Naked Grammys

Los Angeles Times writers bring you the oddest moments throughout the evening.

Odd pairings are inevitable, and that was exactly the case when young Oakland-based soul singer Ledisi, nominated for new artist and best R&B album for her "Lost & Found," found herself presenting the polka award in the pre-telecast show. She didn't seem lost, though, when she announced that Jimmy Sturr had added to his extensive polka Grammy collection: Seemingly impressed, she uttered a sincere, "Wow!"

-- S.H.

Stars might have still been arriving on the red carpet outside, but the Grammy Awards wasted no time issuing trophies in a number of categories during the pre-show presentation. Kanye West scored his first win of the night for best rap song ("Good Life" featuring T-Pain) and Patti Austin, after reading his name, said, "I hope Kanye wins everything, since he gets SOOO cranky when he loses." She then added, "If I don't win, I'll be just like him."

Just minutes later, she won in the jazz vocal album set for "Avant Gershwin" and was, in truth, surprised by the first victory of her long career. "You can tell I'm in shock – I'm wearing Crocs!"

-- S.H.

Categorization was an issue at this year's ceremony – as it is every year. Little Joe of L.A.'s Little Joe & La Familia, having taken this year's Tejano album honors for the Freddy Fender tribute "Before the Last Teardrop Falls," noted that in the past he'd won for Mexican-American and questioned the way the distinctions are made.

"I didn't change my music," he said backstage. "They changed what music can be submitted to the Mexican-American category. A lot of groups that play the same kind of music I do are Mexican-American. They don't consider themselves Tejano, Tejano being Texan, limited to Texan music only."

One problem is what seems to be a mixing of Mexican artists, such as Vincente Fernadez, a friend of his nominated this year, and Mexican-American artists, which he says are not the same.

"Mexican-American music is an art form of American music, and it's not the Mexican music that is in the Mexican-American category."

Contemporary world music winner Anjelique Kidjo had an even broader complaint, backstage starting her comments by wondering rhetorically what "world music" even means.

"Why do we categorize people?" she said. "I don't like that. Stupidity is universal."

So what would she prefer? "Let's just call everything music."

But she was still happy to accept a Grammy for world music, right?

"When they call the name, I'll be there!"

-- S.H.

Big band jazz composer-arranger-leader Maria Schneider wanted to make sure everyone met the executive producer of her album "Cerulean Skies," the title track of which won for best instrumental composition. What was interesting about that was that she had just met him herself. Schneider financed her album with contributions from fan via ArtistShare, a label designed to draw on such direct involvement from an acts' following. And the largest contributor, "Little" Johnny Koerber, got the title of executive producer.

"We'd never met before," Schneider said, calling Koerber up to the podium in the press room. "When I got nominated, I said, 'I want you to come to the Grammys.' "

The method of funding, she said, is the only way she can see doing this in the future. It worked on her last album, "Concert in the Garden," which earned her her first Grammy Award.

"You feel this draft behind you of support," she said. "It pushed me to my highest level. I don't want to disappoint anybody. When people are investing and believing in you to that level, you really take it to heart. Both times this has worked so beautifully. There's excitement, inspiration, and in the end it's financially fruitful for me, the artist. The record industry, for me, it's not that."

-- S.H.

Slayer won its second Grammy, taking the metal honor for the song "Final Six." Polite thank-yous were all about family and community, soft-spoken from the suit-wearing vocalist-bassist Tom Araya, who even brought his wife and two young children – Ariel, 11, and Tommy, 8 – onto the press podium backstage. Tommy was tightlipped, asked about his thoughts, but Ariel, asked who her current favorite artists is, answered "Rhianna" – though she laughed off the idea of her dad maybe performing some of the soul singer's songs.

Her favorite Slayer song? "Raining Blood."

Perhaps Rhianna's "Umbrella" would come in useful in that storm.

-- S.H.

The Grammys may be 50 this year, but blues guitarist Honeyboy Edwards is 92 – and he isn't even the oldest winner of the night. Fellow blues man Pinetop Perkins, who like Edwards is one of the featured artists on traditional blues honoree "Last of the Great Delta Bluesmen: Live in Dallas," is 94. Edwards regaled reporters with tales of playing in Greenwood, Miss., with Delta blues icon Robert Johnson before the latter's death in 1938.

He admitted that he's not too familiar with the newer music being presented this evening, but he has some sharp opinions. "I like some of it, but you take rap – people like rap," he said. "But I don't! The reason they like rap is everybody can do the same thing together. You're just jumping and howling and you're rapping. But when you're playing, there's something you had to learn."

As for Robert Johnson's mythic pact with the devil at the Crossroads: "He told me that, but I don't believe it. I went to the crossroads and didn't see no devil."

-- S.H.

--Maynard from Tool says he's splitting his time between his winery near Sedona and his newish project, Puscifer. He says Roger Waters at Coachella will be amazing and is starting work on a new Tool album in a month or so. On Grammy changes: "The voting process seems to be a little bit better. The industry is scrambling for cover, trying to figure out where it might go. ... The people who really deserve it are starting to win. There is going to have to be more smaller labels involved."

-- M.W.

--Corinne Bailey Rae: "I've been lucky to meet so many great musicians like Quincy Jones, but I really want to meet Aretha tonight. ... I sang for her a few nights ago ... but I only got to say 'Hi.' ... I would tell her how influential she's been. I'd be happy to add that penny thought to her legacy." Thoughts on Grammy/industry changes: "...music will diversify. ... The distribution model for album of the year will be totally different. ... It'll be the end of the supergroup."

-- M.W.

--Plain White T's showed up with the real-life Delilah. She prodded them to write their hit song about her. ("Hey There Delilah.")

-- M.W.

--Lisa Haley is the only non- Louisiana nominee in the Zydeco Cajun category. She's from the other L.A.: " Los Angeles has had a rich Cajun community since the '40s. We have crawfish boils like everyone else."

-- M.W.

"Prince must have just left – I have to pull the mike up a bit."

That was Morris Day of the Prince-associated Time, whose reunion came near the top of the show, joking about his former boss' lack of height. And it was indeed a quip-fest with the glib singer, looking like he just stepped out of the mirror from two decades ago. ("My youthfulness and reason I'm still sexy is a good, healthy sex life," he said.)

The group, also featuring original members Jesse Johnson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (the latter two having gone on to be among the most successful producers and executives in modern pop music), was also in prime banter form but was ready to address the state of music and had no problem picking a favorite among the crop of Grammy nominees.

" Alicia Keys keeps the music in her," Johnson said.

"We have a lot of fun and attitude," Jam added. "But at the end of the day, we're still musicians, and you can't trade that for anything."

-- S.H.

The power couple of rapper Nas and singer Kelis came backstage ready to discuss the controversial title of the former's upcoming album, "Nigger." Both had the word emblazoned on their shirts, and while both he and reporters at first seemed to sidestep actually saying it, they had no issue with it.

He elaborated that the idea is to confront the word, not just as a racial epithet but in the context of how people of any color – and gender – can be treated with the insulting disregard the word has come to imply.

"This album will open awareness in the community. It's boring in music, so we thought we'd shake it up."

Not everything is shakable, though. The two pulled the plug on a planned reality series about their life together. "We canceled that," he said. "We saw it, and it was boring."

-- S.H.