"Mixed Feelings About Awards"
I have mixed feelings about awards.
Sometimes I think it turns music into a sport,
pitting artist against artist…
creating one winner per category,
and making everybody else a loser.
That's how I feel when we're not nominated.
I've only watched the CMA Awards once.
That was when we were finalists.
I had our acceptance speech all worked out.
We couldn't lose.
We were Billboard's Duet of the Year,
had Single of the Year, and were nominated for a Grammy,
all just a few weeks before.
One of the hardest things we ever did was to smile and applaud,
while having heart failure as somebody else won.
My mixed feelings about awards started about then.
The stunned look and phony smile locked onto my face for months.
We don't talk much about our awards and credits.
It's not socially acceptable to do that.
But, it's hard to stifle,
especially when you meet a jerk that never heard of you,
and wants you to explain who you are...to justify your existence.
I want to say: "We have a gold record over our kitchen table, buddy",
or "Bite me", but I'm too humble.
It's draining.
I'd like to break the damn gold record over his head.
Then again, I like looking at it over the table,
and when times get rough, awards and scrapbooks help.
You may have noticed that I worked in some of our credits here,
but I've held back about ten pages more, just to appear humble.
I hope it worked.
Copyright © December 28, 2001 by Jack Blanchard. All rights reserved.
