MR

JANUARY 12, 2012

I want my MTV book! Veejays ready to spill the 'best stories'

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/80s/conte ... st-stories

Martha Quinn has been holding out on us! Word is that MTV's surviving original veejays have a book deal and will soon offer up an "uncensored oral history" of the former music channel.

The Washington Post says Atria Books has signed with Quinn, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman and Alan Hunter for the currently untitled book.

The Post quotes the book publisher as saying the veejays have saved "their best stories" for this book. Among the stories to expect: partying with Van Halen and the real tale of that crazy pink house giveaway by John Cougar Mellencamp.

I can only imagine.
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Posted by Steve Spears at 1:49:57 pm on January 12, 2012

Are they going to chronicle how the network went from playing decent videos 24/7, to playing shit videos, to playing shit...that has nothing to do with music?

tater1977 wrote:JANUARY 12, 2012

I want my MTV book! Veejays ready to spill the 'best stories'

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/80s/conte ... st-stories

Martha Quinn has been holding out on us! Word is that MTV's surviving original veejays have a book deal and will soon offer up an "uncensored oral history" of the former music channel.

The Washington Post says Atria Books has signed with Quinn, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman and Alan Hunter for the currently untitled book.

The Post quotes the book publisher as saying the veejays have saved "their best stories" for this book. Among the stories to expect: partying with Van Halen and the real tale of that crazy pink house giveaway by John Cougar Mellencamp.

I can only imagine.
.
Posted by Steve Spears at 1:49:57 pm on January 12, 2012

Different from this book I take it --

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-want-my-mtv-craig-marks/1101573208

The five originals VJs were great. Sadly, JJ passed away a few years back. he worked for the Wave, a local Jazz station here in L.A. for awhile.

hoagiepete wrote:Are they going to chronicle how the network went from playing decent videos 24/7, to playing shit videos, to playing shit...that has nothing to do with music?

Yeah, it's a fucking shame that MTV is pure ass garbage and has been for a very long time. Even VH1 has turned to jello. I remember video's being played 24/7, with music show's in between, like headbanger's ball, Behind the Music, Unplugged. All they play now is garbage at it's best. Jersey Shore, Real World, and what looks like a selection of shitty game shows like parental control, friend zone, next, I've been bullied etc. Do people really watch this? MTV use to be like a party, hell, it WAS a party. PLaying great video's ALL the time with news tidbit's thrown in to keep you updated. I'll get this book for sure. I tried like hell to win the lost week end with Halen. Wonder what it was like.

Jumping the shark and putting on nightly reality bs absolute total rubbish seems to be the norm for once great cable networks like A&E , History, Discovery, Speed and TLC. JJ was a cool guy, I won't forget his smile and charisma when he was hosting a Jewish LA jam night in 2002. He walked by me shook my hand patted me on the shoulder like were pals.

You know, at first, MTV was really cool. Then it became a way of determining what DOESN'T get played. I think it's had so much to do with the downfall of music for music's sake. Just my opinion

brywool wrote:You know, at first, MTV was really cool. Then it became a way of determining what DOESN'T get played. I think it's had so much to do with the downfall of music for music's sake. Just my opinion

I don't know about "so much to do" with music's downfall, man. It was a perfect storm: first, pirating came along and threw the entire industry paradigm for a loop. Then, the same technological advances that directly impacted music's business model soon started opening up tons of new entertainment avenues for us. Music was no longer a religion for those who cared to initiate themselves; it was there to be picked and chosen by anyone with a device in the integrated digital age. Listening to music and being a music fan lost its luster when it took less work to do so.

Don't get me wrong, MTV still sucks. And it's garbage didn't help music stay relevant in the public eye. But I think music's role in entertainment was soon to be subjugated to other technological advances and entertainment options, regardless of MTV's downward spiral into shittiness.

Ehwmatt wrote:

brywool wrote:You know, at first, MTV was really cool. Then it became a way of determining what DOESN'T get played. I think it's had so much to do with the downfall of music for music's sake. Just my opinion

I don't know about "so much to do" with music's downfall, man. It was a perfect storm: first, pirating came along and threw the entire industry paradigm for a loop. Then, the same technological advances that directly impacted music's business model soon started opening up tons of new entertainment avenues for us. Music was no longer a religion for those who cared to initiate themselves; it was there to be picked and chosen by anyone with a device in the integrated digital age. Listening to music and being a music fan lost its luster when it took less work to do so.

Don't get me wrong, MTV still sucks. And it's garbage didn't help music stay relevant in the public eye. But I think music's role in entertainment was soon to be subjugated to other technological advances and entertainment options, regardless of MTV's downward spiral into shittiness.

Pirating's a different issue. I'm speaking more about what would become popular had to do with the video and how cute the band was. It quit having to do with musical quality.