Grammy Show Reports

[sugarmarie_1980]

I would love to hear thoughts on the Grammy Show. I received two phone calls from Rich. One, I could hear the introduction (about every third word), heard hand claps, listened to JM talk (thrlled!) about every third word. Listened for about 5 mintues or so and had to hang up. I was actually at the Southgate House at a show but walked out when I felt my phone buzz. THEN, on the drive home after the show, I receive another Rich call, and it's JM singing "Cherry Bomb," sounded like it was acapella. I could hear almost perfectly, every word. Sounded great. I was woohooing in the phone, singing along. THEN, I heard "Don't Need This Body" and was woohooing some more. The guitar work sounded way too good to be JM (sorry JM but only Andy can produce those sounds.) I love that song, one of my favorites from LDLF. I still couldnt believe Rich had me on the line. I then hear "Thinking About You" (which sort of reminds me of "To MG, Wherever She May Be"). Lovin' it, absolutely lovin' it! I'm still hearing Andy work his magic as JM sang. JM wraps up with "Small Town" (so much applause it was deafening on my end) and then Rich is saying "Okay, that's it."

What a great drive home! Thanks so much, Rich! 

[JMTPFAN]

I'm working on my report, Cindy! And, yes, that sure was Andy, which was a pleasant surprise! Cherry Bomb was 2 verses of a cappella

[walktall2010]

Rocker John Mellencamp Likens Internet to A-Bomb

Rocker John Mellencamp said on Tuesday that the Internet was the most dangerous invention since the atomic bomb, although new technology could paradoxically delay the inevitable demise of rock 'n' roll.

But before then, "some smart people, the China-Russians or something" may have already conquered America by hacking into the power grid and financial system, he warned during a public seminar at the Grammy Museum.

Mellencamp, 58, has established a reputation during his career as a bit of a loose cannon disdainful of music industry niceties. He still lives in his home state of Indiana, saying he never fit in elsewhere.

Famed for such hit songs as "Hurts So Good," "Jack and Diane" and "Small Town," he is also a political activist who campaigned for President Barack Obama. He has also helped Live Aid organizer Willie Nelson put on the annual Farm Aid charity concerts for small farmers.

His comments on the Internet coincided with the release -- in stores and at digital retailers -- of his new album, "No Better Than This." While he said the Internet was useful on a personal level for communication, he worried about its destructive potential.

"I think the Internet is the most dangerous thing invented since the atomic bomb," he said. "It's destroyed the music business. It's going to destroy the movie business."

For starters, the popularity of digital downloads, which fans listen to on their MP3 players and computers, has come at the expense of sound quality, he said.

He recalled listening to a Beatles song on a newly remastered CD and then on an iPod, and "you could barely even recognize it as the same song. You could tell it was those guys singing, but the warmth and quality of what the artist intended for us to hear was so vastly different."

At any rate, most rock 'n' roll -- including his own contributions -- will eventually be forgotten, he said, likening its demise to that of big-band music, which was all the rage during the 1930s and '40s.

"After a few generations, it's gone," he said. "Rock 'n' roll -- as important as we think it is, and as big as it was, and as much money as people made on it, and as proud as I am to say that I was part of it -- at the end of the day, they're gonna say: 'Yeah, there was this band called the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, and this guy named Bob Dylan...'

"And the rest of us? We're just gonna be footnotes. And I think that that's OK. I'm happy to have spent my life doing what I wanted to do, playing music, make something out of life, but forgetting about the idea of legacy."

Mellencamp, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, said his first half-dozen albums were "just terrible," while his mid-'80s breakthroughs such as "Scarecrow" and "The Lonesome Jubilee" were "happy accidents."

He actually quit the music business for two years in the late 1980s and did nothing. "We even knew what was on TV at night," he said.

His new album takes the rocker back in time. He recorded it with vintage equipment in three historic locations: Sun Records in Memphis, original home of Elvis and Johnny Cash; in the same San Antonio, Texas, hotel room where bluesman Robert Johnson cut 16 tracks in 1936; and at the First African Baptist church in Savannah, Georgia.

Mellencamp recalled that he and his wife Elaine even got baptized at the church. "For about a half hour I really felt uplifted. It wore off," he said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=11425737

[sugarmarie_1980]

I'm working on my report, Cindy! And, yes, that sure was Andy, which was a pleasant surprise! Cherry Bomb was 2 verses of a cappella

Looking forward to it, Lori!

[JMTPFAN]

First of all, this was a fantastic opportunity, and I thank Mellencamp.com for the opportunity to be there! The 200-seat Clive Davis Theatre is a beautiful, small venue inside the Grammy Museum. An amazing, intimate experience for sure. 

I didn’t take notes, so some of my statements may not be completely accurate.

People I saw in the audience at the start of the show: T Bone Burnett, Andy York, Elaine (looking stunning of course), Hud. Speck was there, but I didn’t see him. There were people there who had that I’m Important air about them (recording industry types, perhaps), but I have no idea who they might be.   

First was the interview. John seemed relaxed, often surveying the crowd. He had been chewing gum much of the time, but after a while took it out of his mouth and placed it on his water bottle cap. I don’t remember seeing him ever open/drink the water. He was wearing blue jeans, and a blue button-down shirt.

Grammy Museum Executive Director Robert Santelli was the interviewer, and it was apparent he admired John a great deal.

Some snippets from the interview / Q&A:

“Without a Shot”
He hates the Internet. Internet destroyed the record business, and has the potential to wreak havoc on millions (wide-ranged power outages and such)
Also talked about the digital files (iTunes, etc) being sold today in lieu of cds, and the fact the quality is not what the artists intend for you to hear. Beatles song vs Beatles song T Bone played for John was “barely recognizable” in digital form.

Had his fists held out – one held Smokey Robinson’s melody writing talent, and the other Woody Guthrie’s lyrical writing talent. Used this analogy in what he wanted to accomplish in music.

His career path could have gone either way – art or music

His first 6 albums were terrible. He’s not the guy who wrote HSG anymore.

Told the story of the first time he encountered racism as the singer in a band with black members. The blacks were told to wait outside during breaks, while the rest of the band can wait “in the kitchen” or wherever else.
Told the story of his given name change, and that people his age will still call him "Johnny Cougar" sometimes, and it's all right.

Talked about how when looking in the crowd at the HOF Award ceremony, he said about ½ of you people never thought you’d have to put up with me for 30 years.
 
John said that T Bone said something like "That is one nice sounding corner", when they were in one of the locations recording NBTT.
 
'When two people rub up against each other, there are usually only two things that happen. One is good one is bad.".

Told the story of playing for President Clinton with "F**ck Fascism" carved on his guitar. Had forgotten about it until he had it over his shoulder to start playing. This was to be shown on TV. Clinton handlers in a panic over what was being shown on TV. What do we tell them? "Tell them they misread it", said Clinton

To the Nobel Peace Prize people: Willie Nelson deserves to win for his work with Farm Aid. John was passionate about this.

His friend who is or was a teacher (literature) for 40 years said teaching went from teaching to crowd control. School in Bloomington called upon John to donate his time / raise money for the school. He said no, call Bush. Not a fan of No School {sic}Left Behind policy.

First he complained in a joking manner that there was no smoking break after the interview segment…

Then came the music:

The amp was loud (“Can somebody turn this amp down? Andy? What is this, Uriah Heep?!” Andy came to the rescue)
 
Save Some Time to Dream (messed up 2 or 3 times using choice words, but laughing)
Cherry Bomb (two verses a cappella)
Don't Need This Body (with Andy)
Thinking About You (with Andy)
Small Town (huge laugh from the audience with the “My wife was 13 years old when I wrote this song” line)

I’ll write if I think of more.

[eyesontheprize]

JM is right on with his comments about the Beatles recent reissues on the CD vs. digital formats.  Seems like T-Bone would agree.

[mellenheadinohio]

thanks lori.  it had to be an amazing opportunity to attend such an event.   

[JMTPFAN]

One of the audience members asked how long of a set he will play in a couple of nights with Dylan. She said will you at least play an hour? And he chuckled and said, yes, at least an hour.

He must be aware of the critisicm he gets for playing short sets. So, he seemed to find that pretty amusing.

[janes6289]

Lori, thanks for the awesome report!  Can you remember any other questions that the audience asked him?

[JMTPFAN]

On the way home I remembered a couple of other things.

Someone in the audience asked him if Speck was still playing guitar with him, and he said No, at this time Speck has abandoned the guitar for girls. He then looked around the audience to find where Speck was sitting, then said he found some girls to sit with - or something like that.

Mr. Santelli asked him something like: When did you know you could make it in this business? He answered about 5 years ago, when he started working with T Bone.

When he was talking about the Internet, and then the eventual generational loss of remembering significant musical groups/individuals and whatnot, he called out to Hud asking him if he knows who Bob Hope is. Someone in the back yelled out for Hud to "Google it". That drew a pretty big laugh from everyone.

[walktall2010]

Informative article about the show here:

John Mellencamp talks career, new album and Robert Johnson
Story by Phil Gallo
SoundSpike Editor at Large

Calmly and carefully, even apologizing for being frank,  John Mellencamp decried the Internet, the state of music today and problems with education -- while also providing details about his new album -- during an interview session Tuesday (8/17) at the Grammy Museum.

He also reiterated his call for Willie Nelson to be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The purpose of Mellencamp's talk and five-song performance was to spread the word about "No Better Than This," his second album with T Bone Burnett behind the controls and one that goes to great lengths to recapture the essence of recordings made around the time of rock 'n' roll's birth. They recorded in mono on a single microphone at the First African Church in Savannah, GA, a key depot on the Underground Railroad; Sun Studios in Memphis, TN, where Elvis Presley, Howlin' Wolf and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded; and room 414 of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, TX.
 
"T Bone and I did research on how it was set up," Mellencamp said, referring to Robert Johnson's 1936 recording sessions at the Gunter Hotel that produced "Come on In My Kitchen," "Terraplane Blues" and "Dust My Broom." "I found a blueprint and knew which corner he sang into, and we wanted to set it up exactly the same way."

That meant removing the heavy drapes, and taking up the hotel management on their idea of using a parquet dance floor to cover the carpeting that would not have been there in the '30s. The sound engineers, who needed to be in an adjacent area and not in the room itself, didn't get it right the first time and had to redo the set-up.

Once they followed the Johnson blueprint, Mellencamp said, "there wasn't much to it. As T Bone said, that's one great-sounding corner."

Sun Studios, Mellencamp noted, "was perfectly laid out for a three-piece band, but they have all this modern digital equipment, so we had to rent a trailer and park it out back [with a vintage tape recorder]. They had tours all day so we had to record at night, going in at 7 p.m. and coming out at 4 or 5 in the morning.

"The purpose was to go into places and take it back to where it began. What we were able to do was capture the moment. That's a problem with music today -- there is no moment. Everybody was in the moment.... Sometimes we got it in the first take, sometimes the third or fourth or not at all. It was fun to be a musician."

The one place they were not able to record was the Brunswick Building in the Deep Ellum section of Dallas, TX, where Johnson recorded 11 songs. They were given excuses such as the lack of air conditioning, but Mellencamp said they stopped trying because "basically, the owner didn't want us in the building."

Still feisty even if he is less cantankerous, Mellencamp deflected much of the praise sent his way from interviewer Bob Santelli, the museum's executive director, who described himself as a lifelong fan. After referring to his albums "Scarecrow" and "Lonesome Jubilee" as "happy accidents," Mellencamp did swell up with pride in talking about his touring band from 1985 to the early 1990s.

"I had a vague notion, and I'm playing with [musicians] from Indiana, that if we played for hours and hours and hours [we'd be good]," he said. "By the time 'Scarecrow' came out everything jelled -- we were the best band in America. We were untouchable."

At that point, Mellencamp got a former agent of his seated in the audience to concur.

Mellencamp performed "Save Some Time to Dream" -- the song that got the project started -- and "Thinking About You" from the new album, plus "Don't Need This Body" from his previous album, an a cappella version of "Cherry Bomb" and "Small Town." Prior to that, he had thoughts on a few other subjects. (Tangents have been removed from the quotes for the sake of coherency):

On recording: "Making records for me was a drag sometimes. I quit a couple of times quietly. After 'Big Daddy' (1989) I said I'm not going to promote the record and I spent two years painting, had a heart attack and just took care of babies."

His first deal: "When I got a record deal I had only written four songs, so my first half dozen records are terrible. I was a barroom singer and had to learn how to write a song. Some people come out of the womb knowing how to write a song. ... (Eventually) I felt I was Woody Guthrie in one hand and Smokey Robinson (with melodies) in the other, and if I could just find a way to get them together."

On John Cougar, then and now: "I'm 22 and in New York with no money and no way to get home. A guys says, 'I made up the name David Bowie.' I went along with it and it took my entire career to rid of the thing. I was behind the eight ball as Johnny Cougar. ... You had guys coming up like Tom Petty, Willy DeVille, Steve Forbert. [To critics] I was the low-hanging fruit. ... I'm 58, soon to be 59, and am no longer the guy who wrote 'Hurt So Good.'"

Online omen: "The Internet is the most dangerous thing since the atomic bomb. It has destroyed the music business and it's about the destroy the movie business. What if some smart people unhooked electricity on the Eastern seaboard and messed with bank accounts during the blackout?"

Longevity: "From 1920 to 1940 big band music was just as popular as rock 'n' roll, but 50 years later can anyone name five big bands? It's Duke Ellington and then ... After a few generations, as important as we think rock 'n' roll is, it goes away. [Eventually] people will say the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and the rest of us become footnotes. I have [given up] on the idea of longevity."

http://www.soundspike.com/news/tour/492-john_mellencamp_tour_dates_and_tickets_john_mellencamp_talks_career__new_album_and_robert_johnson.html

[farfelp]

I turned a report in to Sharon and Tony this evening, that I believe will be posted tomorrow - I had to turn around and come right home from LA and I am exhausted.

Sorry i didn't call anyone. The staff were pretty firm about turning off phones, no cameras etc. and repeated the request a couple of times so I did. There were a lot of media people there and we were asked not to take pictures or anything that would interfere:)

[sugarmarie_1980]

I turned a report in to Sharon and Tony this evening, that I believe will be posted tomorrow - I had to turn around and come right home from LA and I am exhausted.

Sorry i didn't call anyone. The staff were pretty firm about turning off phones, no cameras etc. and repeated the request a couple of times so I did. There were a lot of media people there and we were asked not to take pictures or anything that would interfere:)

[walktall2010]

Picture from last night:

[dolly23]

Thanks to all who wrote in of their experience!