VH-1 versus MTV
Dorian Hawkmoon
I prefer VH-1 if only because each video doesn't sound just like the last or
the next-to-last video. MTV seems to play one of two things at any given time:
1. Dance music. Take this however you like. Paula Abdul, Janet
Jackson, Bobby Brown, Milli Vanilli, etc. Not that all this music is exactly the same,
it just seems that way to me. A synthesized beat and
some perfunctory vocals.
2. Hard rock. This includes Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Poison, Alice
Cooper (I'm very sorry to say), Def Leppard, or any other
number of silly looking people with hair extensions that
totally rely on MTV for their popularity.
I challenge anyone to tune in to MTV any time [other than their half-hour (!)
show during which they play old videos, or one of their after-midnight shows
which showcase somewhat progressive music after everyone who has a day job is
long since asleep] and find anything but this crap (my opinion).
VH-1 shows some stuff that I consider pretty boring, whether it's because I
am not exposed to it enough otherwise or whatever, but for the most part
their playlist contains a lot of stuff with merit. I won't go into it since
for some reason I find it easier to criticize music than compliment it
(although I know what I like). But I feel that VH-1 definitely has a more
diverse playlist and they don't have those RIDICULOUS and DISTRACTING
backgrounds that MTV is using now.
So much for my 2 cents.
Jim
Gary L Dare
If you're up in Canada or have a satellite dish with C-band reception,
check out MuchMusic which is a hybrid of the stuff on VH-1 and MTV
(blatantly commercial to blatantly soothing but cool), lots of cool
alternative stuff, plus European and Canadian stuff you'll never see
down here (for better or worse). Also, there's a nightly music movie
that can range from an Elvis documentary to "Quadrophenia" to Laurie
Anderson's "Home of the Brave".
Even better, the French MusiquePlus service has all of the above less
the movies, but PLUS more music in French (from France, Quebec, and
all over). The female American and English Canadian VJs can't begin
to compare with the ones on the French service, either (check out
Nathalie Richard -- that's "ree-shard").
gld
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R Bangel
> How many people know of "The other Music Television" VH-1? Video Hits One is
> owned by MTV, and it is allegedly geered towards an older yuppy crowd, but I
> definitely am not a yuppy but I prefer it, since there is no HEAVY METAL on
> this channel.
[...misc. stuff deleted...]
> Anyway, I just wondered. Those of you that have a choice. Which Music
> Television do you prefer?
I've been an avid watcher of both MTV and VH1 since their debut on our
NewChannels Cable System in Syracuse, New York. I have found that the quality
of MTV has degraded about 100-fold since it powered up seven (?) years ago. It
really sucks now. I've been watching a lot of VH1, because I enjoy their more
mellow selections a lot more than Madonna or Debbie (ack!) Gibson every few
minutes. Some of the specials on MTV are cool, like my personal favorites, the
Dial-MTV and Headbanger's Ball, but nothing is more relaxing or enjoyable than
Sunday Brunch with Bobby Rivers - the guy is incredible. Cracks me up all the
time!
I guess if I had to live without one, I'd live without VH1, but only
because of the two aforementioned favorite programs of mine. If MTV removed
them (the only remaining good shows on MTV - my opinion) I would pick VH1.
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{ Disclaimer: "But I didn't REALLY mean it..." rb4...@rachel.albany.edu }
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retants
>How many people know of "The other Music Television" VH-1? Video Hits One is
>definitely am not a yuppy but I prefer it, since there is no HEAVY METAL on
>dance music as they used to at all. Janet's "Escapade", Paula's "Opposite
>Attract" and the B-52's "Roam" are NOT being played by Vh-1, though in all 3
>cases their previous singles were very big successes. VH-1 does show really cool
>stuff that MTV wouldn't dream about, like Tracy CHapman's "Born To Fight",
>plus new stuff from Tanita Tikaram,Basia,Julia Fordham and Soul II Soul.
>
>Anyway, I just wondered. Those of you that have a choice. Which Music Television
>do you prefer?
>
Which do I prefer? MTV, but that is NOT to say I don't watch VH-1.
I LOVE heavy metal, but sometimes (3am when everyone is mellow or hungover)
it's not appropriate. I dislike however a lot of the stupid shows that
they show on MTV (Just say Julie [just say NO!], Remote COntrol [idiots], and
thier interminable babbleing at spring break and such every year), so I switch
to VH-1 where they babble a lot less. I also don't like RAP, so I don't
watch Yo, MTV Raps, and once again switch channels.
I do like the fact that VH-1 plays a lot of Jazz (Branford Marsaillis and
such), so sometimes I watch just fo r that stuff.
But I still go for MTV first.
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lnk1...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
MTV was good until 1984. Advertising and the other programming wrecked the
channel. Anyone remember the good old days (tm), when you just saw video after
video, the VJ appeared once in a while to say what was coming up, they had a
REAL SET, not a chromaKey, and the VJs were real people (J.J. Jackson was a
cool guy, Martha was the best). And the videos were creatively naiive, with
silly plots and lotsa special effects (e.g. anything by Duran Duran pre-1986).
That was a fun time.
Now MTV caters to the 13-21 crowd, with TONS of advertising, plus those
silly 'wild-card' clips they throw in between videos to make the channel look
creative and spontaneous. Most of these are taken from animated shorts and
films by people like Robert Longo and Bill Plympton. The only good thing left
on MTV is 'Post Modern MTV' from 12:00-1:00 am ET Mon-Thurs, and '120 Minutes'
on Sundays from 12:00-2:00 am ET (I think?!?). 120 Min has to be the best
collection of alternative and progressive videos around, too bad they're
afraid to show them during hours when most people are awake. (Of course we
college students are an exception).
Sigh...
Louis Koziarz koz...@uiuc.edu
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
Free Chevy Blazer with Enrollment!
PacKer
> Which Music Television do you prefer?
I'd rather watch VH-1 as compared to the Janet Jackson shit
on MTV. Mainly coz VH-1 has a variety of music, including
classic rock :-) and it does *not* have Julie whatever the hell her
name is.
But then one does come across some interesting stuff on the MTV-News,
like who is on tour and who else is playing Farm-aid!
VH-1 on the other hand has these new crummy shows like "The whole
Enchilada" and something madness--that chick is *not* funny at all.
But VH-1 takes my vote over MTV big time.
let it roll...
Edward Suranyi
> VH-1 on the other hand has these new crummy shows like "The whole
> Enchilada" and something madness--that chick is *not* funny at all.
I read recently in _Billboard_ that these new crummy shows aren't doing
well, ratingswise, so most of them will soon be cancelled. They
specifically mentioned "The Whole Enchilada" as one that will get the
axe.
Ed Suranyi
e...@das.llnl.gov
Calvin Sanders
>I prefer VH-1 if only because each video doesn't sound just like the last or
>show during which they play old videos, or one of their after-midnight shows
>which showcase somewhat progressive music after everyone who has a day job is
>long since asleep] and find anything but this crap (my opinion).
>VH-1 shows some stuff that I consider pretty boring, whether it's because I
>am not exposed to it enough otherwise or whatever, but for the most part
>their playlist contains a lot of stuff with merit. I won't go into it since
>for some reason I find it easier to criticize music than compliment it
>(although I know what I like). But I feel that VH-1 definitely has a more
>diverse playlist and they don't have those RIDICULOUS and DISTRACTING
>backgrounds that MTV is using now.
I think IMHO that is the current problem with both of VH1 and MTV. When MTV
started it targeted an audience (that in '81 or whenever I happened to fit)
They decided who they wanted to watch and played videos that that group wnated
to listen to and sold to advertisers that wanted to sell to that group.
Then the people either loved it or hated it. Either you liked most of what
they played or almost none of it (hey just like most radio stations do).
you forgot one type they play -- RAP (I refuse to user the word music after
that, much like military inteligence :-)). anyone who like Hard Rock does not
like RAP or dance music. The same is true for the other corners of the triangle.
Someone at MTV thinks it is better to satisfy 1/3 of the audience 1/3 of the
time rather than all of a smaller audience all of the time. Unfortunately
VH1 is the same way with different groups of music the same person that likes
Steve Winwood does not like Niel Sadaka or Paula Abdul... I no longer have
any use for either of them but wish someone could see their shortcommings
and re-invent early MTV ideas.
Calvin Sanders
calvin@neptune
Lazlo Nibble
> ...anyone who like Hard Rock does not like RAP or dance music. The same is
> true for the other corners of the triangle.
"*BRAAAAAT* Sorry Hans, wrong guess! Would you like to try for Double
Jeopardy, where the scores can *really* change?"
Speak for yourself, Cal. Lots of folks I know can get equally big
stiffies off of dance, rap, or hard rock. Just 'cause you can't don't
assume that's the case with everyone else on the planet.
> I no longer have any use for either of them [MTV or VH-1] but wish
> someone could see their shortcommings and re-invent early MTV ideas.
The two big "early MTV ideas" that *are* worth reinventing are "Play
Anything, Anytime" (which wasn't *really* true in the early days of the
channel -- you could watch all day and never see a black face save JJ
Jackson's until "Thriller" broke and they had no *choice* but to play
black artists...but they didn't try to channel things around until
fairly recently, either ) and "How About A Few Less Commercials, Guys"
(I remember three, four, or five vids in a row between breaks -- those
where the days). The first you'll never see as long as the targeted
shows bring a bigger audience over the short term, and the second?
Dream on, Kemosabe . . .
MTV was a *lot* more interesting when they played virtually anything
they could get their hands on and when rock video was such an edge
medium that virtually anything anyone *did* was at least vaguely
innovative and therefore interesting. Now that's we've been living with
it for a decade or so, videos have to make it on the basis of being
actually *artistically* interesting on one level or another, and not a
whole hell of a lot of 'em cut it. (A lot of the time, the most
visually intriguing stuff on the channel is the bumpers. My friend
Vince was in Germany over Christmas and reports standing in front of a
music shop out there watching a tape of nothing but MTV promos for
almost half an hour. I can believe it, too . . . I'd do it!)
Besides which, the channel is feeling really fat and happy (read:
market-driven) at the moment, and they're more than content to keep
pumping out endless Bon Jovi and G'n'R clips for as long as the
teenyboppers are willing to watch 'em. Meaning that if you like edge
music -- even stuff that's actually vaguely popular out in the real
world, like Wax Trax Dance/Industrial or whatever -- you're screwed
because you have't proven yourself to their advertisers as a good
target market yet.
VH-1's "History Of Rock Video From A To Z", which is running this week,
is a lot of fun, though. Scary to accidentally drop into a Devo vid on
VH-1!
Apologies for the rant -- I'm feeling a little ticked about the topic
at the moment.
Lazlo (la...@ariel.unm.edu)
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