This week marks the 25th birthday of MTV. What started out as a good idea devolved into a televised display of all that’s wrong with kids these days. If you think I’m just being a cranky old fart, try watching My Super Sweet Sixteen, Laguna Beach, or True Life: I Want Fake Calves without contemplating the hazards of procreating.
I did discover a lot of great music in my teens thanks to shows like 120 Minutes and Alternative Nation, but the current equivalent of those shows airs in the middle of the night on MTV2.
MTV is still capable of doing great things, which is why it pains me to see My Humps twenty times a day. So in honor of MTV’s birthday, here are several music videos I discovered no thanks to them.
This is Stella Rocket. You can download two great mp3’s while you wait for their album to come out.
Watch past the rambling intro for a great Tom Waits video. I think this was directed by Jim Jarmusch, since the setting looks just like the Tom Waits/Iggy Pop scene in Coffee and Cigarettes. I had no idea who Tom Waits was until I saw Smoke. He’s been one of my favorites ever since.
This is The Cramps. I’m not sure, but this video might contain a sexual innuendo or two. It also features Kristy Wallace prancing around in her underpants, so if you work at a Pilgrim Buckle Factory, you might want to skip it.
X-Ray Spex Identity. It’s not really fair to blame MTV for not playing them since they were around in the late seventies.
I just started listening to Nick Cave. He is awesome. And is it just me, or does he look eerily similar to Tim Kreider in this video?
That’s all for now. Make sure to call your cable company and say “I don’t want my MTV!”
July 31st, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Have you ever seen anything worse than Room Raiders? It’s like insidiously bad… like on purpose. Nothing could be that bad accidentally.
July 31st, 2006 at 4:50 pm
It is a terrible show, but I think My Super Sweet Sixteen features even more repellant people.
July 31st, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Cool. I’ve become a huge fan of Tom Waits over the past couple years and never thought to look for any of his videos… that one’s close to what I would have expected I guess.
July 31st, 2006 at 8:24 pm
You know, I only watched MTV for one thing, and that is “Beavis and Butt-head”.
Huh huh huh heh heh huh heh heh huh heh huh huh heh heh….uhhhh…huh huh huh…..
Couldn’t resist.
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:26 pm
“Beavis and Butt-head” and “Liquid Television” are possibly the best things MTV has done.
And to prove I keep up with the kids, here’s OK Go’s latest choreographed masterpiece.