Forever Old  The National Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences—NARAS for short, overseer of the Grammys, which one old
joke calls the Grannies, while another wonders why NARAS didn't
shorten "phonograph" instead of "gramophone"—is a professional
association. All professional associations have two purposes,
with the obvious one, improving the economic prospects of its
members, almost always secondary. Professional associations are
about status, about getting more of what judges crave every bit
as much as osteopaths—respect. If respect converts to cash,
great, that's only just. But it's an end in itself. Which is
sufficient explanation for why NARAS's concept of artistic
quality veers toward what the larger culture respects—the
middlebrow, the meaningful, the inspirational. The Grammys
aren't supposed to be risky, avant-garde, or—must I?—cutting-
edge. Nor, I'd better add, young. This is pop music. We share it
with others less fortunate than ourselves. If you can't make
your peace with Celine Dion's horrible T