MTV Music Television
Who’s Who in Rock Video: A Guide to Video Music Artists
edited by Maxim Jabubowski
Zomba Books, 192 pages, 1983
It’s hard to believe that there was a time, not too terribly long ago, when not every pop act made music videos. You did have to make videos to make played on MTV, however, and releasing videos simultaneously with radio singles quickly become the norm. And it was great. MTV (and its Canadian equivalent, Much Music) played back-to-back music videos in those great, early days, stopping only for commercial breaks, in-studio interviews, music news and VJ banter.
Even if you didn’t have a dedicated music video station in your house (my parents refused to pay the extra fees for the then pricey subscription channels), there were still places to see music videos. Every day after school throughout junior high, I would be sure to be home by 4pm when the daily music video show aired — unless of course I was hanging out with a friend who was lucky enough to have parents who had no issue paying for a music video channel. In that case, I would do my best to be invited to stay for dinner so we could watch more videos after supper.
The book Who’s Who in Rock Video is a great trek back to the early days of MTV and music videos, and it is sure to stir all sorts of memories for anyone who was a teenager back then and lived for music, video and otherwise.
Full-page bios are provided for all 100 acts included. Personal long-time favourites are included: Blondie, Psychedelic Furs, The Ramones, Devo, The Clash, Adam Ant and so many more. There are also the ’80s metal bands that I was never too keen on, like Judas Priest and Van Halen, plus a handful of “old guys” as I would refer to them even back then — Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, et al.
But the most delightful part of the book is the inclusion of acts that aren’t always at the fore of my mind, but whose music I’m suddenly re-obsessed with after reading it. And don’t think I haven’t spent too many hours searching YouTube for many of the not-quite-forgotten videos featured in the book. I must watch Toni Basil’s Mickey, Drive by The Cars, Mirror in the Bathroom by The English Beat, Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) by Flock of Seagulls. And that’s just to start. I feel compelled to watch every Gary Numan video ever made and revisit Heaven 17, Ultravox and even a bit of cheesy Spandau Ballet.
Who’s Who in Rock Video is a great memory jog for anyone who loves early 1980s music. Though beware: if you’re anything like me, a jaunt through this book’s pages is likely just a jumping off point and you’re soon find that hours have flown by as you watch old favourites and search for more online.
