Welcome to Morobinbarrystories.com! Please join me on twitter @morobinbarry. This site is for Bee Gee fans everywhere who would like to read and share stories of joy, fun, love and inspiration for Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. (Andy is not forgotten and is included at times). If you’d like to share a story, please email it to me at morobinbarrystories@gmail.com. Stories will be posted often, some from my collected tales and some from the new ones as they come in. Others I will save for my book, which is in progress. At times, I will post articles about events relating to the Gibbs that fans might enjoy.

February 12, 2015

Well, the Grammy Awards and all the galas, parties and special events that go along with it are finished. It’s finally over; and if Barry is as tired as I am, he’ll be sleeping late for a week. As I think about writing this article, I am torn between two schools of thought. As usual, there are the fans whose glass is always half empty, and then there are the fans whose exciting, overflowing optimism is an inspiration.

It seems that there are fiercely loyal Bee Gee fans who aren’t going to give up the “sour grapes” attitude, and that goes for fans in Europe, Australia, the US and every other country in between. I understand the disappointment of not seeing the Lifetime Achievement Awards being presented, and I know that it’s hard to understand why this program was not televised. Indeed, I happen to think that the performances were knock out incredible and the step above classiness of how the show is constructed is simply terrific. No, fans didn’t get to hear Bee Gee music on Grammy night. No, they didn’t see Barry perform. Yes, the honor was long overdue. However, I think fans need to understand a few key ideas.

First, The Lifetime Achievement program honors many brilliant musical icons. Of course, most fans know about George Harrison (a personal favorite of mine) and his achievements. I would have paid anything for a ticket just to hear George’s son Dhani speak lovingly about his father. Other famous people who were in the company of the Bee Gees were the great Blues artist Buddy Guy, who at the age of 78, is still a force to be reckoned with. Wayne Shorter, the superb jazz composer, is 80 and a legend in his field. Perhaps fans don’t know of honorees Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, but fans certainly know their music. They wrote such songs as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin”, “On Braodway”, and You’re My Soul and My Inspiration” and scores of others we know so well. They wrote songs that we can sing from beginning to end (and not just the chorus). During their acceptance speech, Cynthia said, “It’s all about the song. Everything begins with the song.” She is a woman after my own heart, and I wanted to be in the same room with her and just breathe the air she breathes. The bottom line here is that Barry was in the company of other great artists in the music world, and he was right where he belonged, and this night was spectacular for him and his brothers. That’s all that counts.

Secondly, The Grammy Awards show is about MONEY….I’m not happy that a 56-year-old woman was on stage in lingerie for several minutes trying too hard to impress or that Kanye West again showed the world how NOT to be a role model for young people (go BECK). However, the show is about ratings and hoopla and shock value, and this may never change. Granted, during the broadcast my blood pressure was at stroke level when the Bee Gees and some of the other legends were given short-shrift (at the very least someone should have sung a tribute or there should have been a video shown), but that’s the way it was produced, and that’s the way that cookie crumbled.

If the fans keyed in on Barry’s behavior from the first day he learned about the honor he and his brothers were to receive, they would learn some valuable lessons from him. HIs first reaction was to say, “This is truly unexpected.” HUMBLE!

He was self-deprecating in interviews, and his sense of humor came shining through, no matter which reporter he was talking with. (I think the Entertainment Tonight reporters became instant groupies). His humility is like a magnet. It draws people in and is endearing.

Barry took part in the events during the week and very likely enjoyed himself immensely. Fans had to see that he was having fun being around other musicians he admired himself. He performed, partied with Clive Davis and had his family by his side. He conducted himself with grace, charm, class and dignity. He has nothing to prove to anyone. He’s paid his dues and has fifty years of success behind him. I think that he liked being with other generations of talent whose work he respects and who respect him in return. (Just as a side note, it doesn’t hurt the charm meter that no one on the planet looks as good as Barry Gibb in a tuxedo, velvet or otherwise).

As Bee Gee fans think about how Barry, Robin and Maurice were finally recognized with the highest music honor possible, we should all be bursting with pride for the three of them. We knew they were the best all along.

Barry summed it all up with his comments on the Grammy Red Carpet as he responded to the question of what the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award meant to him. He said, “It’s the dream.” Speaking of his brothers he commented, “It’s all of us together, even though they’re not here with me.” He carries on for all of his brothers, still living that dream. More often than not, the glass is definitely full.