DRUMANDSTAGE FORUM

I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since MTV was even relevant in my life. I didn’t realize they had five channels. They expect to close it all down by the end of the year.

I stopped watching MTV in the 1980s, although I do have to admit it got me through many-a-night while studying for pre-med course exams.

I remember when MTV debuted in Aug. of '81. My band was on the road full time throughout the Midwest and it wasn't available in South Dakota yet, but we played in Nebraska quite a bit and could watch it in motels. We'd stay up until 4 a.m. on multi-night gigs watching it because many of the early videos were live vs. mini movies. I still remember seeing the video for Jethro Tull's Aqualung from the A tour for the first time with Mark Craney (born and raised in Sioux Falls, SD) on his big red Ludwig double bass kit. Alan, JJ, Mark, Martha, and Nina were the first VJs. After it morphed away from truely being Music Television, I moved to VH1.

We didn't have cable when I was growing up, so I didn't get to watch it until it had been around a couple of years...in 1983. That was my first year of college. In the dorm we had one TV (you could have one in your room, but there were no cable ports in the rooms then), but to watch MTV, you had to go down to the "lounge" and watch it on the big TV...which was like 32". Ah, those were the days.

I do recall when VH1 started though--it was my third year of school and I used to watch it all the time. For a while there it was better than MTV, in my opinion.