Flyer

Issue date: 9/23/05 Section: Opinions

One look at the destruction in New
Orleans and the American Gulf Coast was
enough for hundreds of thousands to open
their wallets and make a donation. Basketball
players joined hands, two former
presidents made it priority to work together
in the need of the nation, and the three
kings of music television (MTV, VH1 and
Country Music TV) put together a concert
to help those whose lives were shattered by
the storm.

Wait, professional athletes working
together? Republicans and Democrats
crossing partisan lines for the good of the
country? Music on MTV? As unbelievable
as the former two are, the latter is the standout
atrocity. Music on a network designed
speci* ically for music seems to be about as
likely as Charles Manson reading Sunday
morning Scripture on public access.

The concert that those networks werehosts
caught my attention because it brings
something so strikingly clear about MTV
and VH1 to the forefront that's easy to miss;
concerts and musical events are a rarity on
basic cable despite two channels dedicated
to music.

The M in MTV stands for music, but the
channel is totally devoid not only of music,
but of programing containing music content.
Top shows on MTV include "Real World,"
"Pimp My Ride," and "My Super Sweet 16,"
none of which have any relation to music.
Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration because
there is background music in each of those
shows. Xzibit made music at some point I
think, I wouldn't know because I only see
the same eight-second clip of a hypothetical
Xzibit music video clip every time they open
the trunk of a "pimped" 1994 LaBaron.

"My Super Sweet 16" takes a step even
beyond having an af* liation with music and
simply relates pop stars with money and
arrogance. The concept is to show ridiculously
rich kids throwing their ridiculously
expensive 16th birthday. Each "teenager"
is called such only based on age and never
maturity. The shallow, callous look at
wealthy and spoiled rich people should be
inciting class warfare, but instead it inspires
laughs. So now if you are rich and spoiled,
you most certainly be a part of the current
music scene.

VH1 has become even worse than MTV,
* lling in for E! Entertainment in terms of
smut-* lled gossip. I suppose E agreed to follow
Tara Reed through "Taradice" as long as
VH1 sticks to every insigni* cant movement

Continued...

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