Today 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 want my MTV, but not anymore.

I was there watching when it came on.

seems like yesterday

Yeah, we were gathered around the tv- it was fun for a while, when they actually showed music videos.

I loved MTV, back in the day.

I thought I'd found a new place, FUSE but that became full of shows, too, not videos. The shows about the musicians, like blocks of their videos, shows about their concerts, great. But the other bs?

At least I taped a lot.

We didn't tune it in until day two. Living in a small town with only one record store, Electronic Butterfly, it was a revalation.

My Dad taped hours and hours of MTV back in the day so I've got a lot of old tapes. Gosh I miss videos and commercials only on the half hour after music news.

Thanks to MTV, my mom is able to recognize a Billy Idol song at low volume from several rooms away so that she could be sure to yell at my sister to not watch such filth.

Why Billy Idol, out of all the myriad objectionable things, she chose to harp on I'll never know.

I was there. Then I stayed to see if they'd actually play some good music. It took ages. Then I got bored.

Back Porch Videos and Night Flight played much better music.

Today in Music History
 

Ahhh MTV when they actually played music videos...watching for the first time Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer" video :)

I remember waiting forever to get that one Cabaret Voltaire song

ooooohhhhh! The one with the cool camera work? I remember waiting for that too. Was it Nag Nag Nag?

Yes - that's the one

I wonder what Martha Quinn is up to?

MTV? The best we had was "Night Tracks' on WTBS from Georgia. I had to sneak out of my room just too see "Wrapped around your Finger" from the Police. :blush:

I tuned in a few times today and there was absolutely no mention of the anniversary. They played all of their reality shows, no videos except those the crowd screams over during TRL. Music Televison - bah!

Good lord...I was only two and a half months old when MTV premiered.

MTV basically went downhill ever since they began airing too much TV and not enough M.

Sadly, our Canadian equivalent, MuchMusic, sucks just as much these days. In order to see retro music videos now, you have to subscribe to a special network...and who has the money for that?

I love your latest avatar Matt

That's not the one with the cool camera work, but I remember that one as well. I loved that song.

This is the video I was thinking of - Sensoria.

Well, I think you may have your facts wrong, that actually happened two days ago in Music History.

Oct 23 1988

A concert-goer at a Skinny Puppy show in Cincinnati mistakes a stuffed dog, a prop that undergoes "vivisection" during the performance, for a live dog and calls the cops. Even after the police establish no real animals have been harmed, bandmates Nivek Ogre and Cevin Key, along with their tour manager, are arrested on disorderly conduct charges. They spend the night in jail and are fined $200.

Oct 25 1991

On the way back from a Huey Lewis concert, rock promoter Bill Graham is killed when his helicopter hits high-voltage power lines in Vallejo, California.