merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant) (02/01/85)
{ Pthththththththth... }
Well, yeah, everyone there had lots of expensive clothes and stuff.
However, Lionel Richie has had four top 10 singles from his album
"Can't Slow Down." and the album didn't score badly either. I think
it was the number one album for a few weeks. (Ever notice how AOR
stations don't play Lionel when he has the number one album? I always
thought thought there was something wrong with that...) Now, figuring
that lots and lots of people have therefor bought that album, he has
made lots and lots of money and can afford to wear flashy jackets that
the res of us cannot afford.
Also, many times, his wardrobe is bought by the people putting on the
show. Lionel might prefer to walk in in blue jeans and a T-Shirt, a
la Brucie Springstein, and that wouldn't look right against the back-
drop of flashing lights and such. So they buy him what he needs to
wear. I doubt Lionel suplied his own wardrobe.
Since this isn't net.clothes, about "black music." The category of
"black music" has existed for years and years under various different
titles. I think it is currently called "Urban Contemporary." Anyway,
the music industry has segregated it for quite some time and does today.
Check Billboard. They have "The Black Music Chart". Casey Casem still
refers to it as the soul chart, though, to keep people from being upset.
Now, the American Music Awards are probably just following Billboard in
giving awards to these struggling young black artists everywhere, even
if they do wear clothes that cost more than the national debt.
Why isn't there a category for "white music"? Well, there kind of
is...it's called "Country." Didn't catch a whole lot of colour in
those videos. The best part of it, though, was when I noticed that they
had mostly white performers introducing the "bblack awards" and mostly
black performers introducing the "white awards."
--
"I'm going home..." Peter Merchant