The 1979 Era - 4
PETER: I was in the shower, minding my own damn business when Sirius bursts in and throws a towel at me, muttering like a maniac. I made to ignore him, but he literally shut the water off, put the towel around my waist, and dragged me into the kitchen, where fucking Albus Dumbledore is in our kitchen. Remus is serving him tea, Regulus is sitting politely, and James looks like Christmas came early. And there I am, in nothing but James’s towel and soap suds. In front of Albus. I’ll never forgive Sirius for it.
SIRIUS: I could have left him nude, but I gave him a towel. Albus didn’t show up to have crumpets with us.
REMUS: It was early November when Albus appeared at our door. I was in the middle of making tea for Sirius and I. James and Regulus were working on the bridge of “Clean”. Poor Pete was in the shower.
Albus appears, holds up a piece of paper, and tells us to gather everyone.
JAMES: I thought Albus was going to tell us he liked the songs we had sent.
REGULUS: I was annoyed because James and I were really getting into the bridge of “Clean”. But he was my boss so I sat down, expecting some boring talk about logistics. I had completely forgotten about the Grammys.
ALBUS: I had asked the band about submitting to the Grammys and they were all very hesitant. None of them thought they would stand a chance at winning, but I knew better. I submitted them for Best Song, Best Record, Best Album, and Best New Artist. They didn’t have faith in themselves. But I did.
PETER: I sit down and James pokes his head under the table and asks me if that’s his towel.
JAMES: It was my towel!
REGULUS: Dumbledore cuts off James and tells us we’ve been nominated for four Grammys.
REMUS: Record and Song of the Year for “All Too Well”, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist.
SIRIUS: I spit out the tea that had been in my mouth. It was all over the table, but I didn’t care. We were nominated for four Grammys on our first record.
PETER: [laughs] Sirius literally spit out his tea on the table. Dumbledore was not pleased.
REGULUS: I would have been so embarrassed at Sirius’s lack of manners if I wasn’t too busy freaking the fuck out. I mean, we had agreed to submit ourselves, but I never thought we were going to get nominated. And then he told us we had been asked to perform.
At the fucking Grammys.
JAMES: February somehow came too slowly and too quickly. We were all busy working on 1979. Next thing I knew, I was in a new tuxedo and I was at the Grammys.
REMUS: I nearly shit my pants when I saw David Bowie. Damn near whored myself out to him, honestly.
SIRIUS: We sat next to Yoko Ono and I swear to God, it took everything in me not to talk her ear off.
PETER: Yoko Ono is next to us, and I feel Sirius ready to start yapping. But then she turned to us and told us she loved RED. I almost threw up.
REGULUS: I was waiting for the bathroom when Stevie Nicks told me she loved the sound of my voice and that she played our record so much she had to get a new one.
Stevie Nicks had my record.
JAMES: Dolly Parton said I was a handsome man with a fantastic voice and I just about combusted.
There were so many people telling us they loved RED and that they couldn’t wait for the new album. And I just kept thinking that we made it. And not because we were well-known, but because people liked our music. People related to it.
That’s all I ever wanted.
REGULUS: We lost Album of the Year to John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and we didn’t even disagree with that. We listened to that record all the time.
PETER: We lost Record of the Year to “Bette Davis Eyes”. It was good, but I did like ours better. But I’m biased.
SIRIUS: I was telling Remus something when they started announcing Best New Artist.
REMUS: He was telling me how handsome I looked, of course.
SIRIUS: What was I telling him? [laughs] It’s not for the general public.
Anyway, I’m talking to him and then I hear our names being called.
PETER: James just about keeled over and died.
REGULUS: We won Best New Artist.
JAMES: I sat there in utter shock, only standing when Pete pulled me up. They handed me the Grammy, and we had decided who would speak for what.
REMUS: James looked so shocked. I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to give a speech.
JAMES: I thanked my parents and everyone who helped us create the album. And then I thanked my best mates. Because without them, there’d be no band.
SIRIUS: We sat back down with a Grammy. We all took turns holding it in shock.
PETER: And then we win Song of the Year.
REMUS: I thought I was dreaming. Two Grammys?
PETER: Man, you had to be there. Everyone was cheering and cheering like they were all so happy we won.
SIRIUS: We all decided that Reg should speak for Song of the Year. “All Too Well” belonged to him.
REGULUS: I just couldn’t believe it. I was in a successful band. I was away from my parents and with my brother. I was happy.
I was on top of the fucking world.
JAMES: Regulus had this perfect speech. Short and simple. He thanked everyone and then he said something I’ll never forget.
REGULUS: I dedicated the song and the album to anyone who’s ever had their heart broken and felt like the world would end. And that it was okay to grieve.
REMUS: He said, “This song and this album is for anyone who’s ever had their heart shattered. It feels like the world is ending, but it’s not. It will be okay. But it’s also okay to grieve, and this song is about the grieving. We’re connecting in our grief.”.
PETER: Did we know then that we’d only get bigger and bigger? No. At least, I didn’t. I thought we were at our peak. If you had told me we’d record seven more albums, I would have laughed in your fucking face.