] kac [ weblog ]

No, I'm not going to rehash how, just like "video killed the radio star", MTV arguably eventually killed the integrity of music, making visual content the definition of a musician more so than the actual music. And I'm sure you can Google "MTV" and find out how MTV was the first channel to feature "urban" music, after much criticism for not remotely doing so at all, with Yo, MTV Raps or what year their Music Video Awards show first drew more viewers than the Grammys. These arguments have been made for almost 10 years by now.

No, what is freaking me out, more than the knowledge that MTV is over two years older than the last girl I was involved with, is that I myself am older than every artist featured on MTV, save possibly the Rolling Stones. Considering that I take serious folks in their 20s and early 30s seriously on a persaon-by-person basis, how wise was it for me to look up to these musical icons when I was a mere 15-year old.

These were the people whose examples I followed more than my own parents, who themselves were 5 years younger then than I am now. Vainly, I avow that I am usually one of the smartest people in my age group. Madonna, Michael Jackson, George Michael, Boy George may retain a sliver of my interest in their music, but I hardly take them as seriously as people anymore. But that's opposed to people like Bono, Sting, who still impress me with what they do with their lives.

MTV, in retrospect, is like the uncle who was cool and always had the baseball cards I wanted or the first edition of the coolest new toy, but after a I did a little growing up, realized was a little crazy. Was MTV a mentor/role model, or more like a crazy uncle I may be happy to see at a family reunion, but would find some reason to not give my phone number to before I left?

And what is MTV to today's youth? Since it was never new to them, it's more like the parent they grew up than the uncle who comes by to visit. It's been telling them since they learned how to work the remote--something I also remember living without--what to wear, who to listen to, and what's important. When the threat of conservatives taking over government and possibly threatening to ban certain explicit content from channels such as, um, MTV, it told kids to get active in politics and vote, but only then! Since then, MTV has offered no initiatives to keep kids even remotely informed of what's going on in the world beyond MTV's 4 channels.

Was I that gullible when I was that young? Am I wrong to miss Uncle MTV while being glad that I outgrew him and while feeling a little sorry for him that he still hangs out with teenagers? Am I wrong to resent at least a little how Uncle MTV kind of dumped me on his slacker friend, Lil' VH1 (whose birth name, most kids don't know, is Video Hits One), who, in the last few years, has introduced me to his dad, VH1 Classic, who seems to be the only one who cares to talk about what I want to talk about?

Either way, Happy Birthday, MTV! I'm glad to see the kids still love you, although I'm afraid I'm going to have to skip the party; I gotta get up in the morning.

Take care, and I'll see you when I see you....