The Atlantic

The Sad State of Rock at the Grammys

How did the genre that once dominated popular music fall from such great heights? The year 1991 may have the answers.
Source: Matt Sayles / Invision / AP

It was a rough night for rock. Megadeth, the Grammy winner for Best Metal Performance, walked to the stage “Master of Puppets,” a song that’s actually by another band, Metallica. Before Metallica’s own performance, actress Laverne Cox the band only as “Lady Gaga,” who was onstage, but in a supporting role. Finally, Metallica frontman James Hetfield kicked off the song by singing into an mic. The trinity of tiny

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