August 1, 1981: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll” (1 Viewer)

[zamboni]

Happy 40th birthday

Hasn’t  been much of a thing since they stopped playing videos probably two decades ago, but what an influence in our lives in the early years.

Post your favorite videos, promos, clips, commercials, etc. to celebrate this special day.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Best VIDEO eva.

 

[zamboni]

Not sure why I always remember this contest but it was all over the place at the time:

Paint the mutha pink

 

[AAABatteries]

My parents didn't have a lot of money growing up so we never had cable but we would watch a lot of MTV when I would visit friends.

Nirvana's Unplugged session is usually one of the first things I think of when I think of MTV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9LiPuVRyU8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgeR2oqZGTs

 

[zamboni]

My parents didn't have a lot of money growing up so we never had cable but we would watch a lot of MTV when I would visit friends.

Nirvana's Unplugged session is usually one of the first things I think of when I think of MTV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9LiPuVRyU8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgeR2oqZGTs

Good call - at the time, I wasn’t aware that  “The Man Who Sold The World” was a Bowie cover. Got me even more into Bowie as a result.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I was 19 when MTV went on the air and didn't have cable, so I would only see it if I was at a friend's place. It was amazing how much time was burned staring at that damned channel. It gave popular music a huge boost when it needed one, though I didn't like the new music all that much when it was happening.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

First two hours of MTV programing.

Who was the first video?

 

[zamboni]

Who was the first video?

Among the most asked trivia questions out there. I have always stumped friends when I ask them what was the 2nd video played.

 

[otb_lifer]

cable took awhile to get sorted out in the City ... was bizarre how one block had access, while across the street there was none.  

my 'hood at that time was part of the "none" group ... only caught this newfangled music station when we visited the cousins in Jersey - it was a pretty big deal, i guess.

most memorable  - i recall seeing this on the weekend it premiered ... the intro is now a verboten "video nasty", as it were. 

i thought Martha Quinn was ####### 12 years old 

 

[zamboni]

most memorable  - i recall seeing this on the weekend it premiered ... the intro is now a verboten "video nasty", as it were

That video was shortly banned due mainly to the transvestite at the end. Didn’t fly very well back then with the suits.

 

[zamboni]

i thought Martha Quinn was ####### 12 years old 

Yeah, definitely had that young tomboy look. Kind of always a Ginger vs. Mary Ann thing with her and Nina Blackwood. I was a metal guy back then, so I sided with the trashier looking Nina.

 

[AAABatteries]

Yeah, definitely had that young tomboy look. Kind of always a Ginger vs. Mary Ann thing with her and Nina Blackwood. I was a metal guy back then, so I sided with the trashier looking Nina.

I enjoy her stories but Nina's voice on 80's on 8 is just painful to listen to.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Among the most asked trivia questions out there. I have always stumped friends when I ask them what was the 2nd video played.

Was it a Rod Stewart video? Seemed like he was played all the time on that channel.

 

[otb_lifer]

That video was shortly banned due mainly to the transvestite at the end. Didn’t fly very well back then with the suits.

i thought it got canned because of the malevolent depiction of the wee people - tasty chick, tho 

Yeah, definitely had that young tomboy look. Kind of always a Ginger vs. Mary Ann thing with her and Nina Blackwood. I was a metal guy back then, so I sided with the trashier looking Nina.

Marisol from "Remote Control" was the all-time hottest, imo - better than Khari ... and, man, did i love Kennedy's style - got to meet her at Woody '94 ... i could make up a whopper tale on the spot here that i banged her right good - but she was having none of my chicanery (we did chat for a bit, all schtick aside - very sweet girl).

Nina B looked like she could out chain smoke my mom from here to St. Swithin's Day - i always thought she was a banana peel away from straight up catcher's mitt looking ... kinda like Jerry's girlfriend Gwen in the "Festivus" episode - a real two face ...

 

[zamboni]

Among the most asked trivia questions out there. I have always stumped friends when I ask them what was the 2nd video played.

Was it a Rod Stewart video? Seemed like he was played all the time on that channel.

Very good guess - Rod was third with She Won’t Dance With Me

Second though was Pat Benatar - You Better Run

 

[zamboni]

That video was shortly banned due mainly to the transvestite at the end. Didn’t fly very well back then with the suits.

i thought it got canned because of the malevolent depiction of the wee people - tasty chick, tho 

I think that too. It certainly couldn’t have been DLR as Napoleon.

 

[otb_lifer]

btw, for those of us who didn't have cable (we didn't 'til the move to Queens in '86), channel 4 up here (NBC) ran a gig called "Friday Night Videos" ... came on 'round midnight, iirc - so, essentially "Saturday Morning Videoes", but who's counting. 

no veejays - just a narrator dude who dropped tidbits - it was what it be. 

dunno if the Kenney Everett Video Show predated it, but that show was a glorious mess of epic proportion (also on channel 4) - do you kids know from Sid Snot & Captain Kremmen?

 

[El Floppo]

Still my favorite. Perfect distillation/immitation of every grunge/alt-rock video of the time...but with marionettes.

Superchunk- Package Thief

 

[El Floppo]

btw, for those of us who didn't have cable (we didn't 'til the move to Queens in '86), channel 4 up here (NBC) ran a gig called "Friday Night Videos" ... came on 'round midnight, iirc - so, essentially "Saturday Morning Videoes", but who's counting. 

no veejays - just a narrator dude who dropped tidbits - it was what it be. 

dunno if the Kenney Everett Video Show predated it, but that show was a glorious mess of epic proportion (also on channel 4) - do you kids know from Sid Snot & Captain Kremmen?

That's what I had too. First time I saw and heard Bob Marley and Devo...mid-late 70s?

 

[El Floppo]

i thought Martha Quinn was ####### 12 years old 

Makes this song a little awkward.

 

[woodstock]

We got MTV around '85. I remember it because it introduced me to the ladies. And T. Rex. Fond memory of this bit. 

Dancing girls, Robert Palmer, The Taylor Brothers, and Tony Thompson destroy

The outro. In the original...

And meanwhile, I'm still thinkin'...

Way over my music vocab at the the time. 

 

[otb_lifer]

That's what I had too. First time I saw and heard Bob Marley and Devo...mid-late 70s?

i'm thinking more '84 or so ... didn't debut til after MTV, iirc

Makes this song a little awkward.

 

[zamboni]

btw, for those of us who didn't have cable (we didn't 'til the move to Queens in '86), channel 4 up here (NBC) ran a gig called "Friday Night Videos" ... came on 'round midnight, iirc - so, essentially "Saturday Morning Videoes", but who's counting.

Yup - there was also Night Tracks on WTBS right after Skip Caray signed off from the latest Braves loss.

 

[Ghost Rider]

We didn't get cable till 1982, but once we did, I was an avid MTV watch from then till around 1990-ish.  The 80's ruled, and MTV was one of the reasons.  

 

[woodstock]

I will say this: After about 1985, I remember sentiment towards MTV being anti-MTV. Bands like Metallica and The Dead Kennedys were having their say about it, and I agreed with them. Not to be contrarian, but my memory of MTV is two-fold, on one hand being introduced to a lot of music by it, on the other hand realizing that it was no real friend of the underground and was indeed a massive corporate entity, selling its own corporate interests and wearing them on its sleeve. 

Enough contrarianism. Enjoy the thread. 

 

[otb_lifer]

Yup - there was also Night Tracks on WTBS right after Skip Caray signed off from the latest Braves loss.

loved that ... there was also "Night Flight" (which was USA, iirc), and, my favorite, "Up All Night" with Gilbert Gottfried - straight effin' fire. 

 

[SoBeDad]

Best VIDEO eva.

Speaking of Gabriel, Sledgehammer is the one that came to mind. 

 

[zamboni]

One of my favorite things from the early days is being introduced to some New Wave bands I may not have heard otherwise. One memorable one that always stands out is The Members - Working Girl

 

[simey]

Was it a Rod Stewart video? Seemed like he was played all the time on that channel.

He had the most played on the first day. He was played 16 times that day, and he had 11 different videos (some were repeated to make his appearances 16).

 

[wikkidpissah]

album covers come to life - why did we take so long to figure that out?!

i was still technically in the biz (our mgmt company was a finalist in the mad rush to handle 'til Tuesday) but came from the most organic scene of music, where folks jammed after gigs, had old blues men or jug bands open for em etc etc, BUT, with the music video channel that Monkee Mike Nesmith started when cable was BRAND new and then MTV, i instantly knew everything had changed and loved every minute of it. Purple flashes, shocked monkeys,  beards in hot rods, eurotrash in mascara, Bowie, Byrne & Billy Idol in the medium they were born for. Watched em like it's 1999 til it actually was 1999, would probably know a lot more about 21st C music if there'd still been a place to watch vids&vidss&vids. i salute thee, MTV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Zegras11]

First two hours of MTV programing.

Who was the first video?

Thanks for posting this. Will have to watch it.

I was a senior at Long Beach St.   I remember pretty much watching it all day that first day with friends. And almost 24/7 for that first week. We thought it was the greatest thing ever.

 

[zamboni]

He had the most played on the first day. He was played 16 times that day, and he had 11 different videos (some were repeated to make his appearances 16).

Right. He was the first artist to be played twice  (#3 and #15), with all his videos seemingly on the same minimalistic set just showing him and his band playing.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

I didn’t get cable until 1983 or so, but 8-year old me will never forget the first video I ever saw on MTV:

 The Tubes - She’s A Beauty .  Instantly hooked.

 

[zamboni]

Good read if you have the time:

Rock’s 40 Biggest MTV Moments

 

[PIK95]

Among the most asked trivia questions out there. I have always stumped friends when I ask them what was the 2nd video played.

The Pretenders?  Or Joan Jett?

 

[whoknew]

I wish MTV and musicians would bring back videos. They were great.

 

[PIK95]

He had the most played on the first day. He was played 16 times that day, and he had 11 different videos (some were repeated to make his appearances 16).

  We hated him back then.  My brother and I were like seven and five, lol.  We hated his voice, the music, and his hair lol.  We would get so mad when he came on.  Even now he only has like three songs I actually like.  Mandolin Wind (or whatever), and Maggie May.  Maybe one more. 

  Our best MTV moment was the debut of the Twisted Sister "We're not Gonna Take It" video.  We turned into Beavis and Butt Head rockin out and jumping on furniture.  Good times.

"WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO WITH YOUR LIFE?"

 

[SoBeDad]

Music videos helped Madonna expand her audience. Fashion, dance moves, beauty,  innovation, controversial themes. I fell in love with her on her 1984 video, Borderline.

 

[B Maverick]

Happy 40th birthday

Hasn’t  been much of a thing since they stopped playing videos probably two decades ago, but what an influence in our lives in the early years.

Post your favorite videos, promos, clips, commercials, etc. to celebrate this special day.

We can also blame them for the rise in "reality shows" with Real World.  

Damn I miss the original MTV.  Parents didn't want me to watch the Making of Thriller thinking it was too scary, but I had already seen the video.  Oops.

Used to love the MTV Movie Award and the Video Music Award shows. The MA usually "honored" movies directed at me.  And they gave lifetime awards to the most random of people.  Chewbacca got one I think.  Then Clint Howard won and it actually became an actual honor to win.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

WXPN is doing a bunch of specials this week in honor of MTV's launch. Right now, they are in the middle of playing the 1st 100 unique records/videos they played.

ETA: Here's a link for anyone interested in streaming: link

 

[woodstock]

  We hated him back then.  My brother and I were like seven and five, lol.  We hated his voice, the music, and his hair lol.  We would get so mad when he came on.  Even now he only has like three songs I actually like.  Mandolin Wind (or whatever), and Maggie May.  Maybe one more. 

Faces down? Rockin'.  

Stay With Me 

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Faces down? Rockin'.  

Stay With Me 

Rod with The Faces or Jeff Beck was good.  But by the time of MTV,  not so good.

 

[woodstock]

Rod with The Faces or Jeff Beck was good.  But by the time of MTV,  not so good.

Very true. I was just sort of looking for an excuse to post some Rockin' Rod. 

 

[otb_lifer]

Faces down? Rockin'.  

Stay With Me 

out Stoned the Stones ... ol' Woody's a beast on that whole mutha of an album. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

Rodness had a peeping tom vid,  likely unappropriate now, i used to watch a lot, mostly for the charms of the peepee

 

[zamboni]

Rod with The Faces or Jeff Beck was good.  But by the time of MTV,  not so good.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Passion, one of the several Rod videos played on day one. Love the masterful bass work by little Phil Chen, who played on the aforementioned Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow.

 

[zamboni]

Rodness had a peeping tom vid, 

And a stomach full of jizz, as urban legend had it.

 

[massraider]

I watched/taped 120 Minutes religiously. For a small town kid with odd taste, it was the only way to find music. Random magazine subscriptions, and 120 Minutes. 

MTV got really lame, realllly quick.  5 or 6 years in, they were already not playing videos to not offend Tipper Gore and beer sponsors, but at worst, it was the thing to have your TV tuned to with no sound. Just sort of on, in the background, all the time.  

You could read a lot of articles about the edgy rebels at MTV, but they weren't, at all, they had corporate overlords like everyone else.  Which is to be expected, really. It's a shame, because they really could have flexed their muscle. 'Oh, you're gonna pull your ads? Gosh, I'll guess we'll see if anyone else wants to reach out to the 13-29 year-olds....' Instead, they refused to play a Neil Young video no one would have remembered, got stomped by everyone for being so lame, then named it video of the year, in the lamest move ever to reacquire some cool points.  They may as well have been my science teacher doing the Electric Slide by that point.  

 

[otb_lifer]

And a stomach full of jizz, as urban legend had it.

first heard that one in '78 - i wasn't even 10 years old yet 

 

[Nemesis]

Very good guess - Rod was third with She Won’t Dance With Me

Second though was Pat Benatar - You Better Run

4th was:     The Who   You Better You Bet
But the 5th:  P.H.D - Little Suzy's on the Up............Rock band Tesla covered the song in 1986 under the name "Little Suzi". Tesla released the cover as the second single from their debut album, Mechanical Resonance. The single broke Tesla into the mainstream and was the most successful single from their debut, reaching #91 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Learned something new today.