"I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of The Music Video Revolution"



 

I still want my MTV, but I would prefer music videos to be the focus of the cable network once again, instead of reality programs and scripted series (although Teen Wolf is awesome). MTV made its way into my hometown shortly after its inception, in 1981. For many years I was hooked on the cable giant, like so many other youngsters at that time, and have fond memories of the salad days of music videos. The recently updated book I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of The Music Video Revolution (Plume), by Rob Tannenbaum and Craig Marks, details the early days of the network up through the early 1990's when The Real World began to change MTV forever.

The story of MTV is told by the employees of the company, both in front of and behind the camera, as well as a plethora of musicians and other music industry professionals. Every chapter features commentary from various individuals who offer fascinating insight into the ups and downs that the network experienced during its first groundbreaking decade. From the early days when European bands, including Culture Club, A Flock of Seagulls, The Eurythmics, etc, dominated the landscape, to the early 1990's, when original programming began to become the rule and not the exception, the tumultuous history of the network is examined.

The cast of characters who lend their insight include former VJ's (Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, Adam Curry, Pauly Shore), executives (Bob Pittman, Les Garland), video directors (John Landis, David Fincher) and, of course, musicians (Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, Heart, Def Leppard and many more). The comments are unfiltered, which is refreshing and often hilariously frank, including a few remarks about Madonna, Dee Snider and Billy Squier that may have you laughing out loud. Some of the criticism leveled towards artists, such as Journey, was curious. Journey's video for "Separate Ways" was denounced by several interviewees because it was so poorly executed. At the time, I did not see anything wrong with the video, because of my age and the fact that "Separate Ways" is my all-time favorite Journey song. However, if I would watch the video today, I may feel differently about the band playing "air" instruments. I was also surprised to learn about the impact of Billy Squier's much maligned "Rock Me Tonite" video, which I remember, but did not think it was that bad either. However, Squier's decision to dance around in a pink shirt apparently led to the downfall of his career!

A good deal of attention is paid to the original VJ's and their predecessors, who were far more controversial, as well as future MTV personalities, including Cindy Crawford and Dan Cortese. In addition, I was fascinated to learn about the downfall of some artists, including Joe Jackson, who resisted the video medium and their careers suffered greatly as a result. A few interesting chapters discuss the emergence of black artists, namely Michael Jackson, and the eventual inclusion of rap music, which came to be very lucrative for MTV. Another controversial topic, the exploitation of female artists, includes several candid and eye-opening observations.

Legendary artists, including Van Halen, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and Michael Jackson helped MTV achieve great success (and vice versa) in the mid 1980's. Many anecdotes concerning Van Halen's partying escapades (specifically "The Lost Weekend" contest), Springsteen's dislike of the video medium and the power that Madonna and Michael Jackson had over the network, make for interesting reading. Of course, MTV had its share of controversy too, courtesy of racy videos, outspoken artists and pressure from the Parents Music Resource Center, which was successful in labeling music with warnings about sexual and/or drug related lyrics/content. In addition, the stories about what happened during the network's Spring Break specials are jaw dropping.

The early days of pop and rock, the hair metal craze, the emergence of rap and alternative music, and the eventual turn towards original programming are all a part of MTV's never boring history. While the behavior of some artists is not necessarily surprising, some executives gave them a run for their money with their partying ways. Indeed, there was a lot of sex and drugs with the rock and roll and much of it is exposed in the 500 plus pages of I Want My MTV. This insightful and entertaining effort allows readers to add a new layer of perspective to how the cable giant formed and operated during its historic first decade plus on the air. It is an amazing story of survival, which could not have happened without the numerous creative influences that forever changed the music industry and popular culture.