I Want My MTV

August 1, 1981 – 12:01 a.m.

The countdown begins, the rocket launches; the little spacesuit cartoon guy plants his iconic flag on the moon as The Buggles (a one-hit wonder no one had ever heard of) took to the screen to sing about killing the radio star.

It was the start of MTV - a groundbreaking experiment that would redefine the futures of both music and television forever. But as history was being made, where exactly did I find myself?

In bed. Asleep. Probably hugging any variety of blankets, pillows or stuffed animals.

In my defense, I was only three; plus I’m fairly certain my parents didn’t have cable back then anyway. Nonetheless, it would have been nice to say I witnessed history, especially given how much of a role MTV played in the early part of my life, and the lives of just about everyone else in my generation.

Sure, “Video Killed The Radio Star” became the iconic front of early music videos (and also the answer to what is not the most over-used trivia question in the universe), but there were others that still to this day bring me back to being a kid, sitting on my couch watching the real MTV:

“You Might Think” by the Cars. (The water gushing out of Ric Ocasek’s fallen face is classic!)

Ray Parker, Jr. popping out from under the bed in “Ghostbusters”.

Anything by the Go-Gos. Anything by Scandal. Anything by Duran Duran.

Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl”.

“Take On Me”!

The “Walk of Life” video with all of the sports clips.

Chevy Chase in “Call Me Al.”

“We Are the World” (again… and again… and again…).

And of course the granddaddy of them all: “Thriller”… because let’s face it: who among us was not obsessed with “Thriller”?

Over time, the music gradually gave way to general programming. I liked “Remote Control” and “Yo, MTV Raps”, and I even watched the first few seasons of the “Real World”; but (and you all know where this is going because you’ve heard it a thousand times) MTV really can’t call itself Music Television anymore. It’s all about money and reality shows and the style of in-your-face-sex-sells programming that prohibits me from allowing any of my children anywhere near MTV.

At least those of us who grew up with MTV still have a memory of it, though. At least we still smile every time we hear “867-5309” on the radio, thinking about the huge gap in the lead singer’s teeth… or laugh at the thought of the dancing midget every time we hear “Safety Dance”… or instantly think of Dexy’s Midnight Runners every time we see a pair of denim overalls.

Tune into MTV this very minute and you’ll assuredly encounter “True Life” or “16 and Pregnant”. The channel’s web page doesn’t even mention of today’s milestone anniversary. If you want to celebrate MTV’s 30^th, you’ll have to tune into XM Radio’s “80’s on 8”, which has all of the original MTV VJs (less the late great J.J. Jackson, of course) playing the original songs – in order - from MTV’s first day on the air.

Imagine that: thirty years later and XM Radio is killing the video star.