I truly despise what happened to MTV. Do I really have to explain this? Squeezing remote control in my hand, I was quite sure that with turning on the TV I would encounter Justin Bieber singing ‘baby’ , ‘I love you’, ‘I need you’ and other ambitious lyrics with his girl-like sounding voice and shiny lip-gloss on his juicy lips.At least, I expected to see Lady Gaga showing off in her brand new meat suit. OK, I would just watch any video clip –read it like this- ‘artists’ smoking weed, driving the most exclusive cars, plastic but sexy girls having more exposed than covered doing ‘naughty things’... Uhm. Don’t forget about “Yo, Nygga” in the background.
That is what my generation understands as “having something to do with music. And then… I pushed the button. MTV Polska.
To my surprise, I came across unusual picture. A couple of intelligent people sitting on the couch and examining boys (is it a job interview?)- Why do you think you should date my daughter? - -Cuz, Iev tha biggest penis inda world, bitch- Mother’s reaction - genuine smile.
To my surprise, I came across unusual picture. A couple of intelligent people sitting on the couch and examining boys (is it a job interview?)- Why do you think you should date my daughter? - -Cuz, Iev tha biggest penis inda world, bitch- Mother’s reaction - genuine smile.
What the hell is this?
The program called ‘Parental Control’. The parents, dissatisfied with their beloved child’s girlfriend/boyfriend, organize a casting for a brand new ‘boo’ and arrange a date to convince their son/daughter that she/he may be involved with someone way much better.
This is the music for my ears.
Quite confused , I turn off the TV and open the door to greet my guest, a 34-year old 'audiophile' Bartłomiej D. who’s going to acquaint me with his memories of MTV from the times when I used to be wrapped in swaddling clothes.
M: I suppose you know that I have no recollections of MTV’s beginnings , so tell me how it all started.
B. D. : It was about ’90 or ’91…just when the cable television started to gain its popularity in Poland. But, as you should know, it all started in the glorious country of America in 1981. MTV Europe “was born” in UK, as far as I remember, in 1987. Hm.. then your generation appeared and everything started to get worse.
M: Thanks. Let’s move on to reminiscences. What was “the normal” MTV like?
I remember that I had my Saturday evenings reserved for the charts, the so -called ' European Top 20’.
I assume that it does not sound like MTV to you- 20 brilliant songs one at a time. Furthermore, imagine what was the mainstream then – Pearl Jam, Nirvana, U2, R.E.M, Green Day, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers…
What I personally liked the most was the Paul King’s program with alternative music at 11.30 P.M.
He presented the alternative genre from the U.S., U.K. and Europe. It was unique and special, you couldn’t have heard such music anywhere else…even on the radio.
It was a kind of talk show with over a dozen people as the audience arranged in a cozy room. Not only was Ray chatting about THE MUSIC and the bands but also he played brand new video clips, sometimes long before the single could be heard on the radio. He had a great taste as a VJ (video jockey). He was also exceedingly entertaining as a presenter- he answered the viewer’s calls in the studio , he organized some contests and he even arranged some live performances by e.g. Radiohead.
M: And then in 1996…
B.D.: In 1996 MTV started to lose its prestige. It was a gradual fall determined by many factors.
1. The exchange of the old VJs. 2. The appearance of rival stations such as e.g. VIVA resulting in the reality shows’ heyday 3.The birth of the INTERNET.
MTV used to be the first-hand source of the information about the brand new singles, bands, gigs and festivals. It was like this- you heard it on MTV , you loved it, you went to the market and bought a cassette or CD. Now you can just …“google” it.
M: How would you describe MTV nowadays in two words?
B.D. : Massive Television
M: The painful truth. Now, let’s talk about yourself. What is 'audiophilia' all about?
B.D.: To simplify, we can divide the 'audiophiles' into 2 groups.The first group are hobbyists who seek high quality audio reproduction, in other words, who try to find the closest to the real instrument’s sound imitation via the special high-end audio electronics. The members of this group are ready to spend fortune on preamplifiers, digital-to-analog converters, amplifiers, etc. They’re shopaholics just like the women in the shopping centers with that exception that the' audiophiles' want to reach the perfection of… the sound.
M: The second group…
B.D:… are the people who care much for the kind of music they listen to. Apart from that they tend to pick up the differences in sounding of various pieces of audio equipment, but on the contrary to the first group they're keen on listening to and feeling the music as a whole- not paying attention to particular instruments.
M: Deducing that you’re in the second group, what bands/singers would you recommend as an 'audiophile'?
B.D.: Piotr Rubik (laugh). There was nothing worth mentioning since the times of Ich Troje (laugh)
M: What was the best music that you found on MTV?
B.D.: I remember when the Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” appeared in the charts for the first time. I was amazed. It was at the grey end of the charts, however, I decided to share my predictions with my friends at secondary school …. They were quite skeptic, but I knew that this band was going to be legendary… and in fact, it was! After a couple of weeks it reached the top and stayed there for a long time…
M: Commercial music?
B.D.: Armin van Buuren …hm… we don’t have time to enumerate… just turn on the MTV.
M : Now... take me on a worthwile voyage to the old MTV. I want to hear that MUSIC.
B.D. : Here you are.
And for those who want spend more time investigating the music of the old good times when the mainstream was somewhat closer to the alternative ... Check this out!
BANDS: The Cure, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Mazzy Star, Catherine Wheel, Jesus and Mary Chain, Pavement, The Smiths, PJ Harvey, Smashing Pumpkins, Faith No More, Sonic Youth, The Breeders, Pixies, etc.
BANDS: The Cure, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Mazzy Star, Catherine Wheel, Jesus and Mary Chain, Pavement, The Smiths, PJ Harvey, Smashing Pumpkins, Faith No More, Sonic Youth, The Breeders, Pixies, etc.
I hope you enjoy it :)
D.(investigatorka)
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