And … my nostalgia for all things 80s has grown again. (Well, maybe not the rampant drug use, but I digress …)
I kicked off the New Year with a bubblegum kind of book—something that I was reading for just the pure, unadulterated fun of it—nothing that was going to make me think too hard or reflect at all. I Want My MTV was just the ticket.
The “golden age” of MTV, from its inception in the early 80s to 1992, pretty much encompasses my teen and young adult years, so it’s not surprising that so many memories flooded back, chapter after each glorious chapter. And although none of it is knock-your-socks-off surprising (Did you know a lot of people in the music business did drugs?!?), it was fun to learn that:
- Richard Marx thought he could rock a mullet?
- Some people thought Madonna was going to be a flash in the pan?
- Billy Squier’s career went down the tubes because of a single video—directed by High School Musical’s Kenny Ortega?
- Paula Abdul dated one of the Jacksons?
- Michael “Transformers” Bay got his start directing a Rick Springfield video?
- Stevie Nicks was wasted … all the time?
All the videos you ever remember (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Van Halen … WHITESNAKE!!!!), and even the ones you don’t, seem to be in this book—and there’s a story behind each and every one. This is a fantastic read that is easy to split up over time, so I would go so far as to recommend buying this over checking it out at the library, just so that you can pick it up from time to time. It’s practically an encyclopaedia on 80s music — well worth having on the shelf!
I Want My MTV
Craig Marks & Rob Tannenbaum
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