Hey, it's Alan, and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing

history of new music early and ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime.

The music world went a little weird on February 13, 2011, and I remember it very, very well,

because I was in a hotel room in Vancouver with nothing to do but watch TV.

I think I was coming back from a speaking thing in Victoria. My flight home had been canceled, so I had nothing to do

but wait around. So I ordered up a club sandwich from room service and lay on the bed watching the

53rd annual Grammy Awards. All the usual suspects were there. We had Lady Gaga. Her album,

The Fame Monster, had been,

well, a monster. Six nominations, including Best Album. Katie Perry, seven nominations for her

Teenage Dream album. Eminem was back. Rihanna had a bunch of nominations. There was buzz about

Justin Bieber and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys and Bruno Mars and Lady Antebellum.

And finally, after more than three hours of awards and speeches and performances,

it was time to present Album of the Year.

And the presenter was Barbara Streisand, who earlier in the evening was fed with the

Music Cares Person of the year on her,

which was a really big deal. So she steps on stage with the envelope, and the crowd's all buzzing. Oh, it's going to be Katie Perry. No, no, no, no way. They're going to give it to M&M. Are you crazy? Lady Gaga has this all sewn up. So buzz, buzz, buzz. And Babbs opens the envelope and, um, well, just listen to how she says this.

And the Grammy goes to the suburbs

aren't she sound confused let's let's listen again and note the long pause as she stares at the printing on the card as if she really doesn't know what to do.

The suburbs.

Arcade fire!

Twitter exploded.

I mean, it just melted down with indignation, outrage, and hate.

...