For '80s kids, it's the official end of an era.
Early this week, MTV unveiled their updated logo, with one glaring omission: music. Finally acknowledging what many viewers already know, the channel no longer associates itself with music. After 28 years, no longer does the logo display the words "Music Television" under the cartoonish "MTV" lettering.
The channel's executives apparently view this change as unimportant—as quoted in the Chicago Tribune, MTV's Head of Marketing, Tina Exharos, stated that "the people who watch it today, they don't refer to MTV as music television. They don't have the same emotional connection that, say, the people who are writing about" this change do.
While my generation are seemingly considered fossils—and MTV eliminated music videos some years ago—it still feels like a rite of passage. Remember when the channel debuted on August 1, 1981, with The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star?" While today the video looks like it was filmed in someone's basement, it still felt like the beginning of a revolution. For better or for worse, MTV changed music forever, being responsible for introducing Madonna and reinventing Michael Jackson. The music video rapidly became an art form, featuring stunning visual effects and interesting storytelling. Video directors such as Spike Jonze and McG translated their craft to the big screen, showing that the channel had fully impacted other aspects of popular culture.
For me, MTV holds some fond memories. The Chicago area finally got cable in the mid-80s, so before then the only way to view MTV was on vacation with my parents, staying in hotels that offered cable. After hearing how utterly cool the VJs and videos were, I would stare in rapt fascination as Martha Quinn or Mark Goodman would introduce the latest Culture Club or Duran Duran clip. After finally getting cable, I watched the channel to not only view the latest videos but to also learn about new artists. Shows like 120 Minutes, Headbangers Ball, and Yo! MTV Raps introduced me to songs I simply couldn't hear on my local top 40 station. MTV Unplugged separated the great acts from the merely competent, stripping artists of all electric instruments to prove their artistic mettle. I'll never forget R.E.M.'s delicate performance of "Losing My Religion," Nirvana's haunting "All Apologies," and LL Cool J's fierce rendition of "Mama Said Knock You Out."
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Great piece Kit, and unfortunately a sign of the times. Music video can still be found on cable, but much of it either skews old (VH1 Classic, which has been more like VH1 Hair Metal of late) or teen pop and rap (Fuse Network).
But yeah, like you, I miss the days when MTV, for whatever its faults, was THE place to break new music the radio wouldn't touch. Hell, they pratically invented eighties new wave didn't they?
Of course, if you want to learn about new music, there's always sites like Blogcritics I guess...
-Glen
2 - Mark Saleski
i totally remember it from the beginning. heck, me & a buddy spent a good part of that first summer watching the same handful of videos over and over again.
3 - Mark Saleski
Martha Quinn....mmmmmmm
4 - Glen Boyd
Martha Quinn, really? I always more of a Nina guy myself -- but then I've always had a bit of a thing for rocker girls....
-Glen
5 - El Bicho
Very nice trip down memory lane but hard to get worked up and muster a tear for those halcyon days considering how long ago music stopped being a focal point.
I am baffled how the words "McG" and "craft" end up in the same sentence.
6 - Ken Edwards
Nice job Kit. This is sad news indeed, even if they have not done "music" in some time now. I miss the old MTV, where Bevis and Butthead would make fun of bad music videos and light their farts on fire. The time before The Real World. When a new music video premiere was a big deal, stuff like the Jeremy video.
So sad.
7 - Glenn
MTV the iPod of the 80's, I remember sign on
and still have a black satin MTV jacket, in '81 people would kill for one of them.
"Video Killed the Radio Star" it did!
8 - Mike Peterson
Wow! It's about time. My wife and I always say - I remember the days when MTV actually played music videos. Now it should be renamed DTV - "Derelict Television"
9 - Eric Olsen
nice job Kit, thanks! I too can recall those bygone days of yesteryear when music videos ruled the MTV roost and a VJ position was among my fondest aspirations
10 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
"I am baffled how the words "McG" and "craft" end up in the same sentence."
Kinda like "El Bicho" and "Music Critic"?!
As for MTV (Marketing TeleVision), when they changed The Headbanger's Ball w/ Adam Curry to The Hard Rock Cafe w/ Rikki Rachman that's when I stopped watching except to catch glimpses of their VJ named Kennedy. She was secretary sexy...
11 - El Bicho
LOL. Guppus, you ever see "Stripes"? Because you just made the list, buddy.
12 - FCEtier
I miss the "Pop-up Videos". Oh, wait! That was VH1 wasn't it?
Also, didn't MTV quit playing music about the same time "Rolling Stone" switched from newsprint to slick glossy paper?
13 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Hey Bicho! I can't be on your list because that was sort of payback for the many jabs that you have given me over the years, so, lighten up Francis.
Ummm... Has it really been years? If so, what the hell do I have to show for it.