MTV didn’t get to my neighborhood for a while. Inspired by MTV telling everyone to call their local cable company and say, “I want my MTV,” like magic, it worked! Weekends, for a small time, were spent in a game room basement watching for hours. I had great admiration for the VJs that would become household names. The VJs that would give us the best and the worst rock band videos.
MTV’s five original VJs in 1981 were Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J. J. Jackson, and Martha Quinn. MTV even had its hard-hitting news crew headed by Kurt Loader who had previously been a Rolling Stones Magazine editor.
From 1981 – 1995 MTV’s focus was on music videos. If you had a band and a good video, you could be an overnight success. Bon Jovi, U2, Nirvana, the Police, Pat Benatar, ZZ Top, Whitesnake, and Cyndi Lauper all owe MTV a big thank you for a boost in their popularity.
Not all MTV videos were good. Face it, there was some pure garbage videos that made it to the airwaves.
6 of The Worst Rock Band Videos Ever Shown on MTV
