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Daily Nebraskan
Thursday, October 3, 1985
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STUDENT N
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Phone 4648281
Once enticing, MTV reduced
to repetitive programming
In August of 1981, America was introduced to
two pop cultural phenomenons: MTV and music
videos. Prior to that time, radios and turntables
from coast to coast had been playing the music
of another generation, the '60s, and many of the
70s bands that still were popular in 1981 were
merely insipid imitations of '60s bands.
But MTV changed that.
The '70s had a few musicians and bands that
were unique to the decade: David Bowie, Elton
John, Queen and a handful of others. Overseas it
was a different story. England had the Sex Pis
tols and a multitude of other new bands that
never made it on these shores. They couldn't
American radio wouldn't give them airplay.
We were all too busy listening to our big broth
ers' Led Zeppelin albums and hearing "Stairway
to Heaven" on the radio umpteen times to know
that there were alternatives.
MTV changed that, too.
Scott
Harrah
Don't get me wrong. Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hen
drix and the Doors were i nnovators in music. I'm
just tired of them. By 1 081, America was, too.
MTV, a cable television channel that plays
music videos 24 hours a day, c hanged our tastes
in music somewhat.
New bands from overseas and here at home
got a chance to have videos of their music played
on MTV. We all went wild because there were so
many new, different bands that abounded with
new sounds, looks and attitudes.
Soon we began to let upstart bands like
Eurythmics, Men at Work, The Boomtown Rats
and The Psychedelic Furs into our musical tastes
just because MTV was kind enough to introduce
us to them.
We let MTV launch the careers of some of
these bands. Some groups like Duran Duran
were actually able to make it here with vibrant
videos on MTV even though they were less excit
ing when it came to something called music.
1
Eventually we all gave our big brothers'
trashed and scratched Led Zeppelin albums a
decent burial.
It is now four years later and the American
music scene has hit a low point once again. We
will never see or hear such an abysmal lack of
new musical blood like we had in the late 70s,
but things could be much better.
Turn on MTV nowadays and what do you see?
...Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and other well
established musicians. That's fine because those
musicians are popular and people want to see
and hear "Born in the USA" to the point of
nausea. But as for new bands, one must wait
hours before that sorority girl that never grew up,
Martha Quinn, will play something new by an
obscure young band.
This only proves that MTV, once known as the
apex of avant-garde, has become repetitive and
stodgy like American radio.
This is most unfortunate. We are living in a
time when our technology is progressing rapidly.
Our culture, however, doesn't wish to progress
with our technology. Computer scientists who
work with state-of-the-art 1985 equipment ami
live in a microcosm of 1945 attitudes seem to be
the norm these days. It's irrational that people
today will praise some ultra-modern computer
and call themselves progressive, then turn around
and only support, old established bands.
MTV helps perpetuate this type of attitude
today with vapid videos of established bonds
that don't need to be promoted.
Many of these bands, like Journey, admit that
they don't need to make videos. They just do
them because they want to appear modern.
The videos of a few years ago were the perfect
blend of art, science and technology. Videos
could be the ultimate art form because they are
part film, theater, fashion and music. But, alas,
they never will fit the above description com
pletely because MTV is too busy airing the sleep
inducing sagas of Springsteen's love traumas
and Madonna's navel.
If MTV, the new "visual radio," is any indica
tion of the future state of American music, I
think we should dig those old Zeppelin albums
out of the garbage. I'll endure another listen to
"Stairway to Heaven" over a minute of MTV any
day.
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