I Want My MTV

The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

By: Craig Marks, Rob Tannenbaum

Narrated by: 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.

Critic reviews

"This colorful oral history of MTV’s early years doesn’t pull punches or waste time. A relentlessly entertaining book, an endlessly quotable volume." ( The Onion)

"Wildly entertaining. Music and culture fans of a certain age - you will want this book." ( The Washington Post)

"Here’s all the dirt on MTV’s early days, in one of the funniest books ever written about pop music." ( Rolling Stone)

The Scandal Of It All

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.

Book ROCKED!!

Took me back to the 80’s !! And to hear the executives were just as wild as the artists! Pretty cool!

Brash Entrepreneurship & Behind-The-Scenes of MTV

A high school grad of 1989 and connoisseur of 80s music, I really enjoyed this book. The story spans the time from when the above pictured moon-landing footage was used to promote the network all the way to long after I stopped watching and reality TV took over. Lots of behind the scenes tales about Madonna, Michael Jackson, and bands such as Van Halen, Motley Crue, and Bon Jovi.

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!

I Miss My MTV

Compared to many of my friends, I didn't even watch MTV that much growing up, but as an adult so many years later, I'm constantly reminded of the network's influence on my life. In a way, this warts and all oral history is like becoming reacquainted with an old friend as an adult, and understanding that person in an entirely new way.

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."

Perfectly Nostalgic

I consider myself a pretty big reader. I have an endless list of favorite books…. But I am 100% comfortable saying that ‘I Want My MTV’ is my FAVORITE book. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, maybe it’s the hilarious and incredible stories told by the people there… but I adore it.
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.

A compelling story that needs to be told!

The whole behind-the-scenes tale of a cultural revolution that nearly never made it off the ground.

Hard-hitting and candid; no punches pulled. Well-read and well-written. Highly recommended.

Get this book if you remember old MTV!!!

This book is fantastic! Loved every second of it! Brought back a lot of memories

Oh the memories

Loved it. I grew up in the 80's along side MTV and this was a trip worth taking. I recognized almost every video that was talked about, and loved the behind - the - scenes quips and stories, from the VJ's, to the artists, and everyone else that made the magic happen. It's a shame that MTV turned into such shit, but this book was a nice reminder of a time when music and videos were valued and fun.

I like it

I really like the behind the scenes type of books. very interesting. Loved the vj stories

Sad and fun - how MTV came into existence and and was ruined.

What a bummer so many young people didn't have the actual experience of MTV. Now they have an experience, but it is just a reality show. There was once a time when going to your TV was great entertainment with musical flare.

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.