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 :)