| MTV was your friend; it was the soundtrack to everything. |
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Run-DMC at the MTV Video Music Awards, Los Angeles, Sept. 11, 1987.
(Barry King/Sygma/Getty Images)
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“MTV was your friend; it was the soundtrack to everything.”
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Pictures Came and Broke Your Heart
Forty years ago this Sunday, MTV launched with a two-year-old song by a British new wave band inspired by a two-decade-old short story about a dystopian world where machines have taken over and man-made music no longer exists. Happy birthday, MTV. Everybody else: When someone shows you who they are, believe them, or something. But then, having dispensed with that cultural foreshadowing—the most ominous *and* on-the-nose opening volley in American television history?—MTV's programmers followed up, in succession, with rock radio songs by PAT BENATAR, ROD STEWART and the WHO. Aug. 1, 1981 on the fledgling music video channel was one supremely weird day of TV, in which a bunch of radio programmers began their long battle to kill the radio star with a collection of video clips that would barely faze a public-access cable host. There were, I kid you not, five spins of a jazz fusion guitarist named LEE RITENOUR. Six spins of CLIFF RICHARD, a graying British rock idol almost wholly unknown to Americans. Two KATE BUSH songs (when in the course of human events would that happen again?). And exactly two spins, over the course of those first 24 hours, of old-school hip-hop—by BLONDIE. This is how you disrupt the universe?
Yes.
From that awkward, unassuming, ominous beginning came THRILLER (yes, I know), MADONNA, the GO-GO'S, PRINCE, "WALK THIS WAY," 120 MINUTES, YO! MTV RAPS, LL COOL J, THE REAL WORLD, NIRVANA UNPLUGGED, GREEN DAY, BIGGIE, TUPAC, FRED DURST, MISSY ELLIOTT, TRL, BRITNEY, NSYNC, EMINEM, BEYONCÉ, FALL OUT BOY, LADY GAGA, RIHANNA, YOUTUBE, possibly HAMILTON, definitely TIKTOK, probably SARAH BRAND (and, full disclosure, a decade of my own life, in which I was hired three times and shown the door twice, and I'm proud of nearly every minute of it). MTV delivered far more music than it could ever have hoped to kill, and the aggrieved fans who complained that MTV had destroyed music by playing all those videos would eventually turn into aggrieved fans who complained that MTV destroyed music by *ceasing* to play all those videos. Eventually they'll flip again into aggrieved fans complaining that real music ceased to exist the day TikTok stopped caring about music. Because you can never truly disrupt; you can only move things along in the direction they were probably headed anyway and, if you know what you're doing, ride the wave for a while. Next phase, new wave, as it were. MTV knew J.G. BALLARD and the BUGGLES were onto something, and got one of the best pop culture rides anyone ever got. Happy birthday.
It's Friday (Sophomore No-Slump Edition)
And that means new music from BILLIE EILISH, who wanted her second album, HAPPIER THAN EVER, to feel like Julie London: "Not the songs, but the feeling—longing, kind of dreamy and curious." Her brother and collaborator, Finneas, wanted it to be "Billie's album about Billie." They report, you'll decide... "I was dead and now I’m alive,” says TDE rapper ISAIAH RASHAD, who returns, five long years and one stay in rehab out from his acclaimed debut, with THE HOUSE IS BURNING... YOLA teams up once again with producer Dan Auerbach as the British singer with the showstopping voice continues to explore the sounds of the American South on her second album, this time with more of her pop influences peeking through... PRINCE was in political mode when he made—and shelved—the album WELCOME 2 AMERICA in 2010. It gets its first official release today, as his estate continues to explore the Vault... Singer/songwriter Mackenzie Scott, aka TORRES, is in love and happy and wants to share that on her fifth album, THIRSTIER: "I want people to be happy, especially after this f***ing year—after the last four years—I just want to help people to celebrate again, and to have hope in their futures."
Plus new music from LOGIC, SKEPTA, BLEACHERS, BALIMAYA PROJECT, SOMI (Miriam Makeba tribute), TINK, DAVE EAST & HARRY FRAUD, CLAY WALKER, PARKER MCCOLLUM, CHARLIE PARR, PARMALEE, LUMP (Laura Marling and Tunng's Mike Lindsay), DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS, LEELA JAMES, SHIRLEY COLLINS, LOS LOBOS (LA-themed covers album), SON VOLT, JIM LAUDERDALE, VIAL, KING WOMAN, CREEPER, SKIRTS, SECTION H8, ALAN VEGA (his second posthumous release of 2021), DOT ALLISON, DĀM-FUNK, ERASURE (remixes), NAIA IZUMI, NEEDTOBREATHE, PAUL ANKA (celebrating his 80th birthday today with a new album), BLUES TRAVELER, DEE SNIDER and CHUNK! NO, CAPTAIN CHUNK!
Etc Etc Etc
BILLY GIBBONS says ZZ TOP will carry on because that's what the late DUSTY HILL wanted. "He was adamant," Gibbons tells Variety's CHRIS WILLMAN. "He said, 'I'm going to go down and see what’s up. In the meantime, the show must go on." ZZ Top resumes its summer tour tonight in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with longtime guitar tech ELWOOD FRANCIS, who grew a beard during the pandemic, on bass... LOLLAPALOOZA is streaming live throughout the weekend on HULU... The documentary MR. SOUL, with tells the story of the late '60s and early '70s public television variety show SOUL!—aka "The Black Tonight Show"—premieres Sunday on HBO MAX. It's directed by MELISSA HAIZLIP, whose uncle, ELLIS HAIZLIP, was the show's host.
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| Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator |
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Billboard |
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| The 40 Best Music Videos of 1981: Staff List |
| by Andrew Unterberger, Katie Atkinson, Annie Zaleski... |
| What the videos of 1981 have on their side was the same amateurish energy and charm as MTV itself. The production values weren't top-grade and the ideas were often half-baked, but the excitement of embarking upon new and unexplored terrain was palpable. The seeds were being planted for music video's eventual takeover. |
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NPR |
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| BTS: The Band That Moves The Economy |
| by Stacey Vanek Smith |
| Korean boy band BTS is a global music phenomenon. The group has millions of fans called A.R.M.Y., who happily support the group with their wallets. Today on the show, we dive deep into the economic impacts of BTS and what makes the group special. |
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GQ |
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| Isaiah Rashad Comes Back From Rock Bottom With a Great New Album |
| by Caleb Catlin |
| The TDE rapper talks 'The House Is Burning,' mental health, and adjusting to life in Los Angeles. |
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The New York Times |
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| Britney Law Army’s Mission Is Keeping a Movement in the Know |
| by Valeriya Safronova |
| Through a mix of information sharing and advocacy, a fan account on Twitter has become a resource for people following Britney Spears’s conservatorship case. |
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NPR Music |
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| Newport Folk Festival Returns, In A Year Defined By Uncertainty |
| by Hilary Hughes |
| After a silent year in which artists were sent grants instead of invitations to perform, the beloved festival was determined to go on this year - as carefully as possible. And how possible is that? |
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Variety |
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| Lollapalooza, 30 Years Later: Founder Perry Farrell and Ice-T Look Back |
| by Richard Bienstock |
| "I'm often asked, did I think it was going to be what it became?," Perry Farrell says. "I mean, that's ridiculous. Of course not! How could I, you know?" |
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NPR Music |
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| Yola Takes The Whole Wheel With 'Stand For Myself' |
| by Ari Shapiro, Noah Caldwell and Mallory Yu |
| The British-born singer is, after years of successful but imbalanced collaborative work and four Grammy nominations for her last record, finally and fully at the creative helm of her career. |
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Variety |
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| ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons on ‘the Waterworks Coming and Going’ After Dusty Hill’s Sudden Death — and Why Band Will Go On |
| by Chris Willman |
| "He was adamant. He said, 'I'm going to go down and see what's up. In the meantime,' he said, 'the show must go on. Don't forget it.' And he was pointing his finger and shaking it." |
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Los Angeles Times |
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| 'Open with a funeral, end with a gunshot': Inside the original 'Behind the Music' |
| by Erik Himmelsbach-Weinstein |
| With the music docuseries back on the air, a producer on the original looks back on how its rock-and-roll stories got made. |
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MetalSucks |
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| North Korea’s Relationship with Metal |
| by Ryan Dyer |
| Metal bands are nearly non-existent in North Korea, but that doesn't mean the country has no connections to the dark arts. |
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Music Business Worldwide |
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| This virtual artist just signed to a major record label in China. One-off gimmick -- or a sign of the future? |
| by Tim Ingham |
| Warner Music Greater China boss, Jon Serbin, discusses why Whet Records has signed Ha Jiang -- an artist who only exists online. |
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Billboard |
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| The Good and Bad of Spotify's Q2 2021 Earnings |
| by Glenn Peoples |
| The essence of Spotify's Q2 2021 earnings can be boiled down to these six topics. |
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The New York Times |
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| Prince Made ‘Welcome 2 America’ in 2010. It Speaks to 2021 |
| by Jon Pareles |
| A full album has emerged from Prince’s vault that balances hard insights with visceral joys. |
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Vulture |
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| We’re Still Getting Woodstock ’99 Wrong |
| by Craig Jenkins |
| HBO’s "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage" documentary feels drunk on chaos. |
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Song Exploder |
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| Song Exploder: Cheap Trick – 'Surrender' |
| by Hrishikesh Hirway, Rick Nielsen and Cheap Trick |
| The song “Surrender” by Cheap Trick was released in 1978. Rolling Stone called it the ultimate 70s teen anthem, and included it in their list of the greatest songs of all time. Rick Nielsen is the guitarist in the band. He wrote “Surrender,” and for this episode, I talked to him about how the song was made. |
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The Stranger |
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| Should You Pay a Band in Drink Tickets? (No) |
| by Dan Ray |
| We asked three local musicians what they want to see in the post-pandemic music economy. |
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Ars Technica |
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| The surprising connection between a mockingbird’s song and Kendrick Lamar |
| by Jennifer Ouellette |
| A biologist, a neuroscientist, and a musician found four distinct "modes" of transition. |
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Lefsetz Letter |
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| The Bob Lefsetz Podcast: Patrick Spence |
| by Bob Lefsetz and Patrick Spence |
| Patrick Spence is the CEO of Sonos. We discuss the creation of products, the marketing thereof, the company's place in the landscape as well as Patrick's history at BlackBerry! |
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Broken Record |
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| Broken Record: Jeff Goldblum Gets Jazzy |
| by Justin Richmond, Leah Rose and Jeff Goldblum |
| Over Jeff Goldblum's 50-year acting career, he’s played dozens of unforgettable roles. Off-camera, Jeff Goldblum is also a surprisingly dedicated Jazz pianist who has been playing in clubs and bars for over 30 years. His latest album with his band the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra features vocals from Gregory Porter, Fiona Apple, and Miley Cyrus. |
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Stereogum |
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| The 40 Best Videos From MTV's First Day |
| by Alex Wexelman |
| MTV played 116 videos on Aug. 1, 1981. The broadcast, while overwhelmingly white, ran the musical gamut: country, heavy metal, new wave, rap (albeit by Blondie), and reggae were all represented. |
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| Video of the day |
| "Biography: I Want My MTV" |
| A&E |
| The origin story, starting with how MTV literally evolved from Monkees. A breezy, well-made 80-minute doc directed by Tyler Measom and Patrick Waldrop. |
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YouTube |
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The origin story, starting with how MTV literally evolved from Monkees. A breezy, well-made 80-minute doc directed by Tyler Measom and Patrick Waldrop.
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| Music | Media | Sports | Fashion | Tech |
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“REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in
everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask ‘why?’” |
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| Jason Hirschhorn |
| CEO & Chief Curator |
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