The Grammys is one of those events that are a lot like the Academy Awards. Often times the right people win, and many times it’s obvious the voters don’t know sh*t from shinola. This is what happened back in 1989 when Metallica’s first opportunity to win a Grammy went to Jethro Tull instead, which caused significant booing from the fans in the audience.
The good news this year is Black Sabbath won for Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance, and Tony Iommi said, “It’s been a fantastic year for us. You couldn’t wish for any better. We enjoyed doing everything – the tour, the album…and getting one of these [points to Grammy].”
The bad news for metal this year there was another slap in the face to the genre when Jeff Hanneman, the late guitarist from Slayer, was snubbed in the show’s “In Memoriam” segment. Hanneman died last year at the age of 49 after years of alcohol abuse. As Blabbermouth reports, Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr and Vixen guitarist Jan Kuehnemund were shown, but Hanneman didn’t make the cut.
Losing Hanneman was a terrible blow to metal fans like myself, especially for those who grew up with Slayer back in the eighties. While it sucks that he was ignored, it wasn’t surprising. The surviving members of Slayer couldn’t care less about the Grammys, and don’t find them terribly important. We’re also willing to bet they know that Hanneman is still loved and remembered by the fans, which is always far more important.
