It's kinda weird that today marks the 25th anniversary of MTV's official launch on television. And, of course we all know the first video played on that historic day. "Video Killed the Radio star." The Buggles will never make it to the Rock 'n' Roll hall of fame, but their place in pop culture has clearly been cemented.
But, with this momentous golden anniversary, I'm feeling blue.
You see, MTV back in the old days was an alternative to an already dying, prehistoric medium known as Rock radio.
The launch of MTV in 1981 was perfect, considering the fact that 1981 was the same year that Rock 'n' Roll was beginning its demise. And, 1981 was the year after John Lennon's death in New York which in opinion signaled the end of the greatest period of creativity in Rock music, I'm referring to the years of 1964, when the Beatles arrived in America, to 1980, when John Lennon met an untimely and sickening demise.
MTV was this greatest thing. A new medium to hear new bands, new voices of Rock 'n' Roll.
MTV became the savior of the entire music industry.
Now, MTV, has become the epitome of everything that is wrong with the music industry.
MTV has become a catapult for rich girls' reality shows and record company promotions.
When did the downfall occur?
After Guns 'N' Roses preen and posed their way into MTV and the charts the network became virtually unwatchable for a few years, until Nirvana and the city of Seattle became the enema that rock 'n' roll needed. And, like another Seattle legend, Kurt Cobain came and went, but before leaving his mark on Rock 'n' Roll and MTV.
Then, the worse period of Pop music ushered in 1997 with Hanson, the teeny-bopper machine with a catchy hit song that featured a shitty title called 'MMM BOP' and with that the floodgates of horror opened. Then came Britney, Carson Daly, 'N' Sync, Christina Aguilera, and, well a cesspool of musical mediocrity.
1999 came, and Eminem arrived like a fart in the wind. Swearing and sneering and eventuall becoming virtually irrelevant. The decade that arrived after 1999, featured a jackass named Johnny Knoxville, a mumbling, drugged-out, washed-up rock star Ozzy Osbourne and his family, The village idiot, Jessica Simpson, a no-talen hack name Ashton Kutcher who's talent is playing pranks and banging washed-up actresses' in their forties, an overrated rap star named 50 cent who's marketing ploy is to remind everyone he's been shot 9 times and of course how can we not add to the demise of MTV with the infamous "Kiss."
That's right the kiss heard round the world.
What Chicago Sun Times TV critic, Doug Elfman calls the Save-my-career kiss.
It was on August 28, 2003, when Madonna and her clone Britney Spears exchanged tongues in an effort to draw a massive audience, feed their egos, and extend their 15 minutes of fame. In the case of Madonna, her 15 minutes should've been up 20 years ago.
And, in the case of Britney, she's a mother of 3, counting her unborn child and that money-sucking, no-talent sycophant, Kevin Federline. Hopefully, their children will be better musicians than their parents.
When MTV died, so did Rock 'n' Roll. The genre has gone through some remarkable comebacks, but this is surely the end.
Rock 'n' Roll has seized to exist in this country. MTV is partially responsible for the demise. Who wants pure art when you can watch a bunch of whored-out, spoil little rich girls.
I will admit there is great music to be heard out there, but that voice is somewhere in the wilderness and it's being hijacked by Paris Hilton's lack of intelligence and Jennifer Lopez's ass.
The mood of the music industry is "right now."
There's no room to nurture a budding artist. It's can you make me richer than belief right now.
It's all about instant gratification, and MTV is the symbol.
Why you think "Laguna Beach" is so popular. We need our fix of gratifying ourselves by peeking into the world of strangers who's mission is to make an ass out of themselves on national television.
The 80's was a special time for MTV. I grew up to videos like "Every Breath you Take," "Big time," and a countless string of others.
Now, it's more about featuring women with shit for brains and pretentious pop stars who are lucky that the industry is more image based than every, because their talent is equal to that of a donkey with no brains.
There's an old expression that goes like this, "I want my MTV."
Now, I don't want it.