"Sleep Walk"...Santo and Johnny

  As a "self-proclaimed" music observer/critic/lover/commentator, I felt "compelled" to watch MTV's music awards show. I know, I know...I am not in their targeted demographics! They do not consider my generation when making programming choices. I don't give a rat's behind!...I'll watch what I want and they can't stop me! An ulterior motive though, is that I get such pleasure from comparing "our" music (as in Baby Boomers) with "their" music (as in Gen X!).
  It often saddens me when I am reminded that music today seems more about "extreme" stage shows, acrobatic dance moves, outrageous costumes (shades of LaBelle and George Clinton's Funkadelics!), and increasingly less about singing!
  Before I go further, I'd like to note that coming up with a title for today's blog proved to be quite a challenge! If you are a follower of my blogs, you already know that I always choose a song title which summerizes the tone of my article. Well, note today's title: Sleep Walk by Santo and Johnny! Does that pique your curiosity in any way?
  The show opened with a performance by the "Elvis" of rap...Eminem, including a duet with Rihanna. While Em is usually controversial or somewhat interesting in his performance behaviors, he seemed oddly subdued or even "detached" last night; there was no "sizzle." His and Rihanna's duet even seemed disconnected.
  The "star power" of shows past even seemed absent from last night's show, although there were a few surprises: Lindsay Lohan mocking her own "bad behavior" in a skit with Chelsea Handler, who was the MC, for example.~Side bar~ I am a fan of Chelsea Handler and often find her humor "decadently delicious, wonderfully wicked and naughtily nice" but for some reason, she seemed "off her game" and came across as trying "too hard" to be funny and irreverant. Instead, some of her jokes fell flat. One joke directed at Justin Bieber was downright crass, so I won't even repeat it.
  The usual male artists did their things: Justin Bieber had 'em screaming; and when Drake and later, Usher took to the stage, they seemed "geriatric" compared to young Mr. Bieber! "Pseudo celebrities" such as The Jersey Shore cast were in the house, as well as other current pop culture ."icons."
  The night's big winners include Eminem, who won "best male video" for "Not Afraid" and Lady Gaga who won the first four awards for which she was nominated, including the most coveted "best female video." A surprise moment that woke me back up (hence the title above) was an appearance by the one and only Cher!
  As she stepped on stage with her sixty-five-year -old baaaddd self, in that iconic, "barely there" black outfit that shows her in her ancient glory, I had to give props! She still has it! The old gal looked good! She presented Lady Gaga an award and when the camera panned the audience for reaction shots, you could see the looks of awe on the faces of today's "divas." The "other" oldster on the show was Mary J. Blige. Rememer her?
  Here's some irony: my young niece Mary Klausner called to ask if I was watching "Rock, Rhythm & Doo-Wop" which was airing all day yesterday on PBS; I answered "no" because I had seen the episodes before; it was a marathon of previously aired shows, some dating as far back as 2001. Many of the artists are no longer with us. Mary is a younger person who appreciates "our" music; no theatrics, elaborate stage shows, funny or outrageous costumes, or controversial lyrics. Just pure vocal harmonizing, meticulous suits and glamorous dresses. And here I was watching MTV!