In August of 1981 MTV was launched. Almost instantly, it made stars of Adam Ant, Duran Duran, The Go-Gos and other safely punk/new wave acts. At that same time the local live music scene, rock 'n' roll bands based mostly in the Fan District, was quite lively. Some said then it rivaled any on the East Coast.
And, when bars started using MTV on television for entertainment, some observers saw MTV's format as a potential threat to the live music scene.
In August of 1982 Color Radio began its two-year run. I signed on Color Radio with the first Number 9 Show two months later. That first studio was over the Track Restaurant on Cary St. (For background on Color Radio, click here.) The volunteer DJs at what amounted to an off-shore, unregulated radio station played whatever they wanted. Most of them were involved in the local music scene in some way.
Here are nine songs from that era. All were by acts I saw perform live. Their records were played on my weekly radio show. So, hop aboard the Wayback Machine to the time when MTV played nothing but music videos and Color Radio could be heard on Channel 36 on Continental Cablevision in Richmond and Henrico.
One ... Two ... Three ... Four ... Five ... Six ... Seven ... Eight ... Nine.
For more of this sort of thing click here to visit the post-graph theatre.
Since 1985, in various formats, SLANT -- an independent voice based in Richmond's Fan District -- has offered its readers original commentary on politics and popular culture, including cartoons and selected sundries. Warning: Sometimes that means satirical content. All rights are reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment