BIG Day in Music History
 

Aug 1 1981

Cable music network MTV launches, by airing "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, followed by Pat Benatar's "You Better Run." That's right, kids: once upon a time, MTV actually played music videos.

I was sitting in front of the tube at the time thank you berry mulch.

:cool:

And my childhood was one long annoyance from that point on. (Actually that didn't happen for a couple years until we both had cable and my sisters decided that was the only channel they were remotely interested in.)

Congratulations, MTV, you are now older than your target audience.

Yes, I was there too. Then I proceeded to sit in front of the TV for hours just waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for them to play a video for a band I actually liked. I think that is when I became disgusted with TV.

It was that Caberet Voltaire Video - Nag Nag Nag, I think - waited days to see that one, or have someone capture it on video

That was a groundbreaking video!

So was I. I still can't hear that song without a mixture of revulsion and nostalgia.

We didn't get it until about day 3 - my dad figured out how to tune it in without subscribing.

They were re-playing parts of day one on VH1 Classic yesterday. I can't even remember half the bands they had and Rod Stewart must just cringe watching any of his videos.

Agreed. I hated that all of my friends wanted to do nothing but watch the same handful of videos over and over.

Worst thing to ever happen to music, IMO.

I lived in a small town. One AM radio station and one record store "The Electronic Butterfly". People either listened to country or Van Halen. MTV brought a whole new world to us (even if it was mostly crap).

I was 3.

Did your parents watch, in between changing diapers?

Hahahaha, my parents watching MTV. Now that's comedy.

I don't thing we had cable yet at that point. And when we did have it, in the mid to late 80s, the only interface my parents had with MTV was my mom's uncanny ability to know from across the house that my older sister was watching a Billy Idol video (yes, my parents forbade my sister from watching Bily Idol videos...my parents were a little weird sometimes).

I bet your sister spend hours in front of the mirror trying to perfect her "Billy Idol" face just to piss off your parents. ;)

What ever happened to Martha Quinn?

One bad perm put her off big hair for good.

I miss the Just Ask Julie Show.

'Cause I'm a blonde. Yeah yeah yeah!'

If it wasn't for MTV, I never would have known the song "Our House" by Madness - which I went to a local record shop to find on vinyl, and they asked me if I'd heard KROQ... I didn't watch much MTV after about 1985, but the first few years they had some fun stuff - ESPECIALLY AL-TV!

Our Mouse
With the tiny little feet.......

Growing up in NJ, we had a cool alternative to MTV on UHF, called U68. It was also where they aired The Uncle Floyd Show. Looking through my rose-colored glasses, the '80s were pretty cool.

Looks like she's on SIRIUS.

Ours was called Requet Video, hosted at various points by Rodney Binganheimer (aka Rodney on the Rock), Kevin and Bean, and some chick who sucked beyond belief and ultimately killed the show. Not the 80s, it started in '91. That, and my sister's music collection blaring through the thin wall between our bedrooms had lasting formative effects on my musical tastes.