Oscars the Morning After: Sam Smith Admits He Sucked, Chuck D Talks Fighting the Power, Black Flag Bassist Wins for 'Mad Max'

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Feb 29, 2016

Last night's (February 28) Oscars ceremony was certainly an interesting one. Whether you were following along for bragging rights in your prediction pool or making a political statement by not watching, there were plenty of memorable moments throughout the show.
 
It started off on a high note with host Chris Rock sharply skewering the "White People's Choice Awards" and ended with Leo finally getting a little gold man and Spotlight taking home Best Picture, but there was about 18 hours of Girl Guide-themed television torture packed in there as well.
 
While Lady Gaga churned out a powerful and empowering performance of her nominated song "Til It Happens to You" from The Hunting Ground and the Weeknd nailed "Earned It" from 50 Shades of Grey, Sam Smith's live rendition of the Bond theme "Writing's on the Wall" was a little less than flawless. Sporting what looked like a spray-on beard and buzz cut, he wildly belted out the mediocre song in a surprisingly off-key manner.
 
Speaking to the BBC after the show, Smith confessed it wasn't his finest hour. "It was the worst moment of my life," he said. "Singing was horrible. I hated every minute."

Nevertheless, Smith beat out the rest of the Best Original Song nominees, took home the Oscar and proudly dedicated it to the LGBT community in his acceptance speech, so things seem to have turned around pretty quickly.
 
In other music-related news, the Academy attempted to add a tiny speck of diversity into the show by having the orchestra open and close out the evening with a rendition of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power." Many were quick to label the move as ironic and misguided, and now Chuck D has offered up his thoughts on the use of the song and the bigger issues at hand through Twitter. A small selection of his tweets reads:
 




Jumping genres into the world of hardcore punk, riot grrrl Tobi Vail was quick to point out that one of the recipients for the Best Sound Editing award was none other than Kira Roessler, who formerly played bass in Black Flag. Roessler now works as a Hollywood sound editor, with credits on films like Under the Tuscan Sun, the second Twilight movie and the film that took home last night's trophy, Mad Max: Fury Road.
 
Also among that film's hardware haul was the prize for Costume Design, though those in attendance — especially you, Alejandro González Iñárritu — didn't seem too thrilled for Jenny Beavan's win.
 

Check out the full list of winners, then head over here to relive the musical performances. Watch whatever it was Sam Smith was doing in the player below.
 
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