I Want My MTV

October 17, 2011
Music journalists Marks and Tannenbaum vibrantly chronicle the first decade of MTV, the pop culture phenomenon that first rocked television screens 30 years ago. Using over 400 interviews, the authors write that the venture was met with skepticism due to its less than traditional start (auditions for VJs "reeked of sleaze") and seemingly out-of-control content. However, "the channel gave a platform to new acts, asking only that they be beautiful or outrageous." It was entertainment 24/7 and the birth of a new era of excess, big hair, and even bigger budgets. Duran Duran feature prominently for early risqué videos, influencing the hardcore visuals of ZZ Top and Mötley Crüe, while black music hit the mainstream with Michael Jackson (and later hip-hop), and women found a powerful icon in the provocative styling of Madonna. At the network, no-holds-barred statements reveal controversy, coke-fueled corporate takeovers, and egotistical stars and ambitious new directors triggering censorship. Still, those interviewed "almost unanimously looked back at this period with joy and happiness, even if they now regret some of the clothes they wore in the â80s." The sheer entertainment value within these pages is priceless, so count down to a very good time.

December 1, 2011
The architects of MTV get more play than Madonna and company in this outrageous yet surprisingly lucid account of the cable channel's defiant first decade of decadence. The Material Girl, The Boss and The King of Pop all helped define what MTV was for most viewers during the 1980s. But this oral history, as told by a star-studded cast of recording artists and industry insiders, is really the story of guys like John Lack, Bob Pittman and Les Garland--"the suits" behind the scenes who rolled the big record companies for all they were worth and revolutionized the way the world got its music, at least for a while. Mostly candid reflections--some complimentary, others conflicting--provide a real sense of what MTV was like before Snooki took over. Torrents of cash and cocaine flowed freely in an archaic atmosphere of almost nonstop sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll--not to mention the crazy bands and unhinged performers. Beneath all the partying, however, lurked insidious instances of myopic racism, rabid sexism and rampant exploitation. For a time, many black artists could not get their videos played on MTV unless their name was Michael Jackson. Supermodel Cindy Crawford never saw a paycheck the first year she did House of Style. And yet, for most concerned, we're told it was all a blast. Even the most shabbily treated VJs pine for the halcyon days of MTV media mayhem. Some of the book does feels incongruous--e.g., long sections detail the endless negotiations associated with media empire building, while seminal moments such as Live Aid receive short shrift. Nonetheless, music journalists Marks and Tannenbaum have done a fine job of both celebrating MTV and deconstructing it. Thirty years ago, "video killed the radio star." The tables, of course, have turned; the media landscape has changed dramatically, and YouTube has supplanted MTV's relevancy. This book has a rocking good time putting it all in context. A funky-fresh exposé on the 1980s arbiters of cool.

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