Remember when MTV played videos?

I recently received an e-mail from my brother: "I just watched this video 5 times in a row."

Yes, a classic, at least in our house 30+ years ago: http://youtu.be/q6_7RATfrBE

actually, MTV does play videos these days.. at like 3am.. and they are always hip hop crap..

When I was in college, MTV came to my school (UConn), after Playboy named us one of the top ten party schools in the country. I was one of the screaming idiots in the background when they went on the air.

My primary memory of the event is that the first line on Alan Hunter's cue card read, "Hi, I'm Alan Hunter..."

at least he didn't get the cue card that said "wubba wubba wubba"..

I expected Devo.. but hey

Here you go. I still maintain DEVO was too punk for punk. Proof: DEVO I don't know what I do do

I remember crapping my pants when I saw the video for Primus' My Name is Mud. In fact I think I only saw a Primus video like 5 times during MTV's hubris.

Primus was on pretty heavy rotation during Headbanger's Ball and 120 Minutes, but not so much during the rest of the week.. the first time i ever heard of them was when they showed the video for "John the Fisherman" on the Ball..

(Effing Droid acting up again since the OS update... YouTube not working... #$%&)

Utopia... damn... there's a band I haven't heard of in decades... the "recommended" cue had another one: Zebra - "Who's Behind The Door". I have a vague recollection of the video & song but I remember liking them.

I also remember when they shut down for the night.

I also remember when they used to play Saturday night concerts, commercial free. That was my first exposure to Ozzy (concert video w/ Brad Gillis). I also remember them playing a Chicago concert that was something like 3 hours long. This was sometime around '82 or '83.

Oh Headbanger's Ball, how I remember thee. In the Navy in the late 80s, if we were in port everyone knew on Saturday night, the little TV in our sleeping area was going to be on MTV.

I do remember videos on MTV because i was a teen in the 80s. Didn't it used to mean MUSIC-Tele-Vision?

... yea, and I was boinkin' 20 year olds

This is a pretty decent explanation of why they don't play Music Videos anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ysyZF-DZFY

Yes, I remember the videos. I was there to witness the beginning and Martha Quinn. But I haven't tuned in MTV in decades.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2VMYJhs-A

N Sperlo wrote: I also remember when they shut down for the night.

I remember saying, "Who the hell is going to watch music on television?".

i remember them playing this all the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTpUVAcvWfU

I thought Nina Blackwood was hot.

JFX001 wrote: I thought Nina Blackwood was hot.

Wow, that must have been a long time ago...

Woody wrote:

JFX001 wrote: I thought Nina Blackwood was hot.

Wow, that must have been a long time ago...

I was 13 in '81...so...yeah.

Before MTV took over I remember looking forward to Friday Night Videos. That big digital needle hitting the record was super high-tech!

The original "I want my MTV" commercials were pretty epic too. I don't think I've watched MTV in over 20 years now. Why would I?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDZu-dgaaF0

In reply to David S. Wallens:

Get the book "I Want My MTV". It's a collection of stories from the birth of MTV to 1992, when The Real World premiered.

I haven't sat down with it much, but it gets me very nostalgic very quickly.

MTVU and MTVHits still play videos. Good thing we have youtube, though. That probably saved music in general.

This is the video I remember most from MTV.

may be later in the era

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuRA86MJ0ro

... but who don't like some Poundcake

We had a big party to start up MTV. Partied for about 6 hours first and were pretty hammered. I was the big tech geek with my 26 inch color tv with remote and a stereo VHS recorder/tuner to my huge stereo. Got the cops called on us.

I recorded the first 6 hours but have since lost the tape and bet it is unwatchable.

Second song on MTV was "You Better Run" by Pat Bennitar

Bruce