The Black Keys have denounced the Grammys, criticising the iconic awards and questioning their place in the music world today.
Throughout their almost 20-year career, The Black Keys have made a name for themselves as one of the most authentic and genuine rock outfits on the scene.
Ever since forming back in 2001, the group has garnered critical acclaim for every one of their nine albums, with every album since 2010 hitting the top 10 of the ARIA charts.
With this success has also come quite a few accolades, including a number of Grammy awards for albums such as Brothers and El Camino, and songs like ‘Tighten Up’ and ‘Lonely Boy’,
However, in a new interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, drummer Patrick Carney revealed that the fact they did not win the Record of the Year award for ‘Lonely Boy’ was likely a blessing in disguise, while noting he was conflicted about their performance at the 2013 ceremony.
Check out The Black Keys’ appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izjGX8XJZ4g
“Playing music on stage with all this pop stuff that has nothing to do with what we’re about,” Carney explained to Rogan.
“But we couldn’t say no; we couldn’t knock it till we tried it. But we had sat through the Grammy performance before and it was atrocious. I mean, it really is like so alienating.”
Overall, it appears as though The Black Keys don’t have much time for the Grammys in general, noting that it ultimately means nothing in the grand scene of things.
“None of my favourite bands have fucking Grammys. The Clash don’t have a fucking Grammy,” he explained. “What is a fucking Grammy? Like, what is this shit? We’re just jacking ourselves off and congratulating ourselves. Does anybody watch this shit that really cares about us? I don’t think so.”
Likewise, the fact that the band did not win Record of the Year is seen as a major positive in the eyes of Patrick Carney, who notes that Warner Records’ decision to take the song to top 40 pop radio if they had one would have potentially ruined the band.
“If we would have won that Grammy, it could have fucked our whole band up,” Carney explained. “I’ve seen it happen with lots of bands. You become playschool level.
“We wouldn’t have changed, but the thing is, you start acquiring a fan base that’s more fickle and maybe more annoying.”
Although The Black Keys did take home three Grammys at the 2013 ceremony, the Record of the Year and Album of the Year awards went to Mumford & Sons and Gotye, respectively.
The Black Keys’ latest album, “Let’s Rock”, was released in June of this year, though it remains to be seen whether it will garner the group another Grammy nomination. Given Patrick Carney’s recent comments, it’s anyone’s guess at this point.
Check out ‘Lonely Boy’ by The Black Keys:
