BEFORE THE CAMERAS WERE ON NOT-FOR-TV SHOW EMPHASIZES MUSIC OVER POP CULTURE HYPE.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

With 87 Grammy Awards given out in the 93 minutes leading up to the record academy telecast Wednesday, the mantra from the stage for finalists was ``how fast can you run.''

Double winners in the early awards included Eminem, Steely Dan, R&B singer D'Angelo, Faith Hill and Joni Mitchell.

Sheryl Crow won her seventh career Grammy for ``There Goes the Neighborhood,'' which was named best female rock vocal performance.

Lenny Kravitz's was named best male rock vocal performance for ``Again,'' and the Foo Fighters' ``There Is Nothing Left To Lose'' was best rock album.

But no matter who you were, though, all the winners - including those in such categories as engineering, classical composition, liner notes and spoken word - were ushered on and off the Staples Center stage with lightning speed. That is if they bothered to show up at all. Many did, however, and there was little controversy surrounding this portion of the ceremony.

Headline-grabbing rapper Eminem won both of the early categories he was up for: best rap solo performance (``The Real Slim Shady'') and best rap performance by a duo or group (with Dr. Dre for ``Forget About Dre''), but he was a pretelecast no-show.

There were some memorable moments nonetheless. Veteran Los Angeles singer-songwriter Dave Alvin, the best traditional folk album winner for ``Public Domain - Songs From the Wild Land,'' dedicated his trophy to ``all the musicians stopping in truck stops on their way to gin joints.''

Dolly Parton picked up her sixth career Grammy for ``The Grass is Blue,'' which was named best bluegrass album, and Johnny Cash, who is hospitalized in Nashville for pneumonia, won best male country vocal performance for his rendition of ``Solitary Man.'' It's his 10th Grammy.

Plus, the Newman cousins won. Randy Newman's ``When She Loved Me'' from ``Toy Story 2'' was best song written for a movie, television or other visual media, while Thomas Newman's score for ``American Beauty'' was named best score soundtrack album.

Eminem remained the favorite topic backstage, where Grammy winners including members of British alt-rock band Radiohead, local rock-rappers Rage Against the Machine and Christian rock-gospel band Petra all weighed in.

``Let's face it - we all feel he's made the most culturally significant album, whether it's good or bad,'' said Radiohead's Ed Greenwood.

Rage's Tom Morello said it all boiled down to the First Amendment. ``There are two opinions about freedom of speech - you're either for it or against it. His only responsibility as an artist is to be true to himself.''

Meanwhile, Lonnie Chapin of Petra evoked that warm place south of heaven when asked about the foul-mouthed Detroit rapper. ``We're not anyone to judge what he does. But he will be judged accordingly.''

Some of the year's most celebrated, if little known, music received notice during the pretelecast. There was country goddess Emmylou Harris, for example, scurrying to the stage to pick up a golden gramophone for her ``Red Dirt Girl.''

A thankful but out-oreath B.B. King, too, made his way through the half- empty auditorium, but sans Eric Clapton, with whom he recorded the award-winning ``Riding with the King.''

And it wouldn't be the Grammys without some glaring boo-boos. Take for example, the Baha Men's stadium sing-along, ``Who Let the Dogs Out,'' which inexplicably won for best dance recording. We're not sure who dances to the song, but Moe Grant of the Bahamas-based group was so overjoyed to get the trophy that he thanked everyone but the canines of his song's title.

So, we asked Grant backstage, who actually did let the dogs out? ``Radio stations, the media, the people of America,'' he said.

Among the kookier moments before the TV cameras went on took place when preshow host David Foster had the crowd sing ``Happy Birthday'' to presenter-singer Charlotte Church, who just turned 15. ``I've got ties older than that,'' Foster quipped.

Then, there was Alvin's response - and one of the night's best lines - when asked the inevitable Eminem question: ``I love the brown ones.''

(QUOTES)

``I don't know what all the controversy is all about. I've met Eminem backstage and he's really gay. He's about the gayest guy you could meet.''

- Host Jon Stewart joked about the controversy in his opening remarks on the show.

`I hope at the end of the performance, he and Elton John make out.''

- Moby on Eminem and Elton John's performance.

``This town of all towns should understand (use of) first-person (in fiction). Go back to the murder ballads of the Middle Ages. It's nothing new.''

- Bono of U2 on Eminem's lyrics

``I can look at this Grammy and feel I deserve it, damn it.''

- Shelby Lynne, reminding everyone that she cut six albums over 13 years before her album ``I Am Shelby Lynne'' garnered attention and acclaim.

``Madonna looked up at me and said, 'I have those pants.' ''

- Sheryl Crow, talking of her encounter with the Material Girl on the way to the podium.

``I thought it was all houses, money and cars. It's more than that.''

- Teen rapper Lil Bow Wow, who performed with Madonna in the telecast's opening number

``You can't censor anyone's music. I was rooting for him. I would never censor anyone's artistry. And I think it's therapeutic for him.''

- Tony Braxton on Eminem

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Temptations, who first hit No. 1 more than 35 years ago with the classic ``My Girl,'' show off their Grammys for best traditional R&B vocal album for ``Ear-Resistable.''

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Blues legend B.B. King arrives for the Grammy Awards.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

box: QUOTES (See text)