally sure they didn't. You'd have thought Beck would be comfortable, never having discussed the film, to talk about it:

A spokesman for the rocker told The Post last night that Vanity Fair's quotes from Beck were accurate.

But the mouthpiece said Beck didn't want to add any additional comments: "That's about as on-the-record as you're going to get from him."

But he isn't.

Beck and Jack White: together at last

There's something strangely inevitable about the news that The White Stripes and Beck are coming together on a B-sides project - Mr White and Mr Hansen share that "we're going to have wild fun, but not until I say so" air which made them seem quite alluring at first but quickly just became wearing. Pitchfork's explanation of the the planned delivery method for these tracks underlines just how irritating that self-conscious quirkiness becomes:

The Stripes recently recorded a mess of B-sides with Mr. Beck Hansen in his living room, which they'll splay over a trio of 7" "Conquest" discs and an all-encompassing U.S.-only digital download. In addition to co-producing the sessions, Beck contributed vocals and piano to "It's My Fault for Being Famous" and played a little slide guitar on "Honey, We Can't Afford to Look Cheap". One black, one red, and one white 7" will be issued, each with "Conquest" on the front and a different B-side on the back, due in the U.S. December 18 from Third Man/Warner Bros. and in the UK December 31 on XL.

Oh, good lord, you can't just put 'em onto Amazon and have done with, can you?

He's Beck, Beck, Beck!!!

Actually, the headline's a bit of a fraud as we can't find it in ourselves to be excited by the prospect of a new Beck single, even one getting a digital only release. With each new release, Loser starts to seem ever more like a lucky, weak Butthole Surfers rip-off, don't you think?

Beck in space and time

Continuing our collection of Glasto from ten years back, here's Beck doing One Foot In The Grave. Not an Eric Idle cover, sadly:



Links to all the Glasto 97 stuff on the Ray Davies post

Grammy extra

We managed to ignore our own post-it note when we covered the Grammys yesterday, and didn't mention the excellent and slightly discombobulating news that Clinic have been nominated for a prize. They're up for Best Alternative Music Album against fellow scouser Elvis Costello, Beck, Soundtrack of our Lives and, erm, Coldplay.