https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNfTXQ5BzI4
During Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters gave an acceptance speech for the band’s Best Rock Performance award, and ruffled a lot of feathers in the process when he said:
This record was a special record for our band. Rather than go to the best studio in the world down the street in Hollywood, and rather than use all the fanciest computers that you can buy, we made this one in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine. To me, this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making music is what’s most important. Singing into a microphone and learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do. It’s not about being perfect, it’s not about sounding absolutely correct, it’s not about what goes on in a computer, it’s about what goes on in here [points to his heart] and it’s about what goes on in here. [points to his head]”
Since then, the internet has lit up with arguments from supporters and naysayers, some saying that Grohl was attacking the Autotuned, quantized denizens of the pop charts, and others feeling that he was making a plea for musicians of all genres to raise their game through dedication and hard work. A sampling from around the net:
PunkNews.Org headline: Dave Grohl wins Grammys; lambasts industry and technology
YouTube Sinkmire: Well, the thing is, when you have people who are truly talented and care more about the music than an image or money, the music shows it. [There are] Lots of electronic artists out there who sound much more human than acoustic artists. I feel tons of emotion with electronic stuff…sadness, happiness, goofiness, all that. Much more out there than just dance tunes! Most people who make electronic music use keyboards during the recording process, so it can be played.
YouTube Ledzelda9: “Listen to that sea of hypocrites clapping. Honestly, the only ones there who can honestly say their music is real either played with Paul in “The End,” were Paul McCartney himself, or belonged to a group called the Red Hot Chili Peppers; that’s pretty much it.
Twitter @JohnFDaley: Grohl gave a great speech saying music isn’t about sounding absolutely correct or what goes on in a computer. And then LMFAO played him off.YouTube Venius157: People people… Clearly lots of you just don’t get it, much like the “artists” that Dave is referring to. He isn’t making a dig towards electronic artists, or any particular genre for that matter. He is making the point that in this day and age, there are too many artists that rely on overproduction, Autotune, image, and smoke and mirrors to distract you from the fact they are not talented. He is not suggesting that everyone needs to use analog tape or to abandon digital technology.
Twitter @amyleegrill: #TheGrammysTaughtMe Dave Grohl is a rockist douche. Old white guys STILL dominate #grammys performances after an EDM breakout year.
Twitter @DanWasHere_: Someone needs to give Dave Grohl a medal saying ‘you win life’ or something.
Cris at tribehouse.org: I don’t think Grohl set out to “slam” the industry…I think he was just expressing their gratitude that the “real thing” can still be appreciated, since so much of what we hear these days is synthed, with no real instrumental performance behind it.
Twitter@DrSalsaPants: Fun Fact: Dave Grohl’s Grammy acceptance speech about “keeping music real” was auto-tuned.
So now it’s your turn—share your thoughts below!
