The first time I saw the American Music Awards was in Tehran, Iran, in 1984. The ceremony had been taped off the television broadcast. It made its way to me via a staticky bootleg Betamax brought to our home by a low-profile but friendly gentleman, concealed in an unmarked briefcase. This was the only method of pop culture consumption post the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which banned music — particularly Western music — in all forms. Besides albums dubbed onto cassette tapes and Top of the Pops episodes recorded off the BBC, there was little music content available, almost all of which came from Europe. To see an actual awards show from the U.S. was a very different experience. How glamorous everyone looked, how exciting it was to hear them speaking when they accepted their awards, how fun it was to watch the artists interact with each other on stage. It was an exceptional year for music, dominated by Michael Jackson’s Thriller .…