The wild week in Bon Iver news

Last Tuesday, Bon Iver’s song “Holocene” was featured in a TV commercial for the upcoming Grammys. In the commercial, an idyllic snowy landscape turns into a flock of birds that then turns into a silhouette of B.I. frontman Justin Vernon, and then into the message, “WE ARE MUSIC,” and then into a message advertising the Grammys.

Incidentally, you can watch the Grammys next Sunday, February 12th, at 8/7c, only on CBS.

On Wednesday, USA Today published an interview with Justin Vernon in which the singer/songwriter discussed Bon Iver’s shoes, Bon Iver’s popularity, Bon Iver’s four Grammy nominations, Bon Iver’s then-upcoming Saturday Night Live appearance and his projects outside Bon Iver. When asked when Bon Iver’s next album will come out, Vernon said, “I’m guessing three years. But it could be five.”

Then last Thursday, Vernon told Billboard that Bon Iver turned down a chance to perform at the Grammys. The Recording Academy had asked the band to collaborate with another artist. According to Vernon: “We kind of said ‘fu*k you’ a little bit and they sort of acted like they wanted us to play, but I don’t think they wanted us to play.”

Saturday Night Live featured Bon Iver in this week’s episode, called “Channing Tatum / Bon Iver.” Tatum pronounced “Bon Iver” correctly and the band performed “Holocene” and “Beth/Rest.”

And yesterday, Justin Vernon sparred publicly with hyper-ironic music blog Hipster Runoff. In response to a post on H.R. which mocked Bon Iver, Vernon tweeted, “who are you? you fu*king totally suck.” Since then Hipster Runoff has repeatedly tweeted self-pityingly about the incident, saying, for example: “Please send me #hashtags of love and support. I need them now more than evr.”