
I Want My MTV
The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
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Narrated by:
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Luke Daniels
Remember the first time you saw Michael Jackson dance with zombies in "Thriller"? Diamond Dave karate kick with Van Halen in "Jump"? Tawny Kitaen turning cartwheels on a Jaguar to Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again"? The Beastie Boys spray beer in "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)"? Axl Rose step off the bus in "Welcome to the Jungle"?
Remember when all you wanted was your MTV?
It was a pretty radical idea - a channel for teenagers, showing nothing but music videos. It was such a radical idea that almost no one thought it would actually succeed, much less become a force in the worlds of music, television, film, fashion, sports, and even politics. But it did work. MTV became more than anyone had ever imagined.
I Want My MTV tells the story of the first decade of MTV, the golden era when MTV's programming was all videos, all the time, and kids watched religiously to see their favorite bands, learn about new music, and have something to talk about at parties. From its start in 1981 with a small cache of videos by mostly unknown British new wave acts to the launch of the reality-television craze with The Real World in 1992, MTV grew into a tastemaker, a career maker, and a mammoth business.
Featuring interviews with nearly 400 artists, directors, VJs, and television and music executives, I Want My MTV is a testament to the channel that changed popular culture forever.
©2012 Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















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What made the experience of listening to I Want My MTV the most enjoyable?
At the onset of I Want My MTV I knew I was in for a great ride. It was like a time warp back to my early teens. All the cast was set, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Divo and Motley Crue. There were great scandals such as MTV originally being perceived as a white and rock only channel. The corporate battles over rotation and budgets and of course the question of who really started this thing? It was very entertaining to also hear the behind the scenes story on many of my favorite VJ's. What a cast of characters. It was a great plan to create a microcosm of the typical American youth stereotypes. There's the jock, the beauty, the brain and the rebel. It was like a real life version of a John Hughes movie that lost control and became Animal House.What other book might you compare I Want My MTV to and why?
As entertaining as the book is, it is also a great insight into the nature of a start up business. If you enjoy books about company origins or the history behind a company, this is a book to consider even if you are not a fan of MTV. There are many business lessons to learn from this story. From protecting intellectual rights and corporate battles, to partnering with other industries and raising capital, this story provides a great example of the risks required to get a great idea "off the ground".Which scene was your favorite?
My favorite scene in the story is when MTV solicits its fans to attack the phone lines and mail boxes of cable operators requesting MTV in their area. The cable companies soon asked for mercy as they were held captive to fanatics demanding, I WANT MY MTV. Even as I write it, what a great marketing scheme, MY MTV. Getting your customers to identify so passionately with your product that not only do they demand it, but they possess it and call it their own. What a great lesson on connecting with your customer and supplying a product to a market that has gone overlooked. In this case, America's youth.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Love him or hate him, you have to pity Billy Squire. A very successful music artist who made it as a recording artist. Who was then asked to reveal himself to the world through a video performance set to music. Unfortunately for Billy Squire, his introduction through music video was both an embarrassment and a career breaker. Note to self, if you are ever asked to do a music video, avoid a bedroom shot where you dance around the room like a fool. Billy Squire's story identifies a pivotal point in music history. A point when image became equally, if not more, important than musical talent. A point that some have argued ruined the music industry. Yet more scandal for your listening pleasure.Any additional comments?
A captivating story beginning to end. I found I Want My MTV to be an uplifting story about making an idea work. In its infancy, MTV sounded like a destined failure or at most a soon to pass fad. Decades later MTV still continues to exist as it redefines itself as generation after generation pass along. In addition to the great story, the narrator does a fabulous job. The approach to the narration is reminiscent to a Behind the Music episode. Very well executed book.The Scandal Of It All
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Book ROCKED!!
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The book can become a collage of sorts, drawing heavily on longish quotes from those central to the network. I liked the book about NBC, the Jobs biography, and I hope Netflixed comes to audible soon. My kind of stories!
Brash Entrepreneurship & Behind-The-Scenes of MTV
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There's a lot of fun behind-the-scenes stuff--excess, decadence and lots of embarrassing hair.This book kept my interest throughout. I was impressed with the wide array of industry figures (including quite a few artists) cited in this book. I also appreciated the wide variety of opinions the authors chose to illustrate controversial (or at least contentious) subjects.
The narration is great, and perhaps most satisfying, the question "Why doesn't MTV play videos any more?" is examined with care.
This well-written, well-researched book could be of interest to anyone who is a fan of pop culture. But to a child of the 80s, this is very close to being a "must-listen."
I Miss My MTV
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I’ve read the book several times, the audiobook is incredibly narrated as well… but I believe this is the type of book you can flip to any chapter and it flows just beautifully. So many chapters about so many infamous subjects.
If you were alive during these years and were a big fan of music, you will appreciate this book.
If the narration isn’t what you expo, just give it an hour, you will get used to it and love it I promise.
Perfectly Nostalgic
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Hard-hitting and candid; no punches pulled. Well-read and well-written. Highly recommended.
A compelling story that needs to be told!
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Get this book if you remember old MTV!!!
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Oh the memories
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I like it
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Now it's just different, now it's just Internet. We are connected more artificially now. Before we were connected by some kind of invisible yearning to be connected.
Sad and fun - how MTV came into existence and and was ruined.
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