I WANT MY MTV : the book
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MTV!
Today marks 38 years since the music television channel launched in the United States, and 32 years since it arrived in Europe.
MTV was a phenomenon that influenced many young people's lives, including mine, and this book written by Rob Tannenbaum and Craig Marks is a delightful summer read that reminds us of the strong emotional connection we all felt towards the music channel during the 80s and 90s. The perms, the shoulderpads and the pouting are all present. It is also a great history lesson for those working in the music industry. It is mindblowing to see how the record labels gave away their power to a media owner instead of coming up with the concept themselves. Additionally this is a fantastic read for entrepreneurs, who can relate to the struggles that the MTV founders experienced trying to sell what was considered a crazy disruptive concept back in the day.
“I want my MTV” chronicles the rise of MTV through interviews with over 400 artists, music industry executives and VJs. The pages document the channel's inception and evolution, the arrival of British new wave videos to America, the inclusion of black artists such as Michael Jackson, and the rise of hair metal bands. This story ends in 1992 with the debut of grunge music and the invention of the reality show: The Real World.
MTV WAS THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD
The launch of MTV on 1st of August 1981 marked a before and after in history. The book begins with well known music artists describing their first encounter with the channel and the mesmerizing effect it had in their lives. Ann Wilson (Heart) compares it to the change from silent films to talkies. For Dave Grohl, (Nirvana & Foo Fighters) MTV seemed like a transmission from some magical place. Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) admits to “watching video after video, just stupefied”.
You may think that the record labels were supportive of MTV from the start, but this was a disruptive concept with robust opposition. In November 1979, when John Lack first declared his intention to start a twenty-four-hour video music network at Billboard magazine's first Video Music Conference, the president of MCA told him “We ain't giving you our fucking music”. However the last rebel standing would be CBS, reluctant to give away their music videos for free until they finally surrendered to the MTV phenomenon.
It was thanks to a visionary partnership between American Express and Warner Cable that MTV was able to launch. The parent company known as WASEC was initially more interested in the demographic aspect than the music itself. Back then there was no television aimed at the 12-34 year old demographic, so MTV was seen as an audience for advertisers that they couldn't get through broadcast television. Yet it took some persistence, as the idea was originally conceived as too crazy and too risky. Somebody is even quoted as saying that “music and television were an unnatural marriage”. John Lack ran the operation as almost a start up, until finally in January 1981 he got the approval and funding needed to properly launch.
Why did they pick 1st of August for the launch? Jack Schneider says ”I wanted the kids who saw it to go back to college or their high-school cafeteria and say : did you see this new channel? "
MTV launched on 1st of August 1981, with “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles. The second video they played was Pat Benatar′s “You Better Run” (a message to the record labels?). They had no advertisers and only one cable customer from New Jersey. The first hour was a total, unmitigated disaster, with VJs announcing the wrong song. They only had between 135 -250 music videos to show. Launching in these circumstances was a brave and bold move by people who were truly passionate about their vision.
The first year of MTV was very challenging. The channel couldn't get advertisers on board to generate profits, but luckily John Lack made a deal with CNN where they would sell joint packages including both channels. Yet many people didn't think it was going to last. There was a cascade of rejections coming from monopolist cable operators, who didn't understand the value of the demographic they could be getting through the channel. MTV lost $50 million before they started turning profit.
THE EVOLUTION OF MUSIC VIDEOS
Although some can trace back the first music videos to the 1960s with The Beatles “Hello, Goodbye”, the truth is that the format was not highly regarded until MTV arrived. In the UK they were sometimes referred to as “fillers”. Directors were experimenting with filming using low budgets. Bruce Gowers recalls filming the iconic video for “Bohemian Rhapsody” in a pub in less than four hours, using gaffer’s tape to hold a prism onto the camera lens.
The first music videos were often silly, undignified, funny, crass and artificial. However they were never dirty – until Duran Duran released “Girls on Film” showing sexy girls on the catwalk, sliding on poles, a video intended to generate controversy and publicity for the band in the U.S.
Several interviews in the book reveal the evolution of music video production, from cheap films done on a shoestring budget, with no record label supervision and plenty of debauchery on the set, to the big expensive productions of Madonna and Michael Jackson, spending $5 million and $6 million dollars respectively on a music clip. The book provides insights and anecdotes about other iconic videos including U2, David Bowie, Duran Duran , Eurythmics and The Human League. It also reminds us that hairdressers and make-up artists were often the uncredited video auterus, having a huge influence on trends and even the success of many music artists.
Dave Stewart recalls “ when we made ‘Love Is A Stranger’ we hardly had any money. We had enough to hire a very plush car, and I was Annie′s chauffeur. The apartment in the video is actually my mother's. Annie played a call girl calling ona client, but there was something very dark and sinister underneath.”
"I Want My MTV" also portrays the reluctance of some artists to enter the fray, disregarding the music video format (i.e. Bruce Springsteen), and reminds us of the artists that ultimately capitalized on the exposure MTV gave them. The ability to have a video played on MTV could make or break an artist. MTV didn't just change the game in the music industry, but it shaped the minds of a whole new generation of teenagers and young adults.
THE MTV BRAND
Dale Pon explains how he came up with the slogan “I Want My MTV”, which was actually a recycled line from an old cereal commercial from the 1950s. Les Garland tells in the book how he persuaded Mick Jagger in a meeting in Paris to be the first artist to record an endorsement of MTV on camera, for $1! According to Jack Schneider, Jagger's endorsement legitimized MTV. People started calling their cable companies, imitating Mick Jagger and saying “I want my MTV”
Tommy Mottola states in the book that this campaign was the best promotion in the history of the music business. They were able to get every single act to stand in a commercial and say that line, giving MTV integrity and credibility.
I won't give away the entire storyline or the juicy gossip here. I invite you to read this entertaining book for yourself. I have truly enjoyed reading every page, and it has transported me back to a time when my entire life revolved around MTV. Here's a picture of me at the MTV Europe Camden Town studios, in 1999.
Happy birthday MTV! Thank you everybody who made it possible, and thank you Rob Tannenbaum and Craig Marks for writing this book.
P.S. Can you keep a secret? In 2003 I got selected to interview one of my idols, Mariah Carey, on screen at MTV! Here are some screen grabs. Dreams do come true! Do you have an MTV story? If so, please share it on the comments.
