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Monday, July 31, 2006

Monday Meme 7/31

But first, this article from Greg Haymes, who, as Sergeant Blotto, helped inaugurate the first episode of MTV with its "I Wanna Be a Lifeguard" video. I seem to recall that at least parts of the Capital District was NOT getting their MTV in the beginning because it was too scandalous, but I can't find a reference to it. Can anyone from around Albany remember if MTV was being broadcast from the start? Is it true that original VJ Martha Quinn was born in Albany? And is there a correlation between Blotto's appearance and Quinn? As the saying goes, this inquiring mind wants to know. But isn't it ironic that the rebroadcast of those "rowdy" MTV videos tomorrow will not be on MTV but on VH-1 Classics?
***
Stolen, as is usually the case, from Lefty



Well, I AM brilliant. (I jest! I jest!) But I do relate to the conflicted nature, as described. And since I was at the page:



Oh, my. I saw this movie. Once. Once was enough. I think I talked about it afterwards with the two people I saw it with for longer than the movie ran, and it's not a short film. I suppose there is a little of the rescuer in me.
***
Lefty takes the advice of his musical gurus, including me.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think I saw it from the beginning, on whatever cable system was broadcasting in Albany.

BTW, make that Sarge Blotto; 'twas never Sergeant!

Oh, there was quite a local music scene in those days! My own faves were The Units, later known as Fear of Strangers. Twenty five years ago!

M.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, M., but I’m holding in my hands "Blotto: Collected Works". Third billed is "Sergeant Blotto-various things and vocals".

Paul said...

Hey Roger!
F Lee Harvey Blotto reporting for duty.
Martha was from Troy, I still see her Mom all the time, her brother David is an ALJ with the DEC (BFD and WTF).
Yes, his full name is Sergeant. As my late father once said "I dunno what the hell he's doing up there but he sure is good at it!"
I don't know why we didn't have MTV from the git-go; I'd be surprised if it was the content, though. Nobody really knew what MTV was, and most of those who did know didn't think it would amount to anything. It started out without much advertising and a shoestring budget. We had to waive royalty payments for our videos because they couldn't afford to pay them.

Back then cable systems were mostly locally owned, so a new channel like MTV had to pick up one system at a time. The "I Want My MTV" campaign of 1983 was an effort for people to call their local system operators to add the channel.

I remember having to go to East Greenbush to see MTV for most of the first year.

And I don't think Martha had anything to do with us getting on there. What did have an effect was that much of the early MTV staff were hired out of the SUNY Albany Communications program, and were friends with the guys who made Lifeguard (who were SUNY students as well) and were probably Blotto fans to begin with. That and the fact that Lifeguard was already a huge hit in NYC--the previous year WNEW listeners voted it the #2 summer song of 1980--just behind the Stones' "Miss You." Given that MTV was (and still is) centered in NYC, and the fact that most record labels weren't yet making music videos (because there was no MTV yet, duh), it wasn't too surprising to us (at the time) that we got on MTV.

Of course, now it seems ridiculous.

Be good, my man......

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