Back When MTV Meant Something...

I'm going to go on a little bit of a rant here, so I ask for your forgiveness in advance.

Back in the days of yore (i.e.: 1981), a new channel came out called Music Television; MTV, for short. And it showed little video representations of popular rock and pop tunes of the day. It also ushered in a new era of music star - in fact, several of them; the heavier the rotation the better.

Duran Duran, Madonna, ZZ Top, Culture Club - they all benefitted from the advent of said MTV and everyone made lots of money. And let's face it, there was some good music to be had back then, what with all the up-and-comers trying to emulate their juke box heroes.

But....

Something happened along the way; the rebels at MTV became button-down TV execs and decided to play out to a larger demographic by having specials on celebrities and movie premieres, news reports, social commentaries, game shows, awards shows, documentaries, special presentations on everything under the sun except for music.

Which brings us up to this point in time, where MTV is a brand name now instead of a music video network. It's become more white-collar than any of the older, more established networks of old. Kind of disappointing.

And even VH1, which was established to play the lighter MTV fare has succumbed to the point wherein they play any and everything under the sun but music videos.

But what of VH1 Classics, that channel that plays what MTV used to? A good channel, and I watch it often, but it's still just a sad reminder that the video stars of the First Coming have done the unthinkable - they've gotten older and made our own memories of what used to be all that much sadder. After all, do we need to hear "Fleetwood Mac" and "Reunion Tour" in the same sentence?

That much being said, it's only fitting that any of us who grew up watching the rocket launch and that astronaut staring at the color-changing flag while that familiar "DUNN! Da-dunn! Da-dunn! Da-dunn!" guitar rhythm played would want to be reminded of the "good-old days", so to speak.

So, fellow '80s music lovers, prepare to step into the time machine and set the Way-Back for August 1st, 1981.



Then, 'natch, came their first music video. Remember Buggles?



And there was nothing...NOTHING...like witnessing the first music videos as the artists were initially testing the waters. Like Soft Cell....



...Asia....



...Toto....



...The Clash....



...Toni Basil (she's so fine she blows my mind)....



And the kings of this kind of thing, Duran Duran!



You newbies with your Good Charlotte and your Nelly Furtado and your MXPX, pay heed! They all came from somewhere! And they all had their old school heroes!

Ah well, I still want my MTV, but not today's. My day's.

Dope out.

-TGWD