Whatever Happened To MTV?
I want my...I want my...I want my MTV...
So went the plaintive request from Sting before Mark Knofler's guitar kicked into
gear. It has to be the only song that I've ever heard which was about a television network.
Granted, it was a cable television network, but it changed the way we looked and
talked about music.
Do you remember tuning in that first night to watch The Buggles mournful elation
over video killing the radio star? Did you stay up all hours waiting for your
favorite video? How about the video debuts? How many of us reworked our schedules
so we wouldn't miss the 'world premiere' of the hottest new video from the hottest
new bands (and some of the more well established bands as well)? Did you have a
favorite vee-jay?
So what happened? Where are all the videos? And just who or what killed the video star?
I tuned in the other day to see what was up in the world of music. I could not
believe what I saw. If this is the future of Music Television then count me out.
I want music from a music station. Not a bunch of reality shows where the 'stars'
do nothing but bitch and complain and moan and groan for an hour. And I definitely
do not want to see Ozzy and his 'beeped' family 'beeping' spouting off to 'beeping'
one another about 'beeping' stupid 'beep' that the 'beeping' world could 'beeping'
care less about. 'Beeping' enough already.
It's a hell of a line up for the dysfunctional and brain dead. From 'Jackass' to
'Punk'd'...from 'The Real World' to 'Road Rules'...from 'Surf Girls' to 'The
Osbournes'...And let's not forget Tom Green. Where would the world be today without
his insightful and witty humor?
This is what the once hottest music channel on TV has become? A reality based cable
channel? What's next? Jerry Springer and Maury Povich doing a talk show for the
network? I can see the topics now...'My mother made it with 'N Sync's roadies'...
'My father totally embarassed me at a Britney Spears' concert'...'My mom and dad
still think Kiss and Aerosmith are the greatest things to happen to rock'...
I did get to see some music videos on MTV, though. Of course, it was after 2:00
in the morning. So I know where the priority for music on Music Television is.
So the person, or persons, responsible for the untimely demise of MTV...Bring
back the music!
- Richard Blaine
* Richard Blaine's views and opinions do not necessarily
reflect the views and opinions of the staff at Twin-Music.