The Grammys and post-America's shame

There was the special by-remote-video appearance by Madame BleachBit reading excerpts from Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury. Let's put on our latex gloves and unpack the layers of cultural rot going on there. For starters, what does this political failure have to do with the making of musical recordings? (BTW, what the hell is that video of her cheering on "activist bitches" all about?) Then there is the fact that Wolff's discrediting has happened in record time. If he wasn't totally disgraced as an author already, his disgusting and unsubstantiated claim that Nikki Haley had an affair with the Very Stable Genius sealed the deal. Then there is the absurdity of the Grammys crowd making her the face of Trump-loathing. She lost, for cryin' out loud. Couldn't they find an up-and-comer to personify their hatred? Oh, wait. Up-and-comers in the Democrat party are in short supply right now.

And then there's the dismaying backstory to the Joy Villa pro-life dress:

Villa isn’t just an innocent pro-life activist trying to highlight the humanity of a “fetus” on her dress for the world to see. She is a prospective candidate for Congress, and a Scientologist. The former explains why she showed up at the Grammy’s this year aiming to make headlines again, and the latter is the reason why conservatives shouldn’t be taken in by her act.

Villa is, above all, an opportunist. Writing on his blog, former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder exposed how Villa once called the President crazy, and expressed enthusiasm for obtaining “Feel the Bern” gear during the election.

And then there's that "religious" affiliation of hers:

The fact that Villa is a card-carrying and enthusiastic Scientologist is the second red flag for conservatives cheering her ensemble and potential candidacy (the first being her naked ambition for political office, which is always its own warning sign). Scientology is famous for many things, or it should be at least, and one of them is its reputation for allegedly forcing its members to obtain abortions when they work for its management arm the Sea Org.

But now wait a minute. Christian Headlines is saying that Villa's a Christian.

But then Scientology News claims her as one of their own.

Methinks Christian Headlines let wishful thinking get in the way of thorough fact-checking.

Anyway, thanks for nothin', Joy.

There was grandstanding aplenty. Kendrick Lamar, whoever the flip he is, went into a self-aggrandizing diatribe about how it's "frightening" to "watch a black man be honest in America." Camila Cabello had to prattle about DACA and Dreamers.

Anyway, then there were the performances, nearly all lame. Several of my professional-musician friends on Facebook, all of them left-leaners, came to the same conclusion.

What self-respecting human being who understands the limited time he or she has on this planet would spend three hours on that dog vomit?

As I said yesterday, A lot of the ruination taking place in post-America saddens me, but the ruination of music, as a musician and music historian, truly breaks my heart.