If I hear someone under 25 mention the former Music Television channel (now exclusively MTV, no music, no television) and suddenly I'm an old fogey with a walking cane and a propensity for wearing pants and suspenders at the same time. I can't help but tell these young whippersnappers that when I was their age, MTV had MUSIC. Lots of it!
That's right, MTV literally was music television. My wife and I often reminisce about our favorite music videos of yesteryear. And guess where we saw them? Not CBS.
My favorite show was Dial MTV. A precursor to TRL, and frankly, the internet, daily video lovers would call in (no doubt using the then modern miracle of touch tone phones) to vote for their favorite video. How much have times changed? The record for number one videos of the day was held by Def Leppard.
Then came the seminal game show "Remote Control." I loved the show and in fairness the challenge round did revolve around music videos, but little did I know then that "Remote Control" was the harbinger of things to come.
Within a few years MTV increasingly cut into to videos to show more and more reality shows. But it was ostensibly at least, still focused on music.
Now MTV has dropped all pretense by dropping the reference to music from its title.
I can't say I blame MTV. Remember the A&E channel once meant "Arts and Entertainment." I'm pretty sure Dog the Bounty Hunter was not what they had in mind. Even the Weather Channel shows movies now.
And given the creative morass that pop music finds it in, I'm not sure that if MTV were to go back to its roots much would change.
Still when I think about my formative music years, I will always think about MTV of lore. And I'll think about my favorite videos.
Then I'll listen to my Ipod.
I love this blog. Sometimes I wish the CEO of MTV (or whatever their affiliate is) would create a "retro MTV" and let us 80's children relive our childhood. I also remember actually learning something on TLC and watching real surgeries on Discovery. Too bad the television times have changed to accommodate the feeble human mind.
ReplyDeleteThis is so funny for a couple of reasons. First we didn't have cable at my house so we didn't get MTV so I really didn't get to watch it much. Two when I did watch it, it was at friend's houses and I always felt like it was something I really shouldn't watch. Music videos were a little racy back then. :) Funny how far we've come now huh?!
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