Episode 089 - Who Picks the Winners? A Sorta Sophisticated Guide to the Grammys

from Sorta Sophisticated · host Pete + Amanda

In today’s episode, we’re unpacking the Grammys - not as a glamorous awards show, but as one of the last institutions still trying to define musical taste. We’ll look at where they came from, why they’ve always sparked controversy, and how they’ve shaped careers, genres, and our opinions more than we realize. It’s part cultural history, part industry side-eye, and a reminder that the Grammys don’t tell us what music is best -they tell us what a moment values. Chapters (00:00:04) - Sort of Sophisticated(00:00:48) - The Cast of 'This Is Me'(00:01:13) - The Grammys(00:02:49) - Who Picks The Grammys(00:03:29) - Does Learning About The Grammys Make Us More Cultured?(00:04:48) - Vituperate(00:05:59) - The Grammys: Why Did They Start?(00:09:33) - Do the Grammys Hurt Artists' Career?(00:12:32) - Bill Maher on Famous Artists and the Grammys(00:15:39) - The Grammys' Performance(00:17:10) - Prince At The Grammys(00:19:59) - Prince's "Prince Rabbit"(00:20:20) - The Grammys Are Not Evolving(00:22:15) - The Grammys Are a Conspiracy(00:24:52) - The Grammys Are For Stupid People(00:26:55) - Who Has Won The Most GRAMMY Awards?(00:28:31) - The Grammy Categories(00:30:17) - Grammy Voters Don't VOTE On Everything(00:31:01) - Sinead O'Connor(00:32:02) - Prince's Grammy Speech(00:33:07) - How to Watch the Grammys(00:35:36) - The Grammys: A Review

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This episode is 36 minutes long.

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This episode was published on January 28, 2026.

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