And the Award Goes To . . .

Day 14 of the Best Self Edison Deck Challenge is a "Would You Rather" card. Would you rather win a Grammy or an Oscar? This is an easy choice for me -- Grammy hands down. It's not that I don't appreciate storytelling through film whether it be an alternate world or a documentary, but at this stage in my life (and since I've spent most of my career in music) I'd opt for the Grammy. Storytelling through music resonates differently for me, hitting emotional moments that are deeply personal yet at the same time universal. I don't experience that emotional resonance through film.

For me, an authenticity comes through music whether it is a reflection of the musician(s), the producer, the composer and/or songwriter. Perhaps my choice is influence by the fact that I'm weary of witnessing the act of pretending: people presenting to the world to be someone other than who they are. Although actors are so much more than that, at the end of the day they are called to become someone other than who or what they are, otherwise it's not acting.

I blame it on the pandemic, the past 20 months has left me longing to see things for what they are. Music has it's own DNA or fingerprint. When you hear (not see) a certain artist and can instantaneously know who it is by the timbre of their voice, the style of their playing, or the lyrics to a song, that is not a pretense. For me, that moment is the definition of authenticity: the act of creating where part of the creator is embedded in their output/craft. Music has the power to evoke a time, place, an emotion, a memory -- all in a few notes or phrases. For me, an Oscar-winning performance or product is one that is meant to take you into another world that is uniquely its own, without the personal DNA of the artists and creators shimmering through. And it takes time.

Ask me tomorrow and I may have a different answer, but I’d love to hear what you would choose and why -- Oscar or Grammy?