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VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave
MTV’s original VJs offer a behind-the-scenes oral history of the early years of MTV, 1981 to 1987, when it was exploding, reshaping the culture, and creating “the MTV generation.”
Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn (along with the late J. J. Jackson) had front-row seats to a cultural revolution—and the hijinks of music stars like Adam Ant, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Duran Duran. Their worlds collided, of course: John Cougar invited Nina to a late-night “party” that proved to be a seduction attempt. Mark partied with David Lee Roth, who offered him cocaine and groupies. Aretha Franklin made chili for Alan. Bob Dylan whisked Martha off to Ireland in his private jet.
But while VJ has plenty of dish—secret romances, nude photographs, incoherent celebrities—it also reveals how four VJs grew up alongside MTV’s devoted viewers and became that generation’s trusted narrators. They tell the story of the ’80s, from the neon-colored drawstring pants to the Reagan administration, and offer a deeper understanding of how MTV changed our culture. Or as the VJs put it: “We’re the reason you have no attention span.”
Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn (along with the late J. J. Jackson) had front-row seats to a cultural revolution—and the hijinks of music stars like Adam Ant, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Duran Duran. Their worlds collided, of course: John Cougar invited Nina to a late-night “party” that proved to be a seduction attempt. Mark partied with David Lee Roth, who offered him cocaine and groupies. Aretha Franklin made chili for Alan. Bob Dylan whisked Martha off to Ireland in his private jet.
But while VJ has plenty of dish—secret romances, nude photographs, incoherent celebrities—it also reveals how four VJs grew up alongside MTV’s devoted viewers and became that generation’s trusted narrators. They tell the story of the ’80s, from the neon-colored drawstring pants to the Reagan administration, and offer a deeper understanding of how MTV changed our culture. Or as the VJs put it: “We’re the reason you have no attention span.”
318 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
July 30, 2013
I remember being a child and staring at the television set turned to MTV. The constant music videos, the fashions, the VJs… My world turned upside down. Although MTV is almost nonexistent with the music nowadays, there are some people who remember its birth: the first-generation of the channel’s VJs. Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn (along with interview passages from deceased JJ Jackson) attempt to unveil the life of MTV in its prime with “VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave”.
Unfortunately, “VJ” immediately suffers from major issues as it dives into discussing David Lee Roth, which makes no sense, and then backtracks into a more memoir-like text in order to explain the early life of each VJ. The first chapter can basically be skipped. These issues continue with a chunky format which is written as if Gavin Edwards (the contributing writer) merely interviewed the VJs and then printed his notes (“VJ” is presented in an almost question/answer form). There is no cohesive voice, tone, or proper storytelling. Each VJ describes their life with straight forwardness while lacking any details i.e. “I studied radio in college. I got married the next year”. I want to know why you studied radio? How did you meet your spouse? “VJ” lacks editing, to say the least.
Due to “VJ” being written in an interview format, just as the reader is ‘getting into’ one VJ’s story, the text moves onto another VJ’s version/point of view. This would work if the VJs played off of one another’s stories/energies but it is very clear that they were interviewed separately. Plus, Edwards did not mesh each story together and therefore some of the VJs are terrible storytellers while some others clearly posses more skill (Martha Quinn). This, again, contributes to chunkiness and causes the reader to stray.
Although “VJ” contains some interesting facts/blurbs (blurbs is all they are), plus some random supplements such as newspaper articles or letters; overall the content is shallow and one-dimensional. The ‘real’ VJs or MTV is never revealed and each chapter is vain, repeating various groupie-esque stories. All the VJs thought themselves to be stars and that every artist in the music industry “liked” them (or wanted to have sex with them). This is repetitive, annoying, and paints very conceited individuals, leaving many unanswered questions.
Also frustrating, is the lack of chronology. “VJ” focuses on themes and event recall versus a timeline which results in confusion and back-and-forth time period jumps which also adds to not being able to truly get to know the VJs or to get a clear view of the MTV days. Again: very shallow.
The final chapters of “VJ” were the strongest, encompassing more emotion and depth than the entire book. Had “VJ” flowed in such a manner the whole time, the book would have been strengthened (at least it ended on a stronger note).
On a slight positive note, “VJ” contains a few pages of photographs (although in black and white).
Overall, “VJ” is a mess of a sloppy format (basically an extended magazine article), shallow, pretentious, and one-dimensional stories, and poor writing. Readers won’t learn about the psyche of the VJs or about MTV history. The idea behind “VJ” may have been unique but the execution is terrible and the VJs themselves are not compelling people (or at least they aren’t presented in a great light). Unless you are looking for a super quick and empty (I stress empty) book; “VJ” can be skipped.
Unfortunately, “VJ” immediately suffers from major issues as it dives into discussing David Lee Roth, which makes no sense, and then backtracks into a more memoir-like text in order to explain the early life of each VJ. The first chapter can basically be skipped. These issues continue with a chunky format which is written as if Gavin Edwards (the contributing writer) merely interviewed the VJs and then printed his notes (“VJ” is presented in an almost question/answer form). There is no cohesive voice, tone, or proper storytelling. Each VJ describes their life with straight forwardness while lacking any details i.e. “I studied radio in college. I got married the next year”. I want to know why you studied radio? How did you meet your spouse? “VJ” lacks editing, to say the least.
Due to “VJ” being written in an interview format, just as the reader is ‘getting into’ one VJ’s story, the text moves onto another VJ’s version/point of view. This would work if the VJs played off of one another’s stories/energies but it is very clear that they were interviewed separately. Plus, Edwards did not mesh each story together and therefore some of the VJs are terrible storytellers while some others clearly posses more skill (Martha Quinn). This, again, contributes to chunkiness and causes the reader to stray.
Although “VJ” contains some interesting facts/blurbs (blurbs is all they are), plus some random supplements such as newspaper articles or letters; overall the content is shallow and one-dimensional. The ‘real’ VJs or MTV is never revealed and each chapter is vain, repeating various groupie-esque stories. All the VJs thought themselves to be stars and that every artist in the music industry “liked” them (or wanted to have sex with them). This is repetitive, annoying, and paints very conceited individuals, leaving many unanswered questions.
Also frustrating, is the lack of chronology. “VJ” focuses on themes and event recall versus a timeline which results in confusion and back-and-forth time period jumps which also adds to not being able to truly get to know the VJs or to get a clear view of the MTV days. Again: very shallow.
The final chapters of “VJ” were the strongest, encompassing more emotion and depth than the entire book. Had “VJ” flowed in such a manner the whole time, the book would have been strengthened (at least it ended on a stronger note).
On a slight positive note, “VJ” contains a few pages of photographs (although in black and white).
Overall, “VJ” is a mess of a sloppy format (basically an extended magazine article), shallow, pretentious, and one-dimensional stories, and poor writing. Readers won’t learn about the psyche of the VJs or about MTV history. The idea behind “VJ” may have been unique but the execution is terrible and the VJs themselves are not compelling people (or at least they aren’t presented in a great light). Unless you are looking for a super quick and empty (I stress empty) book; “VJ” can be skipped.
May 19, 2013
I had a great time Saturday (May 18) moderating a discussion about this book with Mark Goodman and Nina Blackwood at the Gaithersburg Book Festival; but I would have read it anyhow. No need to bug you with my own stories of growing up smack in the zone of the MTV generation (I was 13 when the network debuted; it was on wherever I went in high school, except in the high school). This is a great nostalgia trip, yes, but it's also kind of a heartbreaking and genuine story about four people caught up in something much, much bigger than all of us, and how that went on affecting them. It's also a study of how four people can remember the same event in four different ways. Full of gems.
June 14, 2013
If you know anything about the early days of MTV this book will seem redundant and even incomplete--it takes long-told stories of the five VJs and puts them on paper in oral history form. It's poorly edited (including mistakes such as spelling Kathie Lee's name wrong and calling MTV an "acronym") and somewhat unorganized. The chapters are often too short and the subjects covered barely skim the surface of what it was like to work for the cable network.
The only good thing about the book is that the four living VJs provide insight into the corporate structure, where creator Robert Pittman paid them very little and refused to let them become stars. Pittman, who is thought of as a creative genius, actually shows early signs of being a corporate tyrant that he went on to repeat in his future positions at major entertainment companies.
There are a couple of fun stories in the book, such as the fact that Alan Hunter got his job because his minister father-in-law was best friend's with Pittman's minister dad. (It's ironic that Hunter, the worst of the five when he started, became the last one of the group to leave.) But most of this is rehash of things you've seen in MTV specials or other books. If you know nothing about the early days of the channel this might be of interest if you like an oral history format. Otherwise the format is a distracting method that needs more narrative and content to make it worthwhile. Namely, the book is as shallow as the song introductions made by the VJs in those early days of MTV.
The only good thing about the book is that the four living VJs provide insight into the corporate structure, where creator Robert Pittman paid them very little and refused to let them become stars. Pittman, who is thought of as a creative genius, actually shows early signs of being a corporate tyrant that he went on to repeat in his future positions at major entertainment companies.
There are a couple of fun stories in the book, such as the fact that Alan Hunter got his job because his minister father-in-law was best friend's with Pittman's minister dad. (It's ironic that Hunter, the worst of the five when he started, became the last one of the group to leave.) But most of this is rehash of things you've seen in MTV specials or other books. If you know nothing about the early days of the channel this might be of interest if you like an oral history format. Otherwise the format is a distracting method that needs more narrative and content to make it worthwhile. Namely, the book is as shallow as the song introductions made by the VJs in those early days of MTV.
January 14, 2016
Considering the fact that I was one of those teenagers glued to the screen for hours at a time at the start of MTV, I was happy to see this book for the chance to go behind the scenes. I had no clue about the ins and outs of any of it nor the lives of the VJs and boy was I schooled here.
Recommended for fans of MTV, when it really was MTV.
Recommended for fans of MTV, when it really was MTV.
June 27, 2017
I can't believe I missed this book when it came out a few years ago, but I picked it up on sale at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. I started it on the plane ride home and finished it the next day. I love everything about music, and I worked in radio promotions in college, so this appealed to me immensely. I was also entering my teen years at the dawn of MTV, and it was a lifeline for me since I lived in a small town where we could barely pick up any radio stations worth listening to, and the majority of people didn't listen to the music I was drawn to. I still have hours of VHS tapes of MTV videos and interviews. I idolized this group of VJs, and I wanted to be Martha Quinn.
For anyone else who was a child/teen of the 80s and loves rock and roll, this book will be a trip down nostalgia lane. The VJs tell all the behind-the-scenes stories of what it was like to launch a channel unlike anything else on television at the time period, and all the juicy details are included. (Sex, drugs and rock and roll, for sure.)
For anyone else who was a child/teen of the 80s and loves rock and roll, this book will be a trip down nostalgia lane. The VJs tell all the behind-the-scenes stories of what it was like to launch a channel unlike anything else on television at the time period, and all the juicy details are included. (Sex, drugs and rock and roll, for sure.)
February 1, 2014
Full review at: http://everydayiwritethebookblog.com/...
I am 80s music-obsessed. (After all, look at the name of my blog.) When I learned that the original MTV VJs were coming out with a memoir, I knew I had to read it. I don’t read much, if any, non-fiction, but I made a happy exception in this case.
I thoroughly enjoyed VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave, told through the voices of Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, and, posthumously, the late J.J. Jackson. Those five were the original hosts on MTV when the network launched in 1981. Gavin Edwards interviewed the four and threaded together their responses to create a loose narrative detailing the six years after the fledgling network launched.
There’s lots of good behind-the-scenes scoop here – what the musicians who dropped by the studio were like; the parties and concerts the VJs attended while working for MTV; how being revered by millions of high school kids affected their personal lives. It is fun to read about how clueless they all were about MTV was when they took the job, and the impact that they – and the network – eventually had on television, music, and pop culture. The interrelationships between the five, who were were very different but quickly thrust into immediate intimacy, are also pretty interesting. They each adhered to a type – the snobby music critic, the kid, the comedian, etc. – that mostly defined them throughout their tenure together. There are some funny anecdotes about how low-rent the early days were: they rented cars to go to concerts together; they didn’t even get to watch the videos before they talked about them on air; they all shared a dressing room; and they each got a clothing budget of $500 every three months.
I didn’t have cable TV in the 80s (DC was very late to get cable and I was already in college when it finally happened), so I sadly missed the early years of MTV when some of my favorite artists were on heavy rotation. I spent a lot of this book feeling wistful for what could have been: afternoons after school watching Simple Minds, Police and U2 videos and getting to know these VJs as well as so many other American teenagers did.(Instead, I have been relegated to watching 80s videos on YouTube in my 40s after going to reunion tours at the 9:30 Club.)
If you’re still reading this review, then VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave must appeal to you on some level. Give it a try – it’s a light but surprisingly engrossing read about a unique time at the intersection of television and music. MTV will never again be what it once was (a music video channel, for god’s sake!), and the music industry will never again be what it once was, but VJ: The Unplugged Adventures at least memorializes those bygone days.
In my next life, I want to be a VJ on MTV. (That ain’t working, that’s the way you do it…)
I am 80s music-obsessed. (After all, look at the name of my blog.) When I learned that the original MTV VJs were coming out with a memoir, I knew I had to read it. I don’t read much, if any, non-fiction, but I made a happy exception in this case.
I thoroughly enjoyed VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave, told through the voices of Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, and, posthumously, the late J.J. Jackson. Those five were the original hosts on MTV when the network launched in 1981. Gavin Edwards interviewed the four and threaded together their responses to create a loose narrative detailing the six years after the fledgling network launched.
There’s lots of good behind-the-scenes scoop here – what the musicians who dropped by the studio were like; the parties and concerts the VJs attended while working for MTV; how being revered by millions of high school kids affected their personal lives. It is fun to read about how clueless they all were about MTV was when they took the job, and the impact that they – and the network – eventually had on television, music, and pop culture. The interrelationships between the five, who were were very different but quickly thrust into immediate intimacy, are also pretty interesting. They each adhered to a type – the snobby music critic, the kid, the comedian, etc. – that mostly defined them throughout their tenure together. There are some funny anecdotes about how low-rent the early days were: they rented cars to go to concerts together; they didn’t even get to watch the videos before they talked about them on air; they all shared a dressing room; and they each got a clothing budget of $500 every three months.
I didn’t have cable TV in the 80s (DC was very late to get cable and I was already in college when it finally happened), so I sadly missed the early years of MTV when some of my favorite artists were on heavy rotation. I spent a lot of this book feeling wistful for what could have been: afternoons after school watching Simple Minds, Police and U2 videos and getting to know these VJs as well as so many other American teenagers did.(Instead, I have been relegated to watching 80s videos on YouTube in my 40s after going to reunion tours at the 9:30 Club.)
If you’re still reading this review, then VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave must appeal to you on some level. Give it a try – it’s a light but surprisingly engrossing read about a unique time at the intersection of television and music. MTV will never again be what it once was (a music video channel, for god’s sake!), and the music industry will never again be what it once was, but VJ: The Unplugged Adventures at least memorializes those bygone days.
In my next life, I want to be a VJ on MTV. (That ain’t working, that’s the way you do it…)
July 26, 2013
YAWN. As a child of the 80s, I hoped this book would contain all the dish and the dirt the VJs couldn't say on-air. I wanted a gossipy fun fest of details only THEY would know about all my favorite rock stars of the time. I yearned for behind-the-scenes examination of how videos were created. This book was to be the indulgent bubble gum ice cream to my usual steamed veggie literary fare.
Instead, it was a lot of drab, boring, blah-blah. Did I really need to know how Martha Quinn decorated her apartment? Hardly. Or how many times Alan Hunter thought he could score if only he wasn't married? Uh, no. For every 1 story about sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, there were 5 blasé ramblings of what someone wore to the US festival or the mistreatment (oh, say it isn't so!) by manipulative corporate wonks.
I will say that learning how the channel struggled in the early years was interesting insight into the expansion of cable.
But otherwise, a waste of time if you were hoping to bask in their glory days and of the rise of the music video. About as interesting as MTV is now.
Instead, it was a lot of drab, boring, blah-blah. Did I really need to know how Martha Quinn decorated her apartment? Hardly. Or how many times Alan Hunter thought he could score if only he wasn't married? Uh, no. For every 1 story about sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, there were 5 blasé ramblings of what someone wore to the US festival or the mistreatment (oh, say it isn't so!) by manipulative corporate wonks.
I will say that learning how the channel struggled in the early years was interesting insight into the expansion of cable.
But otherwise, a waste of time if you were hoping to bask in their glory days and of the rise of the music video. About as interesting as MTV is now.
June 9, 2013
Oh, the memories!!!!!!!!!!!
This book was a great look at the beginnings of MTV and the first VJs, actually, the best VJs. For those of you too young to remember MTV used to be Music Television and they showed music videos. Really! Not kidding ya!
It was a trip down memory lane that I certainly didn't mind taking. Lots of inside stuff on how things worked, some of the stars they dealt with, and how well they got along together.
The only thing missing was the late, great J.J. Jackson.
Highly recommended for anyone who remembers when hair was big, when it wasn't in a scrunchie, and guys wore lots of make-up.
This book was a great look at the beginnings of MTV and the first VJs, actually, the best VJs. For those of you too young to remember MTV used to be Music Television and they showed music videos. Really! Not kidding ya!
It was a trip down memory lane that I certainly didn't mind taking. Lots of inside stuff on how things worked, some of the stars they dealt with, and how well they got along together.
The only thing missing was the late, great J.J. Jackson.
Highly recommended for anyone who remembers when hair was big, when it wasn't in a scrunchie, and guys wore lots of make-up.
June 6, 2013
It was nice to hear the VJs reflect on their years on MTV. I spent most of my teenage years watching them. My kids would never understand their relevance as MTV is pathetic these days but it would be rather pointless if it was the same format today. I enjoyed the song lyrics at the beginning of the chapters. Wish J.J. was around to contribute. The Live Aid cuts to the VJs were annoying. I glad they addressed it. We wanted to see history, not their reactions to it. Other than that moment, I loved the VJs. They gave me Duran Duran and so many great bands.
August 14, 2017
This was an interesting read. Although I was too young to really remember this era of MTV ( I started really watching it as a teen with the Downtown Julie Brown , Duff, Kennedy era...) I do remember the tail end of the five original VJs especially Martha Quinn when she did her return stint in the 90s . The book was written like a conversation between the four remaining VJs ( J.J died in the early 2000s) and it was like taking a walk down memory lane with them albeit a debauched, drug fueled walk with egotistical rock stars and the, at times, equally egotistical VJs themselves ( Mark Goodman being the worst offender) It was fun to read about all the behind the scenes insanity during the early days of MTV when it was really about the music and not whatever it is today. I liked the anecdotes about the bands and artists who are so big and legendary today but back in the early 80s were just trying to get noticed. Also interesting to note how much all four of the VJs vehemently dislike Kurt Loder.. who I always liked when MTV NEWS was a thing. They thought he was a total jerk because he was a writer for Rolling Stone before going to MTV and he basically shredded the VJs in his pieces because he is a music snob which I was never aware of. All in all a fun quick read.
June 14, 2013
3.5 stars
An advanced review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
When MTV joined the Cablevision lineup, it was the first stop I scrolled to on our cable box, that magical beige rectangle that increased our TV viewing options from six to FORTY-TWO channels. Oh, we were living large. MTV introduced me to music and bands that I rarely, if ever, heard on Jacksonville radio. Even in its infancy, MTV scooped radio by introducing us to artists who would eventually conquer several media. That girl with half her head shaved, leading a conga line through New York City? That Australian band playing in their underwear? I didn't hear them on the radio first.
To hear my parents tell it, you would have thought Satan purchased a TV network and started broadcasting on cable. Of course they hated it - I still remember the stunned, WTF expression on my father's face when Motley Crue's "Looks That Kill" aired one Saturday morning, and we couldn't switch to the next channel fast enough when my mother entered the den. They didn't want us watching us MTV; they believed some videos with questionable content were too racy and/or violent for us impressionable youths. In the network's defense, I disagreed (but it's not like a ten-year-old had a vote in this situation). Early on, many videos amounted to footage from concert films and appearances elsewhere on television. Other promotional videos may have simply featured the band in a studio or on a stage with no bells, whistles, or whores (pretty much every video Rush filmed). Also, none of us kids ended up as juvenile delinquents or criminals as a result of prolonged exposure to MTV. One of us is a vice-president of something.
Today, I couldn't tell you on which channel you'll find MTV, or MTV 2 and whatever else has spawned. It's mostly crap now, and while I'm partial to good crap I go elsewhere for it. When I want to ride my mid-life crisis, I cruise through my YouTube playlists. One might argue we don't really need MTV anymore - it's no different from half the networks dependent on reality shows for ratings - and some may feel we might have done just fine without it. I personally wouldn't mind a rebirth - not necessarily to feed my appetite for nostalgia, but for an artistic marriage of video and music.
When I saw VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave available, I knew I had to review it for the blog. In defending my desire to watch MTV, I had placed the original five VJs as Exhibits A through E - they looked like normal people you'd have over for dinner. There were no visible skull tattoos or piercings. You'd think between perky Martha Quinn and boyish-next-door goofball Alan Hunter I'd have a good argument for MTV not spearheading the decline of Western civilization. Thirty years later, I open to the first chapter and Alan and Mark recall doing blow with various rock stars. I wonder if my mother would allow me to watch MTV now.
VJ, like Starting Over, is presented as an oral history, in that the four surviving VJ pioneers (the fifth, J.J. Jackson, is sadly no longer with us) round-robin their memories of the network's genesis and first half-decade. Of the quintet, Jackson and Goodman came to the network with the strongest backgrounds in radio and music knowledge, while Hunter, Blackwood, and Quinn were likely recruited to appeal to specific viewer demographics. Talk of money quickly establishes that this operation didn't work like Friends - it wasn't "all for one, one for all" when it came to salaries or perks. In fact, it surprised me to read how bare-bones the first VJs had it. Everybody learned on the air through trial and error, whether it was ad-libbing to fill space or appeasing a record label in order to broadcast videos. In my memory MTV seemed to run seamlessly from VJ intro to video, and back again. Bear in mind, it has been many years, and likely the VJs didn't get as much air time as I recall.
If you enjoy rock gossip without having to decipher blind items, you'll find plenty to like in VJ. You'll live vicariously through four voices regaling us with tales of sex (and failed attempts at it), drugs, and awkward interviews. Want to know which of your idols was an asshole, and which Top 10 ballad Nina Blackwood inspired? There are answers within. In between the juicy bits and personal vignettes, VJ provides a nice history of the network itself and its evolution from 24/7 music to a major influence on the entertainment industry. I especially found the chapter on MTV's coverage of Live Aid interesting, since for years I had been angered by how the VJs monopolized camera time during such an event. I could see Martha Quinn on TV every damn day...why would I want to watch her dancing while Paul Frickin' McCartney was playing "Let It Be" during the London finale? It's some comfort to know that cutting to her wasn't her call.
That said, I was also disappointed not to see any information on how MTV revived The Monkees. It did happen toward the end of Quinn's and Hunter's tenures, and how MTV handled the band following a FTA at an event (covered in Monkee Business) spoke volumes of the network's power to make and break musicians at the time. I am still interested in their perception of MTV as a music influence and if any other artists suffered due to the network's neglect. In the book there's mention of how MTV likely nurtured a short-attention span mentality, something that became evident personally when certain VJs left the network. Despite our general tendencies to find distraction, my memory of MTV's glory years remain strong. VJ is a fun reminder of the days video killed the radio stars...though I wonder if video is looking over its shoulder now.
An advanced review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
When MTV joined the Cablevision lineup, it was the first stop I scrolled to on our cable box, that magical beige rectangle that increased our TV viewing options from six to FORTY-TWO channels. Oh, we were living large. MTV introduced me to music and bands that I rarely, if ever, heard on Jacksonville radio. Even in its infancy, MTV scooped radio by introducing us to artists who would eventually conquer several media. That girl with half her head shaved, leading a conga line through New York City? That Australian band playing in their underwear? I didn't hear them on the radio first.
To hear my parents tell it, you would have thought Satan purchased a TV network and started broadcasting on cable. Of course they hated it - I still remember the stunned, WTF expression on my father's face when Motley Crue's "Looks That Kill" aired one Saturday morning, and we couldn't switch to the next channel fast enough when my mother entered the den. They didn't want us watching us MTV; they believed some videos with questionable content were too racy and/or violent for us impressionable youths. In the network's defense, I disagreed (but it's not like a ten-year-old had a vote in this situation). Early on, many videos amounted to footage from concert films and appearances elsewhere on television. Other promotional videos may have simply featured the band in a studio or on a stage with no bells, whistles, or whores (pretty much every video Rush filmed). Also, none of us kids ended up as juvenile delinquents or criminals as a result of prolonged exposure to MTV. One of us is a vice-president of something.
Today, I couldn't tell you on which channel you'll find MTV, or MTV 2 and whatever else has spawned. It's mostly crap now, and while I'm partial to good crap I go elsewhere for it. When I want to ride my mid-life crisis, I cruise through my YouTube playlists. One might argue we don't really need MTV anymore - it's no different from half the networks dependent on reality shows for ratings - and some may feel we might have done just fine without it. I personally wouldn't mind a rebirth - not necessarily to feed my appetite for nostalgia, but for an artistic marriage of video and music.
When I saw VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave available, I knew I had to review it for the blog. In defending my desire to watch MTV, I had placed the original five VJs as Exhibits A through E - they looked like normal people you'd have over for dinner. There were no visible skull tattoos or piercings. You'd think between perky Martha Quinn and boyish-next-door goofball Alan Hunter I'd have a good argument for MTV not spearheading the decline of Western civilization. Thirty years later, I open to the first chapter and Alan and Mark recall doing blow with various rock stars. I wonder if my mother would allow me to watch MTV now.
VJ, like Starting Over, is presented as an oral history, in that the four surviving VJ pioneers (the fifth, J.J. Jackson, is sadly no longer with us) round-robin their memories of the network's genesis and first half-decade. Of the quintet, Jackson and Goodman came to the network with the strongest backgrounds in radio and music knowledge, while Hunter, Blackwood, and Quinn were likely recruited to appeal to specific viewer demographics. Talk of money quickly establishes that this operation didn't work like Friends - it wasn't "all for one, one for all" when it came to salaries or perks. In fact, it surprised me to read how bare-bones the first VJs had it. Everybody learned on the air through trial and error, whether it was ad-libbing to fill space or appeasing a record label in order to broadcast videos. In my memory MTV seemed to run seamlessly from VJ intro to video, and back again. Bear in mind, it has been many years, and likely the VJs didn't get as much air time as I recall.
If you enjoy rock gossip without having to decipher blind items, you'll find plenty to like in VJ. You'll live vicariously through four voices regaling us with tales of sex (and failed attempts at it), drugs, and awkward interviews. Want to know which of your idols was an asshole, and which Top 10 ballad Nina Blackwood inspired? There are answers within. In between the juicy bits and personal vignettes, VJ provides a nice history of the network itself and its evolution from 24/7 music to a major influence on the entertainment industry. I especially found the chapter on MTV's coverage of Live Aid interesting, since for years I had been angered by how the VJs monopolized camera time during such an event. I could see Martha Quinn on TV every damn day...why would I want to watch her dancing while Paul Frickin' McCartney was playing "Let It Be" during the London finale? It's some comfort to know that cutting to her wasn't her call.
That said, I was also disappointed not to see any information on how MTV revived The Monkees. It did happen toward the end of Quinn's and Hunter's tenures, and how MTV handled the band following a FTA at an event (covered in Monkee Business) spoke volumes of the network's power to make and break musicians at the time. I am still interested in their perception of MTV as a music influence and if any other artists suffered due to the network's neglect. In the book there's mention of how MTV likely nurtured a short-attention span mentality, something that became evident personally when certain VJs left the network. Despite our general tendencies to find distraction, my memory of MTV's glory years remain strong. VJ is a fun reminder of the days video killed the radio stars...though I wonder if video is looking over its shoulder now.
June 17, 2021
This was disappointing. The true story of interesting people going through a crazy moment in time together and it was written like utter crap. These stories deserved a better telling.
The format and order of everything is just weird. There were good parts that should have been expanded on. It was like watching a bad interview where there's no follow up to the good stuff and they just move on to something else.
Some of these stories made me cringe. You need to tell them in a certain way that humanizes these people and makes it relatable. It too often came off as 80's, famous, cocaine, adultery...and super duper proud of it.
The format and order of everything is just weird. There were good parts that should have been expanded on. It was like watching a bad interview where there's no follow up to the good stuff and they just move on to something else.
Some of these stories made me cringe. You need to tell them in a certain way that humanizes these people and makes it relatable. It too often came off as 80's, famous, cocaine, adultery...and super duper proud of it.
May 30, 2022
I was a huge fan of MTV in the early 80’s/90’s. I was the exact demographic they were after (high school/college )age. I was exposed to such great music that I wouldn’t have been otherwise. Watching those original VJ’s on a daily basis for years felt like they were my best friends and I had a crush on Martha Quinn like thousands of other guys. It was fun learning some behind the scenes scoop in those days. A very light read. No crazy revelations. Just nostalgic to relive those fun years.
September 23, 2017
Fluffy and fast read that made me remember why the videos were what I was in to, not the personalities. None of them come off very well in the book, so if you have fond memories of them, you may want to skip this reality check.
May 10, 2013
(nb: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley)
To those of us who grew up in the early 1980's, it's impossible not to remember MTV. The videos' quality was generally horrific--as was some of the music--but MTV was something fresh.
At the core of the MTV experience were the original five VJ's: Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, and Martha Quinn. My friends and I each had our favorites (Martha was one of my earliest loves), and I found tons of music I never would have heard on plain old radio.
(I should note that MTV actually played music videos at the time, unlike today)
"VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave" is a group memoir. The four surviving First Wavers--J.J. Jackson died St Patrick's Day, 2004--reminisce about being hired as the first VJ's, early production hardships, and the channel's rise to success. As the faces of MTV, they sometimes found themselves to be more famous than the acts whose videos they played.
Part of MTV's early appeal was that it perpetrated the illusion that you weren't just sitting there watching music videos by yourself. There was somebody there, 24/7, hanging out with you. Another result was that it forever changed the way music markets itself. No longer did record companies have to schmooze individual radio stations to get airplay. If a record executive could get an artist's video into MTV's heavy rotation, that would all but guarantee nationwide sales.
There is no doubt that these five hip people helped MTV become successful, even though they did nothing more than record four one-minute drop-ins per hour. Was MTV a hit because of them? Or was it simply a phenomenon whose time had come?
It's hard to say.
At its best, "VJ" reveals wild artist stories, as well as tales of the internecine squabbles and genuine familial love the VJ's felt for one-another.
Where "VJ" bogs down is when it delves too deeply into the VJs' previous lives. In many ways, the VJ's--at least to me--were like the videos themselves. Very few people knew before, nor have cared since, the origins of The Buggles. What mattered is that they had a one-off hit called "Video Killed The Radio Star," and that it was the first video played on MTV. Deep background information on the VJs' lives only feels relevant inasmuch as it led directly to them getting hired for MTV. Hearing about one VJ's high school meth dealer? Not relevant.
Also, "VJ" seems to rehash certain things constantly. Okay, we get it: Mark Goodman thinks of himself and J.J. Jackson as "music guys," while Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood, and Martha Quinn are just entertainers.(When Bob Dylan specifically requested Martha Quinn do a story on his "Infidels" tour, Goodman hit the roof). Also, we understand that nearly everyone was doing cocaine in the 1980's. It's not necessary to mention every time artists and VJs were doing blow at an event.
Earlier this year, I read autobiographies by Gregg Allman and Eric Clapton, both of whom describe their pre-stardom lives as well as their substance-abuse adventures. I expected this information in their biographies, and I'd have been disappointed without it, but they are artists whose music I've loved for decades. There is a difference.
"VJ" shines, though, as a first-hand look into a new medium's birth and evolution. Embraced by young people and bashed by critics, MTV started off humbly, and these five people dared put their face on a product that could've failed after six months. Instead, 30+ years later, those faces are still remembered by those of us who can remember the time when video actually killed the radio star.
Despite its flaws, "VJ" is worth the read, especially if you remember when these five were the collective face of MTV.
(I still call dibs on Martha Quinn, though)
Recommended
To those of us who grew up in the early 1980's, it's impossible not to remember MTV. The videos' quality was generally horrific--as was some of the music--but MTV was something fresh.
At the core of the MTV experience were the original five VJ's: Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, and Martha Quinn. My friends and I each had our favorites (Martha was one of my earliest loves), and I found tons of music I never would have heard on plain old radio.
(I should note that MTV actually played music videos at the time, unlike today)
"VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave" is a group memoir. The four surviving First Wavers--J.J. Jackson died St Patrick's Day, 2004--reminisce about being hired as the first VJ's, early production hardships, and the channel's rise to success. As the faces of MTV, they sometimes found themselves to be more famous than the acts whose videos they played.
Part of MTV's early appeal was that it perpetrated the illusion that you weren't just sitting there watching music videos by yourself. There was somebody there, 24/7, hanging out with you. Another result was that it forever changed the way music markets itself. No longer did record companies have to schmooze individual radio stations to get airplay. If a record executive could get an artist's video into MTV's heavy rotation, that would all but guarantee nationwide sales.
There is no doubt that these five hip people helped MTV become successful, even though they did nothing more than record four one-minute drop-ins per hour. Was MTV a hit because of them? Or was it simply a phenomenon whose time had come?
It's hard to say.
At its best, "VJ" reveals wild artist stories, as well as tales of the internecine squabbles and genuine familial love the VJ's felt for one-another.
Where "VJ" bogs down is when it delves too deeply into the VJs' previous lives. In many ways, the VJ's--at least to me--were like the videos themselves. Very few people knew before, nor have cared since, the origins of The Buggles. What mattered is that they had a one-off hit called "Video Killed The Radio Star," and that it was the first video played on MTV. Deep background information on the VJs' lives only feels relevant inasmuch as it led directly to them getting hired for MTV. Hearing about one VJ's high school meth dealer? Not relevant.
Also, "VJ" seems to rehash certain things constantly. Okay, we get it: Mark Goodman thinks of himself and J.J. Jackson as "music guys," while Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood, and Martha Quinn are just entertainers.(When Bob Dylan specifically requested Martha Quinn do a story on his "Infidels" tour, Goodman hit the roof). Also, we understand that nearly everyone was doing cocaine in the 1980's. It's not necessary to mention every time artists and VJs were doing blow at an event.
Earlier this year, I read autobiographies by Gregg Allman and Eric Clapton, both of whom describe their pre-stardom lives as well as their substance-abuse adventures. I expected this information in their biographies, and I'd have been disappointed without it, but they are artists whose music I've loved for decades. There is a difference.
"VJ" shines, though, as a first-hand look into a new medium's birth and evolution. Embraced by young people and bashed by critics, MTV started off humbly, and these five people dared put their face on a product that could've failed after six months. Instead, 30+ years later, those faces are still remembered by those of us who can remember the time when video actually killed the radio star.
Despite its flaws, "VJ" is worth the read, especially if you remember when these five were the collective face of MTV.
(I still call dibs on Martha Quinn, though)
Recommended
January 1, 2014
As a child of the '80s, the first few chapters were kind of hard to read, because I admired and adored these VJ's with the naive eyes of a teenager. Reading about what actually went on behind the scenes was sort of like peeking behind the curtain at the Wizard, to realize he was just a normal human guy with a pot belly. However, further into the book, I got past that. The anecdotes were too short, in my opinion, but it did give you insight into each VJ's (except for J.J., since he passed away) experience, so that was interesting. The last part of the book had me in tears, and it made me want to get up from the couch and google them and watch videos of the glory days of MTV. They were part of my young adulthood, and the few pictures in the center of the book - while captured in black and white - made flashbulbs of color go off in my head, because I remembered every moment of that when it happened on TV. All of it. I lived that channel, as did everyone in my high school. It was nice to take a walk down memory lane, even if some of it was uncomfortable, seeing those guys brought down off the pedestals I had put them on. I enjoyed it, and am glad it was my FIRST FINISHED book of 2014. :)
March 17, 2013
I received this book as a First Read through Goodreads. I love books and I love music, but something must have gone off in the algorithm because we didn't get cable in my town until 1985, when I was all of 8 years old. So I was vaguely aware of Martha Quinn, and the rest of them are like what? If it had been Adam Curry, Kurt Loder, and the Julie Browns it would have all been different. It's an interesting piece of cultural history when NYC was a little more funky and media was still daring. Nina Blackwood is a naively angelic harp-player trapped in the face/body of a butt-rock video babe. Martha Quinn comes off like a rich girl playing at life. I kept getting the guys mixed up. So, yeah.
Also, I was blown away that these professional music people would be all about Foreigner and David Lee Roth and not "get" Ray Davies. Thank God the 90s happened.
Also, I was blown away that these professional music people would be all about Foreigner and David Lee Roth and not "get" Ray Davies. Thank God the 90s happened.
December 7, 2013
The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave is a relentless bragfest about how the original 5 MTV VJs were trendsetters and celebrities, and had great drugs and tickets to all the shows and backstage passes and America loved them blah blah blah. While most of them admit pretty much anybody could have been chosen to do their jobs but for serendipity, and despite the fact that none of them went on to great achievements post-MTV, they each sport ridiculously overlarge residual egos.
"What irritated me was that I felt like a pawn. I had no say over what MTV played... I felt used, and I felt insignificant to David Bowie--which I probably was, anyway."
"He was a walking Byronic archetype, down to his look and his cologne."
"Drugs thrashed my body; I have cirrhosis...If I had never done drugs, I'd be a lot healthier today."
"What irritated me was that I felt like a pawn. I had no say over what MTV played... I felt used, and I felt insignificant to David Bowie--which I probably was, anyway."
"He was a walking Byronic archetype, down to his look and his cologne."
"Drugs thrashed my body; I have cirrhosis...If I had never done drugs, I'd be a lot healthier today."
February 8, 2017
There is a chapter just on David Lee Roth - enough said.
March 9, 2013
I received this book as a First Read through Goodreads.
I was a junior in high school when MTV first aired, and I distinctly remember sitting in front of my friend's television for the first transmission . It remained a big part of my life, until the format changed from music videos to lame reality shows. As Gavin Edwards puts it in the intro: "If you grew up when MTV was a logical acronym instead of a cruel joke, you probably had a similar epiphany." He's referring to the moment when you felt as if all art, music, and film had just served as a preamble to this moment in history. I liked the book, especially the backstage gossip. The personal anecdotal style was a little choppy, and sometimes repetitive, but overall a fun and informative read.
I was a junior in high school when MTV first aired, and I distinctly remember sitting in front of my friend's television for the first transmission . It remained a big part of my life, until the format changed from music videos to lame reality shows. As Gavin Edwards puts it in the intro: "If you grew up when MTV was a logical acronym instead of a cruel joke, you probably had a similar epiphany." He's referring to the moment when you felt as if all art, music, and film had just served as a preamble to this moment in history. I liked the book, especially the backstage gossip. The personal anecdotal style was a little choppy, and sometimes repetitive, but overall a fun and informative read.
May 21, 2013
Reading VJ: The Unplugged Adventures... was like being able to take a peek behind the curtain at the early years of MTV, when it really was Music Television. And wow. It really WAS sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll.
I miss the golden days of MTV, when I could flip on the channel and watch music videos. Of course, I thought the VJs were watching right along with us. Spoiler alert, it turns out they weren't.
This book is a series of recollections arranged by chapter about what the original VJs' lives were like before, during and after their stints at MTV. I don't know that it was such a good idea for me to read this book, since it tarnished them a bit in my mind.
I miss the golden days of MTV, when I could flip on the channel and watch music videos. Of course, I thought the VJs were watching right along with us. Spoiler alert, it turns out they weren't.
This book is a series of recollections arranged by chapter about what the original VJs' lives were like before, during and after their stints at MTV. I don't know that it was such a good idea for me to read this book, since it tarnished them a bit in my mind.
July 1, 2013
A fun trip down memory lane (if you are of a certain age!). It was nice to get the VJ's side of things. I had heard before that they had really shafting contracts. A shame. But what interesting tidbits there are in this book! Mark used to be a dealer?! Nina was painfully shy?! Every guy in the world wanted to sleep with Martha? (okay, everyone knew that) David Lee Roth had a color-coded system for getting hot chicks backstage? Who knew David Lee Roth was into chicks? (I kid.) It made me a bit jealous to read of Nina's fling with my many-many-years-ago crush John Waite! This book is a fast read and not too taxing on the brain. But enjoyable in a light way nevertheless.
January 26, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you were a child of the 80s who grew up with MTV (when it still played music), you won't be able to get enough of the inside gossip and stories.
The only thing that could have made this better (keep in mind I read this on a kindle) would have been to utilize some multimedia aspects and provide links to some of the interviews that the VJs reference in the book. I found myself heading to YouTube many times trying to find what I was reading about.
A fun read. Great for the summer.
The only thing that could have made this better (keep in mind I read this on a kindle) would have been to utilize some multimedia aspects and provide links to some of the interviews that the VJs reference in the book. I found myself heading to YouTube many times trying to find what I was reading about.
A fun read. Great for the summer.
May 2, 2015
Read this over my vacation a week ago. Was a really quick and enjoyable read. It really brought back a lot of memories as I read it. It was a little disconcerting to read that the guys were a bunch of coke heads. I don't think I started watching MTV till about 1982. The book does a good job describing that era. Martha Quinn comes across exactly as she is/was as a VJ! Nice to know that what you see is what you get. Also fascinating to know that Nina Blackwood plays the harp. Never would've guessed that. Anyway, definitely worth a summer read this year.
May 23, 2013
I tore through this in one night. Couldn't put it down.
I couldn't get over how much I remembered from the stories the Vjs told. It's also a telling tale of the broadcasting business that I'd like for my students to read. (Of course, they'll have to learn first that the M in MTV was for "music".)
The format is a round-table discussion with the four, and you come away with the feeling that they're good friends (although perhaps that wasn't always the case).
I couldn't get over how much I remembered from the stories the Vjs told. It's also a telling tale of the broadcasting business that I'd like for my students to read. (Of course, they'll have to learn first that the M in MTV was for "music".)
The format is a round-table discussion with the four, and you come away with the feeling that they're good friends (although perhaps that wasn't always the case).
April 7, 2015
Having fond memories of MTV from its glory days of the 1980s, I was curious about this memoir from four of the original five VJs (video disc jockeys). Big disappointment: apart from some fun anecdotes about celebrity interviews, and how each of them was originally hired, the vast majority of this trip down memory lane was vapid and inane, and I wasn't impressed by the boozing, drug-using, and women-abusing men of the group, and how proud they seemed to be by their own exploits. Not recommended.
May 26, 2013
What a disappointment. Instead of some real insight into my once beloved MTV, this is an airing of the grievances of the VJS, for the most part, and a recounting of all the coke they did. Who knew Mark Goodman was such a cavalier drug user? Not I, and I would have preferred to remain blissfully ignorant.
April 14, 2015
A very entertaining book, even though I wasn't familiar with any of the VJs in advance (I grew up loving '80s videos, but didn't have MTV in the early years). It was still a great ride down memory lane even if my memories weren't of them in particular. It also had a few surprisingly touching moments about the VJs' loves and losses. If you like oral histories, this is a good one.
February 4, 2014
The memories are faded but man they're really coming back....
I enjoyed the memories.
The story of the original VJs was quite conceited. How the hell was Mark Goodman the "hunk"?
And how dare they dis Kurt Loder?
I enjoyed the memories.
The story of the original VJs was quite conceited. How the hell was Mark Goodman the "hunk"?
And how dare they dis Kurt Loder?
February 23, 2016
Fun read. This puts you back in the 80's when MTV was all shiny and new. I also liked all the different viewpoints. It gives the VJ'S prospectives more credibility while at the same time making you feel part of the scene they're living.
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