120 Minutes from the Crypt

I'm a bit of an old-timer and am only now discovering the true, hidden wonders of You Tube. But tonight I really struck gold. There seems to be a pocket of folks who, in the 80s, took to recording hours and hours of MTV's 120 Minutes. These same folks, now old timers like me, have apparently uncovered their stash of VHS tapes from their parents' basements, and are posting them on You Tube.

You must understand. This is great, and more spiritual than, "Oh, that's what the girl in The Cocteau Twins looked like." And it's also deeply, deeply disturbing. Peruse at your own risk.

I have, for twenty years, had a song in my head. It's called "The Real Sheila," and was by a long defunct Bay-area band, Game Theory. When I say this song has been in my head, I mean it--I haven't actually heard it in 20 years. And I haven't been able to track it down, on vinyl, tape, download, anything (I did find a CD on Amazon for $100, which I did not buy.)

On a lark, I typed the song into You Tube, and found the video, complete with the 120 Minutes logo at the bottom of the screen. I was amazed and delighted to find that the song still sounded really good, and really fresh! What was even more miraculous--I still knew all the words! After twenty years!

But I was also a little horrified. To appreciate the song, I had to close my eyes and not watch the video, which was so painfully 80s that I was surprised to not see someone playing drums covered in milk, or a wine glass shattering to the floor. I did, though--when I peeked between my fingers--see someone pass a ball through an empty picture frame (oh my god) and some women with unruly perms and bangs as tall as German Shepherds. Friends, it was not pretty.

Once you get past the horror, though, it's kind of fun to watch these folks' homemade 120 Minutes archives. For one thing, it makes you appreciate how far videos have come (from Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" robots to Bjork's "All is Full of Love," for instance.)

And if you don't have time to browse, The Tripwire digs up a new "flashback" video every Friday.

But, really--if you don't want to be traumatized like I was--you're better off just listening to The Current. You'll get your occasional fix of The Cure and New Order and The Smiths, without the ridiculous hair.

Jacquie - i remember 120 minutes! we weren't able to tape it or anything, but we did pseudo-religiosly watch it. i also remember Game Theory - in fact, i still have their magnum opus, Lolita Nation, on LP.

my 2 "wish i could see it now" moments from 120 minutes were (a) the 4AD retrospective "Lonely is an Eyesore" - there was this amazing video of this band, but i can't remember who it was - they weren't one of the big 4AD names (Cocteau Twins, Wolfgang Press, etc.). i remember the song was an instrumental called "No Motion" - which was ironic, because the song felt like flying - & the camera rocked back & forth, effective, yet highly stylized - yet, the band itself stood practically motionless throughout the video. it was just amazing - breath-taking, really.

...& (b), Age of Chance's cover of Prince's "KISS", all dressed up in trendy bike racing gear, complete with those fingerless gloves. i swear this is where Art of Noise got their idea for their cover of "KISS" (with Tom Jones). loved the intorduction: "you don't to be Prince if you want to dance/you just got to get down with the Age of Chance!"

if anybody remembers who that 4AD band was, please let me know.

Was it Dif Juz (sp)? I have the album at home.. I will check..

Oh man, I used to LIVE for 120 Minutes. I can still hear Dave Kendall's voice in my ears: "That was OVERwhelming COLORfast on 120 Minutes". (Okay, in my head, his English accent is really thick on the emphasized part...) And I still remember Kevin Seal's squinty eyes.

But prior to 120 Minutes we were obsessed with USA's Night Flight, a crazy late-night string of music videos, films, documentaries and all manner of other "alternative" programming.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Flight_(TV_series)

This show absolutely shaped my musical tastes and career goals. Anyone else remember two of my favorite movies, "Breaking Glass" and "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains"? (The latter starred a very young Diane Lane.)

I really miss the old USA, though my insomniac self is glad they still play cruddy movies and Law and Order reruns 24/7.

USA NightFlight was awesome. I never really got into 120 Minutes as I didn't have cable at the time it was on. So I missed out.

I remember NightFlight playing "Human Highway" starring Neil Young, Dean Stockwell, and an appearance by Devo. It was a crummy movie, but where else would you see those disparate characters on television?

I think they used to play "Urggh: A Music War" too on occasion.

I loved both 120 minutes and NightFlight! I bought a VCR with paper route money when I was fifteen. I had one before my parents did. I got it basically to record NightFlight and then later 120 minutes.. One of the first videos I remember recording was "All That I Wanted" by Belfegore.. Also where I first saw "Devo: The Men Who Make The Music", "Heavy Metal", "...The Fabulous Stains", "Urgh.." among many other great/strange things I would have otherwise never seen...

I used to tape (yes that used to be a verb) 120 Minutes religiously. I was allowed to stay up long enough for the Young Ones... but that pesky Euro-pop... NO WAY. My favorite that I can't track down is "Running Away" by the Colourfield. But The Happy Mondays always made me dance around with relative glee... in my cool 80's "relax"-type pajamas that said "Hang the DJ." Dude, All I knew was that my brother's name was DJ.

Hanson, if you can get your hands on another pair of those PJs, I will add you to my LinkedIn network immediately.

And OMG the Young Ones! I actually have one season of that on tape. Not that I taped, but an actual store-bought tape. I haven't watched it in years, but it was appointment viewing in my circle of friends. I still use a couple of lines from it in daily conversation. No one gets the references, they just think I say weird things for no reason.
I could start a whole new thread on favorite Young Ones lines, but I'm afraid it would be a party of one.

I'd join the Young Ones party..

"Help, I'm being hassled by technology!!!"

BTW: The Young Ones entire series is available on DVD here in the States.

Now back to 120 minutes....

Sorry, one more Young Ones quote.

"Well then I shall write to the lead singer of Echo and the Bunnymen... Dear Mr. Echo....."

i love that one!

"Open up, it's the pigs." (Neil)

hey! found that 4AD video i was talking about on YouTube - Wells was right, their name was Dif Juz (whatever that means?) - here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUbQiUv1QHo

wow! i haven't heard this in ages!

"Open up, It's the pigs."!! i love it. wasn't that the one with Motorhead?!