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How We Heard ItAuthor: howweheardit
Veteran entertainment journalists, music columnists and longtime friends Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell host How We Heard It, a breezy and sometimes offbeat take on how music and movies got to where they are today and where its all going. They break down who are the most promising Generation Z singers one minute and the next they debate who are the most overrated acts from the past. Sexy songs, soundtracks, controversies and weird movies find their way into the discussion, and they also weigh in with recommendations on who to hear and what to see in music and film from the past and present.Wayne and Chuck have more than 65 years of experience in professional journalism between them, but they dont waste time indulging in scholarly breakdowns of their institutional knowledge. Instead, they share behind-the-scenes stories about their odd, funny, inspirational and embarrassing encounters with celebrities, managers, fans and readers. And they laugh at themselves and each other. A lot. Because being an entertainment journalist does that to you.An important third voice in the How We Heard It podcast is engineer John Baker, himself a musician and producer who reins in Wayne and Chuck when they need it. Johns tastes are a little bit Wayne and a little bit Chuck, and hes a friendly sort.Waynes primary role in his nearly four decades at the Knoxville News-Sentinel was his work as an entertainment writer and critic. He currently hosts The Six OClock Swerve weekly radio show on WUTK, 90.3 FM in Knoxville, hes a former Grammy nominee, and hes an organizer of the annual concert series Waynestock: For the Love of Drew and Rylan. Hes also an artist and unconventional garden writer - see more at www.waynebledsoe.com.Chuck started his career in journalism at the Daytona Beach News-Journal in Florida before joining the staff in Knoxville. He has reviewed more than 5,500 albums, and his column was distributed by the New York Times, Gannett, Cox News Service and the Scripps Howard News Language: en Genres: Music, Music Commentary, TV & Film Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Prediction: The Grammys are going to enrage a lot of people
Episode 82
Friday, 16 January, 2026
It seems like forever ago that awards shows were a time to honor excellence. Now they've become an excuse to hate watch, an opportunity to tear apart artists for what they wear, what they say and even how they look at each other. Coming off a particularly contentious 2025 around the world, the upcoming Grammy Awards will certainly tick off a lot of viewers. For starters, these days we just get mad at everybody all the time for everything anyway. What's more, there are raw nerves out there about any number of social and political issues - and musicians aren't known for being diplomats who keep their opinions to themselves. And on top of everything, last year's Grammys saw Beyonce finally win her first Album of the Year award - for a country album that many country fans refused to accept as "country." (There are still residual hurt feelings over that one.) Many of this year's top contenders, for Album of the Year and other major awards, have been linked to key social issues and are known for saying what's on their minds. Bad Bunny (set to perform at halftime of this year's Super Bowl) could win Album of the Year among other awards. It would be the first time a Spanish-language album won for best overall album ... and it should be noted the Puerto Rican performer was in the news in 2025 for canceling shows and/or avoiding performances in many cities because of expectations of ICE raids targeting concertgoers. This year's Grammys could also find Kendrick Lamar or Lady Gaga win their first Album of the Year Grammy. Lamar, an early and committed advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, hasn't flinched from controversy in his career - including during his recent vicious rivalry with Drake. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga has been a career-long, unapologetically vocal, ally for the LGBTQ members of society ... and 2025 was a particularly tough one for trans Americans. Enter Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell, veteran music journalists (and friends) who have been arguing about the Grammys since the 1990s. As hosts of "How We Heard It," they invite listeners to play along during this episode as they make their picks from this year's nominees, choosing who deserves to win and who likely will win. Most importantly, they urge everyone to relax and enjoy the music. We're all friends here.
