Grammys Flashback '88: Diana's Unhappy with Music
Having emerged in the American music scene at a pivotal point in history, treasured singer Diana Ross was a key player in music industry in her day. However, even back in 1988, she didn't like where the industry was at and would be headed in the future.
At the 1988 Grammys, Diana Ross was not nominated for an award (and in fact, she never won a Grammy despite 12 nominations) but was nevertheless in attendance at Radio City Music Hall that night as a music enthusiast.
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In the press room after the show, she is very candid about her dislike for the current music industry in comparison to how it used to be when she began in the Motown era with the Supremes.
"I'm not crazy about it myself," she says to counter the views of musician Herb Alpert, who accompanies her on the press room stage. "I just feel like there's a lot of artists getting lost because of the big machinery that's happening...I feel like a lot of things have been lost because of the bigness of it all."
As she stood on stage 24 years ago, Ross could have never fathomed the further evolution of the music industry. While it's debatable if the injection of the internet has helped prevent artists from getting lost or if it adds more clutter to the industry, she also touches on another issue that has vastly changed since that press room interview.
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After over two decades of making popular music, Ross was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes earlier that year. When asked about rock 'n' roll and its impact, she notes a trend that has since dissipated in mainstream music.
"I think it's leading kids... [in terms of] the direction that we want to make things better," she says in video flashback. "I think we've worked hard now to get censored music where the music is really helping young people to get on the right direction. I hear a lot of good work as far as drinking and drugs. It's a leader in helping our young people, I think."