Show & Tell: The Grammy's aka Fucking Finally!
Unstacked Digest for the week of January 27 - February 2
This is Show & Tell where I tell you some things I loved from the week and the one thing I hated, plus round up everything else going on around these parts. The first half of Show & Tell is free to all. The adoration and hateration are for paid subscribers only.
We made it. February. Black History Month. I wasn’t sure we’d get here. But we did it.
I stayed up late this week to write this column so I could watch The Grammy’s and I have thoughts. Also, I stayed up late to write this, so the typos and misspellings will be ripe, but as they say at my kids’ school “you get what you get and you don’t get upset”.
This Week on Unstacked
You all let Lin come back. I’m not pleased.
and I debated the merits and issues in our January book club pick, The Ministry of Time.
I ranked my January reads and let you know what books I’m most excited about for February.
Our February book club pick is here, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I have been intimated by this book my whole life, so I’m thrilled to get to read it alongside all of you.
Books I Read This Week
Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing
A clear and accessible look at the history of schooling in America and the way it was designed to prop up the ideals of white supremacy through the subjugation of Black and Indigenous people, and how that history is still active in schools today. This was such a well done book. There is a ton of information packed into 275 pages1, but because Ewing takes care to organize her thinking and teach her readers, it never feels like a slog. The writing on a sentence level is not only clear, but it is actively guiding the reader. Ewing connects the dots and crafts such a solid argument around white supremacy, punishment, indoctrination, and schooling. This feels like a must read for caregivers, teachers, students, and anyone who cares about education and our children.
Fave of the week!
Housekeeping
I talked about books related to natural and manmade disasters this month on NPR’s Here & Now.
I got to talk about one of my favorite (don’t hate me) movies, Gone with the Wind, on the Feeling Seen podcast.
I was on It’s Been a Minute at the end of last year talking about books of the year, but no one told me it ever aired. Oops. Anyway if you care about bookish trends from 2024 still, you can listen.
Things I Love…
Book News
This week a really cool piece on Book Influencers came out in ELLE2. I have to give so many props to
for being one of the first legit media people to spend serious time considering the thoughts and expertise of Book Influencers in a serious way. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been picked on, put down, overlooked, etc. because I am not a “serious book person” or a journalist or don’t have and MFA. Which I get. But I do think that myself, and the folks who do the work I do, have some unique insights into the world of publishing. Obviously we do, we are the people closest to readers (we are readers). So giving us a platform and treating us seriously means so so much to me. I hope it helps change the tide of what it can look like to be a book person. If you haven’t read the piece yet, please give it go.Music & Podcasts
I will get there but first, I have some notes on The Grammy’s last night.
Overall I loved it. I love The Grammy’s. It is chaos. It is a vibe. I thought last night had some particularly good performances. I appreciated how they tried to honor LA — even if the constant QR code to donate reminder got a little tired3. The show was pretty cheesy last night, but with all the horrors of the moment, the earnest nature felt good. I want to give a huge shoutout to a woman I did not recognize4, Lady Gaga, for taking her time at the podium to acknowledge trans people and the queer community more broadly. It was the one really truly political moment of the night. Bring back using your speech to say something about the state of the world, famous people. We need you, the lord knows the Dems aren’t doing it.
My second biggest complaint is that they didn’t do enough random combo performances. I feel like The Grammy’s are known for mixing and matching artists and last night the only real notable moment of that was the Quincy Jones tribute. More on that later. But yeah, I wanted more of a magical melding of talents like 2013 when they did “The Weight” with everyone and their mother. Or when Kendrick did this, or even this more obvious one from last year. They could’ve done more this year. So that’s a gripe.
Now I want to give you my three highlights of the night.
The best new artist medley was a fucking blast. I didn’t know most of those people going in (this is how I know I am now officially old), but now I run all of their fan clubs (are those still a thing?5). They started with the easy (work from home) stylings of Khruangbin, a group I actually listen to. Then they went into the boy in that blue jumpsuit who was giving energy for days. What a little star. And a voice. And he did a flip! Then it was Doechii6 time, which, of course I knew about her, but gotdamn did she do her thang up there! Then that tattoo faced fellow adorned in roses who had a voice on him, didn’t he? I mean, come through, my guy. Then Shaboozey which fine, this was not the best part, I am not that into that song, but I get it is some people’s thing and if you are some people you probably liked his performance7. Then Raye, giving a look and a vocal reminiscent of Amy Winehouse. I mean the pipes on her. I am so grateful to be out of the bedroom pop era and into whatever this next crew has in store for us. They understand drama and showmanship. These folks are my people.
I will never get over how hard I cackled when Kendrick won Record of the Year8 and the whole crowd just belted out “and it’s probably A minnooooorrrrr”9. I was squealing with joy. AND MY MANS DID IT IN A CANADIAN TUXEDO! I know Drake is sick. They danced on that boy’s grave tonight and he is not dead. The best part is, this is just the start of Kendrick’s week. He snapped up a couple of Grammy’s and now he’s headed to New Orleans to perform the halftime show at the Superbowl. I am not sure Drake can withstand this. As much as I dislike Drake, I hope he has friends, a good therapist, and some noise canceling headphones. He’s going to need it all.
You already know what number one is. All I can say is fucking finally. Beyonce has won album of the year. If I’m being honest it was sort of anti-climatic, and yet it still felt so good. Blue’s reaction was so pure and beautiful. I also loved when they were showing the crowd’s reaction and you see Billie Eilish with tears in her eyes. We are all Billie in that moment10. The world is still a dumpster fire, but at least it is a dumpster fire around Beyonce with an Album of the Year Grammy in her hands. And she announced the tour. I wonder if she changes any lyrics…
I want to hear more of your high and lowlights from The Grammy’s.
Pop Culture
I found it, the best video on the internet.