Who Said What About The Which? An Old Person’s Guide to the VMA/Kanye West/Beyonce Knowles/Taylor Swift Fiasco

By now I assume that you have heard about Kanye West's interruption at the MTV Video Music Awards.  If you, like me, are over the age of 30, you might be wondering what the deal is, who these people are, why everyone is so upset, and what is so great about that video anyway.  I like to keep my toes dipped in the popular culture of the Kids These Days, so I am here to help!

Beyonce Knowles: I know you have heard of Beyonce.  My DAD has heard of Beyonce.  You may be less familiar with the video in question, for her crushingly successful hit "Single Ladies."  Now when you watch it, you may ask what is the big deal here?

It turns out that if you are really into dancing (as many people are), this video is unbelievably awesome - both for the choreography, and for having the guts to just let the ladies dance.  (Compare with Shakira's "She Wolf" video, which frustratingly interrupts Shakira's incredible dancing for a bunch of set decoration nonsense.)

The choreography in "Single Ladies" is inspired largely by the work of Bob Fosse, who is generally recognized as one of America's best choreographers.  It also tips the hat to the work of J-Settes, which is a style of dancing that has been picked up by the black gay community, particularly in the South, and is therefore unbearably awesome.

"Single Ladies" has also spawned a lot of fan tributes, of which Single Man is probably the best.

Kanye West: You may know Kanye West as the man who interrupted a Hurricane Katrina fundraising pledge drive thingie and said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" on live television.  Tee hee!  We all thought that was pretty awesome, particularly since everyone is pretty sure it's true.  This is the definition of "speaking truth to power," and we loved him for it.

Kanye West has worked hard to get where he is.  Maximum Fun rockstar Jesse Thorn has an excellent post about Kanye's struggle here.  If you've never heard of Kanye, you may find his official music video directed by and starring Zack Galifianakis pretty hilarious.

Personally, I also like "Love Lockdown" and "Stronger."

Taylor Swift: nineteen years old, Taylor Swift is perhaps the cuddliest and most darling performer in music today.  The video for which she won the award is called "You Belong With Me," and the first fifteen seconds should be enough to explain why everyone is so upset by Kanye's boorishness. 

Katy Perry (subject of another post) said "F*** you, Kanye, it's like you stepped on a kitten," which sums it up nicely.

MTV Video Music Awards: There is an excellent chance that you actually know what these are, although you may not remember the first time you hear the phrase, "The VMAs."  The first MTV Video Music Awards show was held in 1984, at what was for many people the height of MTV's success.  

If it helps jog your memory, at the inaugural VMAs, Madonna performed a very sexually suggestive (for 1984) live dance version of "Like A Virgin."  She rolled around on the floor in about ten tons of lace, and exposed her GARTERS. 

If we had used the phrase OMG back then, people everywhere would have totally said OMG.