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Our boy Thomas Hampson won’t be attending the Grammy awards ceremony on Wednesday.

He has better things to do than fidget in his seat and smile bravely for the cameras, waiting to see if he is going to win his first Grammy in six tries.

I mean, he truly does have better things to do. Namely, he has a twohour live broadcast on “Live From Lincoln Center.” The show is called “An Evening With Kathleen Battle and Thomas Hampson,” and it airs the same night, Wednesday at 7 p.m. on KSPS-7.

This means we will get to see two solid hours of Hampson, instead of maybe five seconds of him on the Grammy broadcast, which runs from 8-11 p.m. on CBS.

Maybe not even five seconds. The Grammy telecast is notorious for dumping the classical awards into the dreaded oblivion of “awards presented earlier in the day.” After all, the Grammy people have to get that Best Rap Polka Video award onto the air during prime time.

However, if they present any classical awards on the air, it will probably be the Classical Album of the Year category, the flagship category in classical music.

Hampson is nominated for the two-CD set, “Barber: Secrets of the Old - The Complete Songs,” featuring Hampson, soprano Cheryl Studer and pianist John Browning. This is his first nomination in this category; his other five were in vocal and operatic categories.

Will he win? “If Grammys are awarded for making major contributions to the recording arts, then it merits the bestof-the-bunch accolade,” writes critic Allan Ulrich of the San Francisco Examiner.

However, Ulrich also said at least three of the other nominees might stand a better chance, led by “Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Four Orchestral Pieces, Op. 12,” with Pierre Boulez conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

No more Mumm

Steve Mumm, KXLY-4 weathercaster and reporter, is quitting to work in his family design and publishing business, called “Mumm’s the Word.”

Mumm, 38, was hired as KXLY’s main weathercaster in 1985, but he quit the main anchor job last August to spend more time with his family. He has been part-time since then.

His “Northwest Backroads” feature will be taken over by Daryl Romeyn.

Mumm might still be seen on KXLY weather broadcasts, working as a fill-in.

That makes two major names to quit at KXLY in the last few days. Bud Nameck also quit as sports director.

Both Nameck and Mumm, by the way, were picked as “Best in the Inland Northwest” in their respective categories in The Inlander’s 1994 reader’s poll.

Name the best year

I’ll admit it, I have spent far too much time ragging on the year 1975 as the worst year ever for pop music. Pat Palmer called to point out that 1975 should not be lumped in with the late ‘70s, which saw a “big explosion of music,” including ska, punk, techno-pop and other styles which have had an enormous impact on music ever since.

He’s right, and it got me thinking: What was the best year ever for pop music? Call my Voice Mail at 459-5493 or write me at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane WA, 99210 and give me your choice. Be sure and include corroborating evidence, namely, your favorite songs or albums from that year. (If you’re not sure of exact dates of songs, call anyway: I can check the dates in my reference books.)

One vote for 1966

To get the voting started, here’s my choice: 1966 - “The Sounds of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel; “Monday, Monday” by the Mamas and Papas; “Good Lovin”’ by the Young Rascals; “Summer in the City” by the Lovin’ Spoonful; “Wild Thing” by the Troggs; “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys; “When A Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge; “A Well-Respected Man” by the Kinks; “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones, and the albums, “Rubber Soul,” “Yesterday and Today,” and “Revolver” by the Beatles.

Of course, this might say more about my age than about the quality of the music. Call me if you have a better year.

Confusing lyrics

Here, as promised, are the real lyrics to David Bowie’s “Young Americans,” which reader Bruce Moline nominated as the most confusing song of 1975, or possibly of all time:

“You ain’t a pimp and you ain’t a hustler, a pimp’s got a Caddie and a lady got a Chrysler, blacks got respect, uhh, whites got his soul train, mama’s got cramps, and look at your hands ache.”

Oh. Now it all makes sense.

Irish comedian

Don’t forget about the Hal Roach comedy show on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at The Met.

Roach is billed as Ireland’s “King of Blarney” and “The Bob Hope of Ireland.” Both titles are apt.

He’s an old-fashioned (that’s a compliment) comedian with a distinctly Irish flair. The show is sponsored by the Spokane-Limerick Sister City Society and O’Doherty’s Irish Grille. Tickets are $12, available through G&B Select-a-Seat or at O’Doherty’s.

Public broadcasting update

The following are three sound bites from the ongoing congressional debate over public broadcasting: Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House: “They still don’t realize the appropriation is gone, the game is over.”

Richard Carlson, president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting: “It is not a game with us …”

Gingrich: “As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing public about it; it’s an elitist enterprise. Rush Limbaugh is public broadcasting.”

Delano Lewis, president of National Public Radio: “To say that Rush Limbaugh is public broadcasting reveals a total lack of understanding of objectivity, balance, journalistic standards, and the need to provide accurate, in-depth information to the citizens of a democracy.”

Gunther Schuller’s jazz

Fans of Pulitzer Prize winner Gunther Schuller abound in these parts, since he heads both the Northwest Bach Festival and the Festival at Sandpoint.

They should check out the new jazz album “Rush Hour” (Blue Note), a collaboration between Schuller and jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano. Schuller contributed the compositions and arrangements.

“Adventurous and satisfying,” says critic Bob Protzman of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Schuller’s more extended tunes are multilayered, multisectioned, multihued and quite exciting.”

The president of Blue Note goes even further, calling it “one of the truly great albums on Blue Note.”

He might be a bit biased, but still, this sounds like a must-hear album for Schuller fans.

Pursuit Northwest magazine

A new local magazine has hit the racks, this one aimed at people who love outdoor sports and travel. Pursuit Northwest magazine began publication in January; the second issue is due out this week.

It’s almost like a regional version of Outside magazine. Spokane editor Nick Heil says it is patterned after successful regional outdoors magazines in Seattle and Denver.

The first issue had stories about snowboarding, skiing, the Spokane Mountaineers and mountain-biking.

“It’s for active adults and anybody active outdoors,” said Heil, whose byline you might recognize from the Inlander.

The magazine is published in Sandpoint by Keokee Co. Publishing. The editor and publisher is Chris Bessler.

It’s free and available at outdoors stores, coffee bars and specialty stores.