And though I often wonder if Mr. Mister will ever reunite and bring the soulful Broken Wings back to the masses, I am happy to say that VH-1 Classic is my new favorite TV channel.
Launched in May 2000, the 24-hour network airs music videos (that's right, actual music videos) from rock, soul and pop artists from the go-go '60s, watershed '70s and greed-is-good '80s. There's nary a Britney Spears, Jay-Z or Limp Bizkit video in sight.
For guys like me, who have recently nose-dived into his thirties and gets stomach ailments just thinking about what the once-mighty MTV has become, VH-1 Classic is a wonderful trip down memory and music video lane. With every Men at Work, Style Council and Ratt video played, yet another fond reminiscence of youth. VH-1 Classic is really just assuming the role MTV played in the early-to-late '80s, which was a channel that played a lot of videos - all day, all night.
Only now the process is inverted, as the channel forgoes the current musical scene of Tiger Beat pop tunes and ripped-off Velvet Underground-look-at-me-I'm-singing-through-a-filter-and-wearing-tattered-jeans punk rock for a journey back in time, showing us videos we might have missed and many we've been dying to see again.
I can't begin to count the number of times I've been watching We Are the Eighties and not been completely blown away by a video that comes on which I haven't seen in fifteen years. Regardless of the song's importance in the overall scheme of popular music, when you see that Men Without Hats' Safety Dance video... you can't but help to smile.
No maddening Video Jockeys with dumb names like Gideon Yago, no melodramatic features on the private life of J. Lo's ass, no reality shows about seven aspiring actors, err, strangers picked to live in a mansion in St. Barts and have sex with each other, and by the grace of God, there is no Carson Daly anywhere in the vicinity of VH-1 Classic, which is all about the music and that nostalgia we all collectively feel for Bananarama's Cruel Summer.
How an individual reacts, absorbs and responds to music is quite personal, but it's safe to say that music does play an important part in all our lives. The video revolution merely added a visual component to our audible memory book.
While MTV, for better or worse, has shifted its focus and demographic, VH-1 Classic aims to capture nostalgic Gen-Xers happy to watch videos from New Order, Howard Jones, Iron Maiden, and Blondie -- proving that there is a place for once popular music videos.
And sure, most of the videos are terribly dated and reek of '80s kitsch, but the music is precious and with the current music industry in a creative standstill, it's kind of nice to flip on VH-1 Classic and catch that old Culture Club video you used to love so much. Come see the music: www.vh1.com/
Dawson's Creek - the seminal WB series that made big stars out of James Van Der Beek and Katie Holmes - will shutter with a two-hour finale on May 14. To say I've never watched the show would be an outright lie. Much like Melrose Place and the current Fastlane, the Creek is a guilty pleasure.
Sure, I lambasted it among evenings with the chattering class, but there I was on various Wednesday nights, hoping Dawson, that scalawag, and Joey would finally get together already. Anyway, it's over it's all over. www.thewb.com/
If you're like me (you're 6'4" and your name's Tripp) and you like your news with tea and crumpets, surf over to www.bbc.co.uk/ .
It's funny because I have so wanted to do something like this: www.suntimes.com/
And from the Um, I Don't Think So file: www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/page.cfm?objectid=12601985&method=full&siteid=89488
Shameless Plug Of A Hot Babe's Website: www.michellemccann.com/.
Cool Pop Culture Website About Pop Culture: www.popcultmag.com/
Thoughts, opinions, cheap shots, love letters, haranguing, personalized erotica? How about a cool site I should know about? Drop me a note at [email protected].
