So MTV turned thirty years old yesterday and as someone who was seven when MTV first went on the air that makes me a) highly qualified to discuss the societal impacts of MTV and b) really freaking old. Anyway, so I’ve decided that I will list, in no particular order, the ten moments / shows / events that epitomized MTV for Gen X. Five tonight, five tomorrow. Here we go.
Live Aid: This is still the only major concert event of my lifetime that I actually remember sitting down and watching because it was “important”. It was the absolute biggest story of the summer. People were expecting to see a Beatles reunion with Julian Lennon taking the place of John. Yes, that would have been horrendous but cool nonetheless. It was the highlight of the year of charity songs from the good (“Do They Know It’s Christmastime?”) to the bad (“We are the World”) to the really, really confusing (“Ain’t going to play Sun City”, which was difficult for a 12 year old to fully grasp as playing a gig at a South African resort wasn’t on my list of regular events.)
So most people remember the event, raising money for Ethiopia and making Bob Geldof famous for something other than the “I Don’t Like Mondays” song but not for the show itself. The thing is, it was actually a pretty good concert. Status Quo opened the show, a band you know as the writers of “Matchstick Man”, which is now a Target commercial after previously being the only Camper Van Beethoven song anyone ever remembered. In England you had great sets by Queen and U2 (Bono jumping into the crowd to dance with a woman during “Bad”) and an ending with pretty much everyone in British music on stage. Philadelphia had Madonna, Tom Petty and a Led Zeppelin reunion. There has been no other time where everyone was focused on a charity concert in my lifetime and MTV was the way to see it.
Kurt Loder: Ah, the face of the network. One of the most amazing things about rock music is that the people who cover rock music are the least rocking people on the planet. As a result you end up with someone like Kurt Loder, who looked like your buddy’s kind of dorky dad, on the air twice an hour to give you updates on the release of Whitesnake’s new album. Add in an hour long “Week in Rock” (because there is so much music news it needed its own recap show) and you slowly begin to realize that Kurt Loder was the Walter Cronkite of Gen X. He was the one who told us that Kurt Cobain was dead. If Kurt Loder said it than it had to be true.
Remote Control: Dead or Canadian? No game show will ever have a better category, setup, overall concept or run than Remote Control. Hands down the best game show I’ve ever watched and if you put out a DVD of the episodes I would buy it and watch them all. Taking place in the late, great Ken Ober’s basement you have three college students sitting in Lay-Z-Boy recliners with a bowl of popcorn in their laps answering trivia questions. Sometimes they had to sing along with Colin Quinn, sometimes they had to complete a math question while a bishop raced around the studio (Beat the Bishop) and once LL Cool J came out just to help out one of the contestants. If you lost your chair went flying through a wall. Adam Sandler and Dennis Leary would play random characters. It was insane and funny and the best half hour you could spend in an afternoon in high school.
But what I really want to write about is the game’s bonus round, which is probably the most challenging thing I have ever seen on a game show. You are strapped into a Craftmatic adjustable bed and are facing nine different television screens, all of which are at different angles. Each screen has a different music video on it. To win you had to name all nine bands in thirty seconds. This was a perfect competition as you got to play along at home while the contestant has it worse because I don’t think that I could recognize a Cinderella video that was being played upside down.
Julie and Becky from The Real World (Season One): The reality show that started it all. I am not talking about the show in general as I believe it is now essentially just “throw seven people in a space and encourage them to sleep with each other in various combinations so we will have more contestants for the inevitable Road Rules / Real World challenges.” The first season, particularly Julie and Becky, is what made the show.
The first season of the Real World was the only one that was actually real. Of the seven people, six were actually from New York with Julie being the innocent girl with a nice southern accent trying to make it in the big city. Everyone looked like they belonged in NYC. You could see Becky trying to be the uber-hip artist, singer-songwriter or Andre leading a rather pathetic alternative band named Reigndance. I just finished my freshman year of college when it went on the air and if you asked me what it would be like to be living in New York after I graduated that would be precisely what I pictured.
That is what was great about the Real World. For a time period (for me it was from the first season through London) the show was precisely what you were going to. There were guys on the show that I wanted to drink with and get to know. Who wouldn’t want to hit a bar with Dominic from LA or Neil from London? There were the girls (Julie and Becky, obviously and also Kat from London) who you wanted to date. The show hit exactly what you were living. Then as I got older the show lost its meaning and I no longer knew the people by name but as “that drunk girl who is naked all the time” or “that douchebag who is going to probably end up being a congressman from Wisconsin”. Now I’m frightened to even turn the show on. Maybe it still speaks to a 20 year old. If so, I am simultaneously scared for our future and glad that I grew up when I did.
Pearl Jam and Neil Young playing “Keep on Rocking in the Free World” at the 1993 MTV Video Awards: This is my favorite performance in the history of MTV and the one that I can point to as a turning point in music. This is the end of MTV’s biggest show of the world and it features two performers that wouldn’t even have been broadcast on the network three years earlier. Hair metal was dead and grunge / alternative music was dead. As someone who never could relate to Motley Crue or Poison or any of the bands whose music seems to exist to play behind a stripper I was thrilled to finally have music that meant something to me take center stage. Even if meaning was just having the song end in a blare of feedback. Because that is what was going on in my head at the time. This song is just rebellion and strength and self preservation and everything that made the early 90’s great.
Showing posts with label The Real World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Real World. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Thursday, February 14, 2008
When The Cure is no longer a cure
Important serious note to start: Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone at Northern Illinois. I’ve spent some time on that campus and know it fairly well. Very scary situation and I only can hope for the best. I have no idea where our society is at when events like this occur. It just doesn’t make sense.
Addendum to last night’s post: First, I’ve posted a picture of Kat from the London season. When I made my first Perfect Mate list (back in 1995 I believe) she came in tenth. She just has that whole Pacific Northwest vibe that I dig. No one remembers her and it is a shame. Also, I would like to change my vote on Best Fight to when Neil had his tongue nearly bitten in half during the London season. For those who don’t remember, Neil was a singer in a British punk band and to deal with a drunk crowd member he started singing directly in the guy’s face causing the guy to bite Neil’s tongue. Now that is a hardcore fight. Also, Neil is up there with Dominic and Lars as the cast members I would most like to have a beer with.
Well it’s that day. The day I dread more than any other. Ok, that’s not quite true. I make a big deal about hating Valentine’s Day but in reality it doesn’t really bug me. At least now I understand why I didn’t get a Valentine’s card today. In grade school it was a bit harsher when those sort of events occurred. Maybe I’ve just been hardened to life or I just enjoy being bitter. It’s a lot more fun to complain about a commercialized expression of feelings than deal with the fact that I’m not in a relationship at the moment.
Does not being in a relationship bother me? Obviously yes or I wouldn’t write about it so much. I am incredibly comfortable in my own skin so I’ve never defined myself by who I’m with, which makes being alone a lot easier to accept. But as someone told me this week, “You’re still hoping to one day come home like Ward Cleaver.” I don’t know if I would put it that way but yeah, I am missing one big facet of my life. I’ve said this before but there are only four things I want in life: a family that loves me, friends that care about me for who I am, respect from those I work with, and a girl to hold on to. That’s really it so missing one is kind of a big deal.
I know most of the fault here lies on me. Despite my claim that “dating me would have to be a positive NPV experience” I’ve been forced to recognize that most women do not run discounted cash flows in analyzing relationships. Nor am I able to predict a woman’s actions through spreadsheet modeling though if I ever get that genius grant I think I can make some great breathroughs in that regard. Those are just issues of my using digital thinking in an analog world. I can fix that. My fear of rejection, of the unknown, of not being fully in control of every possible scenario? That’s a much bigger issue.
But at the end I’d like to think that at my age I’ve come to terms with being who I am. I’m a nice guy who is smart and witty and will occasionally be called an arrogant prick. That’s me. How someone else judges me, whether they like me or not, doesn’t really impact who I am. I’m hoping keeping that in mind will remove the fears. That’s my hope at least.
Still, it is Valentine’s Day and I have the right to be bitter about it. Thus, I’m going to end with the really mislabeled Wednesday Night Music Club selection for the week. Chris Mills is this great guy out of Chicago who would write what would have to be the most bitter breakup songs in all of existence. Pure “I hate my life” songs with lines like “My eyes are blurry, if I had friends they would all be worried, I can’t believe you’re going back to Tennessee, 90 proof ain’t proof enough for me.” I’ll give him the last word for the week.
(Next week: the return of the 43 things. All will be explained in good time.)
Addendum to last night’s post: First, I’ve posted a picture of Kat from the London season. When I made my first Perfect Mate list (back in 1995 I believe) she came in tenth. She just has that whole Pacific Northwest vibe that I dig. No one remembers her and it is a shame. Also, I would like to change my vote on Best Fight to when Neil had his tongue nearly bitten in half during the London season. For those who don’t remember, Neil was a singer in a British punk band and to deal with a drunk crowd member he started singing directly in the guy’s face causing the guy to bite Neil’s tongue. Now that is a hardcore fight. Also, Neil is up there with Dominic and Lars as the cast members I would most like to have a beer with.
Well it’s that day. The day I dread more than any other. Ok, that’s not quite true. I make a big deal about hating Valentine’s Day but in reality it doesn’t really bug me. At least now I understand why I didn’t get a Valentine’s card today. In grade school it was a bit harsher when those sort of events occurred. Maybe I’ve just been hardened to life or I just enjoy being bitter. It’s a lot more fun to complain about a commercialized expression of feelings than deal with the fact that I’m not in a relationship at the moment.
Does not being in a relationship bother me? Obviously yes or I wouldn’t write about it so much. I am incredibly comfortable in my own skin so I’ve never defined myself by who I’m with, which makes being alone a lot easier to accept. But as someone told me this week, “You’re still hoping to one day come home like Ward Cleaver.” I don’t know if I would put it that way but yeah, I am missing one big facet of my life. I’ve said this before but there are only four things I want in life: a family that loves me, friends that care about me for who I am, respect from those I work with, and a girl to hold on to. That’s really it so missing one is kind of a big deal.
I know most of the fault here lies on me. Despite my claim that “dating me would have to be a positive NPV experience” I’ve been forced to recognize that most women do not run discounted cash flows in analyzing relationships. Nor am I able to predict a woman’s actions through spreadsheet modeling though if I ever get that genius grant I think I can make some great breathroughs in that regard. Those are just issues of my using digital thinking in an analog world. I can fix that. My fear of rejection, of the unknown, of not being fully in control of every possible scenario? That’s a much bigger issue.
But at the end I’d like to think that at my age I’ve come to terms with being who I am. I’m a nice guy who is smart and witty and will occasionally be called an arrogant prick. That’s me. How someone else judges me, whether they like me or not, doesn’t really impact who I am. I’m hoping keeping that in mind will remove the fears. That’s my hope at least.
Still, it is Valentine’s Day and I have the right to be bitter about it. Thus, I’m going to end with the really mislabeled Wednesday Night Music Club selection for the week. Chris Mills is this great guy out of Chicago who would write what would have to be the most bitter breakup songs in all of existence. Pure “I hate my life” songs with lines like “My eyes are blurry, if I had friends they would all be worried, I can’t believe you’re going back to Tennessee, 90 proof ain’t proof enough for me.” I’ll give him the last word for the week.
(Next week: the return of the 43 things. All will be explained in good time.)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
This is a story of seven strangers
Preliminary Note # 1: I have to give a big shout out to Amy for her recent spate of great comments. You really should check out her blog at http://amyeats.blogspot.com/. It’s like mine if you replaced all of the comic book references with discussions of food. Plus, it’s written in a language that resembles English as opposed to my string of run on sentences combined into something quite unlike a paragraph. Anyway, check it out as it kicks ass and chews bubblegum at the same time (and she’s all out of gum).
Preliminary Note # 2: Ok, final offer for Valentine’s Day. Outback Steakhouse, Dairy Queen, Meet the Spartans and we’ll listen to Paula Cole’s “This Fire” on the way there so I can show my sensitive side. I’ll even listen to you discuss your feelings. Well, maybe not listen but at least I’ll be quiet and nod occasionally while reciting the history of the WWE title since 1962 to myself. It will at least look like I’m listening. Any takers? Or is it another night of bar trivia for good old EC?
Preliminary Note # 3: Received official notification that I have been granted the separation package. My last day at the slightly large phone company is scheduled to be March 28th. I’m wiring a countdown clock for my cubicle as I speak (write, whatever.)
Ok, now on to the important part. The Real World is getting ready to start its 20th season and MTV has decided to hold a vote for some of the best moments over the show’s history. Figured that I am more than qualified to provide my learned opinion even though I kind of stopped watching the show after they returned to New York (though I did watch most of the San Diego season for some bizarre reason). To make things even better I have brought on long time friend of the blog Super Dave to add in his choices as well.
Hottest Female:
EC: Kids today have no sense of history. Where is Julie from the first season of the Real World? She’s the only reason the show even had a second season because guys like me all went gaga for this southern girl. You’re telling me that Trishelle, someone I wouldn’t stand downwind of without a penicillin shot, is better than Julie? I’ll go with Jacinda in that she was the prettiest and the only one who actually had a real career after the show.
Super Dave: Kellie (New Orleans; not nominated), runners up: mallory (paris) became a model, Jacinda (london) model/actress married chris hardwick from singled out
Hottest Male:
EC: If the surveys were true and women value a sense of humor most of all then Dominic from LA wins this hands down. Of course that’s not true or Rodney Dangerfield would have been a God amongst men. Forced to choose, I’ll go with Brad as he looks like a dumber Brady Quinn if that is even possible.
Super Dave: As a heterosexual male I will change this to male I'd most like to hang out with - dominic (LA - not nominated), runner up: lars (london - not nominated)
Favorite Season:
EC: I’m the only person who will vote for London. I had a thing for Kat and Neil was all types of awesome. Runner up to Miami for just being a totally bizarre season.
Super Dave: New Orleans, runners up: Chicago and Seattle
Best Fight:
EC: How Stephen slapping Irene in Seattle doesn’t make best fight is beyond my comprehension. It even ends with that shot of the forlorn stuffed animal floating in Puget Sound. How can you top that? Pretty easy choice here as David and Tami set the standard for over the top arguing and near brawling resulting in possible criminal charges.
Super Dave: Austin (not nominated) because it was a real fight, and I really feel sorry for the guy who got hit because that was a pretty serious eye socket injury and it obviously put him out of commission for most of the show
Steamiest Scene:
EC: I just want to point out that the threesome in the shower in Miami is missing from the choices. Again, kids have no clue about their past any more. I mean, Flora broke the bathroom window trying to get a better look at what was going on. That might have been one of the best moments in the history of the show.
Super Dave: None, dumb. girls making out with girls jumped the shark a long time ago
Best Brush With the Law:
EC: Robin hitting the marine in San Diego was just classic followed by Brad getting arrested the same night. Best part of all of this was the one underage roommate who stayed home got to be the one having to sort things out including saying lines like “getting arrested is no big deal.”
Super Dave: Landon in real life (not nominated) assualted a horse at Mifflin Street Block Party in Madison, WI.
Best Meltdown:
EC: Even though it won’t win (because the chick from Denver had some legendary meltdowns) I’ll have to go with Overland Park’s own Dan chewing out Melissa on what still seems like the silliest thing imaginable. She opened his mail and pictures fell to the floor. That isn’t quite the capitol offense he made it out to be. Oh well, no one liked Melissa anyway.
Super Dave: Forget about sudden and short-lived emotional swings I'm taking 24/7 craziness with a tie between pre-intervention ruthie (not nominated), irene (not nominated)
Favorite Love Story:
EC: I need to point out something interesting when you look at the choices. Completely absent is Pam and Judd from San Francisco who, you know, ended up getting married. They weren’t dating on the show but you did get to see Judd act like such a nice guy as he just happened to push Pam’s boyfriend in the path of a metaphorical oncoming train. The surprise birthday party he put together featuring the boyfriend should be shown in schools as how to properly steal a girl from another guy.
Super Dave: None. least favorite was elkah and that poor man's version of gavin rossdale. runners up: every other pair who were only couples while the cameras were rolling. best wishes to those who got together later in real life after the show was over (judd and pam, wes and johanna)
Roommate from Hell:
EC: Really tough call here. Beth actually became more annoying after she left the show and imagined herself to be some type of big star. She also became maybe the most unlikely person to be featured in Playboy, a fact that I probably should have kept to myself. Can’t go for anyone other than Puck though. He’s the type of guy who would be cool to hang with for a few hours until you realize the guy is always on. Read Dave Eggers “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” for his description of meeting Puck and wondering what drugs the guy was on.
Super Dave: Everyone in the boston house except cyrus
Biggest Playa:
EC: Teck from Hawaii. Hands down, no questions asked, they shouldn’t even run a poll. Screw Matador and J-Dog, I want Teck as my wingman. I never understood why MTV didn’t just give this guy his own show after this series.
Super Dave: Cara (chi) for hooking up with Todd Park Mohr [insert Big Head or Monsters double-entendre here] and a guy that Reali new from Princeton. runner up: David (New Orleans). "come on be my baby tonight."
Best Phonecall Gone Bad:
EC: Jacquese from San Diego. See the Best Brush with the Law as this is where the “jail isn’t that bad” line comes from.
Super Dave: Wes (Austin - not nominated) with every girl he tried to pick up from the 'groupie drawer' of phone numbers
Gone Baby Gone:
EC: Yep, I’ll give my vote to Irene. Never knew that Lyme Disease caused psychotic episodes. That and if I remember one episode centered around how Seattle’s damp weather was messing up her curly hair.
Super Dave: Irene. classic scene.
Best Dance Off:
EC: I’ll go for Melissa at the strip club in New Orleans. Not that I would happen to know which specific club that is or anything.
Super Dave: dumb. johanna maybe?
Comments anyone?
Preliminary Note # 2: Ok, final offer for Valentine’s Day. Outback Steakhouse, Dairy Queen, Meet the Spartans and we’ll listen to Paula Cole’s “This Fire” on the way there so I can show my sensitive side. I’ll even listen to you discuss your feelings. Well, maybe not listen but at least I’ll be quiet and nod occasionally while reciting the history of the WWE title since 1962 to myself. It will at least look like I’m listening. Any takers? Or is it another night of bar trivia for good old EC?
Preliminary Note # 3: Received official notification that I have been granted the separation package. My last day at the slightly large phone company is scheduled to be March 28th. I’m wiring a countdown clock for my cubicle as I speak (write, whatever.)
Ok, now on to the important part. The Real World is getting ready to start its 20th season and MTV has decided to hold a vote for some of the best moments over the show’s history. Figured that I am more than qualified to provide my learned opinion even though I kind of stopped watching the show after they returned to New York (though I did watch most of the San Diego season for some bizarre reason). To make things even better I have brought on long time friend of the blog Super Dave to add in his choices as well.
Hottest Female:
EC: Kids today have no sense of history. Where is Julie from the first season of the Real World? She’s the only reason the show even had a second season because guys like me all went gaga for this southern girl. You’re telling me that Trishelle, someone I wouldn’t stand downwind of without a penicillin shot, is better than Julie? I’ll go with Jacinda in that she was the prettiest and the only one who actually had a real career after the show.
Super Dave: Kellie (New Orleans; not nominated), runners up: mallory (paris) became a model, Jacinda (london) model/actress married chris hardwick from singled out
Hottest Male:
EC: If the surveys were true and women value a sense of humor most of all then Dominic from LA wins this hands down. Of course that’s not true or Rodney Dangerfield would have been a God amongst men. Forced to choose, I’ll go with Brad as he looks like a dumber Brady Quinn if that is even possible.
Super Dave: As a heterosexual male I will change this to male I'd most like to hang out with - dominic (LA - not nominated), runner up: lars (london - not nominated)
Favorite Season:
EC: I’m the only person who will vote for London. I had a thing for Kat and Neil was all types of awesome. Runner up to Miami for just being a totally bizarre season.
Super Dave: New Orleans, runners up: Chicago and Seattle
Best Fight:
EC: How Stephen slapping Irene in Seattle doesn’t make best fight is beyond my comprehension. It even ends with that shot of the forlorn stuffed animal floating in Puget Sound. How can you top that? Pretty easy choice here as David and Tami set the standard for over the top arguing and near brawling resulting in possible criminal charges.
Super Dave: Austin (not nominated) because it was a real fight, and I really feel sorry for the guy who got hit because that was a pretty serious eye socket injury and it obviously put him out of commission for most of the show
Steamiest Scene:
EC: I just want to point out that the threesome in the shower in Miami is missing from the choices. Again, kids have no clue about their past any more. I mean, Flora broke the bathroom window trying to get a better look at what was going on. That might have been one of the best moments in the history of the show.
Super Dave: None, dumb. girls making out with girls jumped the shark a long time ago
Best Brush With the Law:
EC: Robin hitting the marine in San Diego was just classic followed by Brad getting arrested the same night. Best part of all of this was the one underage roommate who stayed home got to be the one having to sort things out including saying lines like “getting arrested is no big deal.”
Super Dave: Landon in real life (not nominated) assualted a horse at Mifflin Street Block Party in Madison, WI.
Best Meltdown:
EC: Even though it won’t win (because the chick from Denver had some legendary meltdowns) I’ll have to go with Overland Park’s own Dan chewing out Melissa on what still seems like the silliest thing imaginable. She opened his mail and pictures fell to the floor. That isn’t quite the capitol offense he made it out to be. Oh well, no one liked Melissa anyway.
Super Dave: Forget about sudden and short-lived emotional swings I'm taking 24/7 craziness with a tie between pre-intervention ruthie (not nominated), irene (not nominated)
Favorite Love Story:
EC: I need to point out something interesting when you look at the choices. Completely absent is Pam and Judd from San Francisco who, you know, ended up getting married. They weren’t dating on the show but you did get to see Judd act like such a nice guy as he just happened to push Pam’s boyfriend in the path of a metaphorical oncoming train. The surprise birthday party he put together featuring the boyfriend should be shown in schools as how to properly steal a girl from another guy.
Super Dave: None. least favorite was elkah and that poor man's version of gavin rossdale. runners up: every other pair who were only couples while the cameras were rolling. best wishes to those who got together later in real life after the show was over (judd and pam, wes and johanna)
Roommate from Hell:
EC: Really tough call here. Beth actually became more annoying after she left the show and imagined herself to be some type of big star. She also became maybe the most unlikely person to be featured in Playboy, a fact that I probably should have kept to myself. Can’t go for anyone other than Puck though. He’s the type of guy who would be cool to hang with for a few hours until you realize the guy is always on. Read Dave Eggers “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” for his description of meeting Puck and wondering what drugs the guy was on.
Super Dave: Everyone in the boston house except cyrus
Biggest Playa:
EC: Teck from Hawaii. Hands down, no questions asked, they shouldn’t even run a poll. Screw Matador and J-Dog, I want Teck as my wingman. I never understood why MTV didn’t just give this guy his own show after this series.
Super Dave: Cara (chi) for hooking up with Todd Park Mohr [insert Big Head or Monsters double-entendre here] and a guy that Reali new from Princeton. runner up: David (New Orleans). "come on be my baby tonight."
Best Phonecall Gone Bad:
EC: Jacquese from San Diego. See the Best Brush with the Law as this is where the “jail isn’t that bad” line comes from.
Super Dave: Wes (Austin - not nominated) with every girl he tried to pick up from the 'groupie drawer' of phone numbers
Gone Baby Gone:
EC: Yep, I’ll give my vote to Irene. Never knew that Lyme Disease caused psychotic episodes. That and if I remember one episode centered around how Seattle’s damp weather was messing up her curly hair.
Super Dave: Irene. classic scene.
Best Dance Off:
EC: I’ll go for Melissa at the strip club in New Orleans. Not that I would happen to know which specific club that is or anything.
Super Dave: dumb. johanna maybe?
Comments anyone?
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