Jethro Tull mastermind Ian Anderson remembered the infamous 1989 Grammy Awards during which his band beat Metallica in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category, telling KSHE 95:
“It shocked me when we were nominated, because that seemed a little weird in the first place.
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“We were nominated alongside Metallica – who were the new boys in town in that point – and Jane’s Addiction, Iggy Pop, and whoever else [AC/DC]. So it seemed a little odd to be nominated in that category.
“But when I got the news… The record company said, ‘Don’t bother going to the Grammy ceremony because you’re not gonna win. The hot thing is Metallica, they’re gonna win this new category.’
“The record company didn’t want to pay for me to go, which was a relief because I was in the middle of recording a new album at the time.
“And when I got the phone call saying, ‘Congratulations, you won the Grammy!’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s terribly nice, thanks for calling!’
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“And we’re back in the studio, carrying on working with the guys, didn’t think too much about it until a day later when we realized, to put it mildly, something of a controversial win. [Laughs]
“Poor Alice Cooper who was nominated to pick up the award on our behalf to a chorus of boos from the audience, especially from those who were there to support Metallica.
“It is one of those wacky moments of the Grammys that I’m sure is not alone.”