As you may or may not know (and likely do not care), the 2023 Grammy Awards happened on Sunday (February 5) and we're still dealing with the fallout.
While outrage was maybe warranted for Beyoncé's RENAISSANCE losing Album of the Year to Harry's House, and Harry Styles's "this doesn't happen to people like me very often" reaction, the real baiter of the so-called "culture wars" was a televised performance by Sam Smith and Kim Petras.
The pair, who took home the award for Best Pop Duo / Group Performance, brought "Unholy" — the first US No. 1 hit by non-binary and transgender artists — to the Grammys stage and expectedly played up the song's demonic campiness: encircled by devilish dancers, Smith dropped it low while wearing a shiny red top hat with devil horns and Petras sang while hanging onto the bars of a cage alongside more demon-types, all in front of a flaming backdrop to evoke Rihanna's very own hell.
So naturally, the God-fearing crowd (namely, Republican Senator Ted Cruz) were not impressed, especially when they noticed the Grammys were sponsored by Pfizer. "This...is...evil," Cruz wrote on Twitter, among similar reactions from many a US right-wing politician.
While outrage was maybe warranted for Beyoncé's RENAISSANCE losing Album of the Year to Harry's House, and Harry Styles's "this doesn't happen to people like me very often" reaction, the real baiter of the so-called "culture wars" was a televised performance by Sam Smith and Kim Petras.
The pair, who took home the award for Best Pop Duo / Group Performance, brought "Unholy" — the first US No. 1 hit by non-binary and transgender artists — to the Grammys stage and expectedly played up the song's demonic campiness: encircled by devilish dancers, Smith dropped it low while wearing a shiny red top hat with devil horns and Petras sang while hanging onto the bars of a cage alongside more demon-types, all in front of a flaming backdrop to evoke Rihanna's very own hell.
So naturally, the God-fearing crowd (namely, Republican Senator Ted Cruz) were not impressed, especially when they noticed the Grammys were sponsored by Pfizer. "This...is...evil," Cruz wrote on Twitter, among similar reactions from many a US right-wing politician.
Now, the literal Church of Satan itself has responded to the whole ordeal. Magister David Harris told TMZ that he thought the performance was "alright" and "nothing particularly special." He added, "It's sad when politicians on a national stage use someone's religion as a punchline," calling said pundits "snowflakes."
Harris also said that Petras and Smith's fellow accused Satan-worshiper Lil Nas X actually captured the essence of Satanism — wherein followers oppose spirituality and believe they are their own Gods — far better in the music video for "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)," which sees the pop star descend into hell, murder the devil and take the dark lord's crown for himself.
Back to the body shop, I suppose?
