Video killed the radio star, then MTV killed videos in favor of reality shows
MTV celebrates its 25th anniversary of programming today, and is re-airing the first 24 hours of its original broadcasting on VH1 Classic. The first video they showed was The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star,” which is a total guilty pleasure to do that ’80s head-jerk dance to (and you must admit how many of the lyrics you do, in fact, know). You can hear it in your head right now: you might as well give in and download it.
That was before MTV forsook music videos almost entirely for sagas of what happens when seven strangers stop being nice and start being real. And now they’re coming to Denver (Real World 18 will be in LoDo, in the converted industrial area which is becoming lofts for all the hip young professionals). Who wouldn’t be excited to *finally* receive the mass media validation from the MTV generation (sense sarcasm)? As our local alt-weekly says (in their fantastic article about the fake Real World crew they put together), “Seriously, what does it take for a decent city to get sullied now and again?”
One of these nights I shall likely find myself in the middle of drunken screaming match in the Denver streets, with some artistic misunderstood lesbian weeping that the middle-America jock just does not understand her reality.
Ah, MTV.
“Video Killed The Radio Star” The Buggles
“Video Killed The Radio Star” The Presidents of the United States of America
Name: Heather Browne
