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Introduction: "Ridicule Is Nothing to Be Scared Of"
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15 |
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Part 1
Pictures came and Broke Your Heart
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"Video Killed the Radio Star" to "Thriller" 1981-1983
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1
"It's the Greatest Thing in the World"
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25 |
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First Glimpses of MTV
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2
"I Didn't Know How to Plug in a Light"
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30 |
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Music Videos (only they weren't called that) in the 1970s
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3
"We Were Just Idiots in Hotel Rooms"
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38 |
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John Lack, Bob Pittman, and the Creation of MTV
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4
"What's a VJ?"
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55 |
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How MTV Hired its Hosts (including a case of mistaken identity)
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5
"A Total, Unmitigated Disaster"
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64 |
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MTV Launches with the Buggles, Blotto, and Thirty Rod Stewart Videos
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6
"Girls Sliding on Poles"
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70 |
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The First Dirty Music Video
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7
"A Hail Mary Pass"
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73 |
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How $1 Saved MTV from Bankruptcy
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8
"Midgets, Models, and Trannies"
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85 |
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The First Visionaries and Victims of the Music-Video Era
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9
"Pouting and Shoulder Pads"
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113 |
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Effeminate British Bands Spread Weird Haircuts Across the U.S.
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10
"Shut That Door!"
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131 |
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Office Sex and Power Struggles at MTV
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11
"They Figured Out a Whole New Persona"
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144 |
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How Three Gnarly Old Dudes Became Unlikely Video Stars
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12
"Girls Belong in Cages"
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149 |
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Metal takes over the Airwaves
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13
"That Racism Bullshit"
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165 |
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MTV's Aor Format comes under Fire
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14
"I'm Not Like Other Boys"
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173 |
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Michael Jackson Saves A Struggling Network from Itself
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Part 2
I Play My Part and You Play Your Game
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"Burning Up" to "Here I Go Again" 1983-1987
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15
"The Two M's"
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189 |
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Madonna Touches MTV for the Very First Time
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16
"You Got Char-as-ma"
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197 |
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Prince, Bruce, Billy Idol, and the Gods of 1984
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17
"He's Got a Metal Plate in His Head"
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221 |
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MTV and Van Halen Team Up to Nearly Kill A Super-Fan
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18
"Wannabe Cecil B. DeMilles"
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225 |
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Everything-Budgets, Ideas, Hair-Gets Bigger
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19
"Why Don't I Just Take $50,000 and Light It on Fire?"
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240 |
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The Backlash Against MTV
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20
"Don't Be a Wanker All Your Life"
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245 |
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"Do They Know It's Christmas?," "We are the World," and Live Aid
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21
"A Whopping, Steaming Turd"
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250 |
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The Worst Video Ever Made
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22
"A Wedding Dress with Nothing Underneath It"
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256 |
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Madonna Takes-and Pops Out of-the Cake at the First Video Music Awards
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23
"No Cable Network Is Worth $500 Million"
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260 |
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MTV Gets New Owners; The Founding Team Trashes A Hotel, then Heads for the Exit
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24
"Gacked to the Tits"
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269 |
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Twenty-Four Stories About Drugs
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25
"They Diss the Beatles"
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273 |
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Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys Smuggle Rap Onto MTV
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26
"We Put Fincher on the Map"
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285 |
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Rick Springfield, Christopher Cross, and the Humble Beginnings of a Genius
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27
"There I Am, with My Rack"
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301 |
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The Rise of the Superdivas, Male and Female
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28
"The Legion of Decency"
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313 |
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Censoring Videos, for Fun and Profit
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29
"Hickory Dickory Dock, This Bitch Was . . ."
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320 |
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Backstage at the Video Music Awards
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30
"I'd Like to Thank My Cheekbones"
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331 |
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Jon Bon Jovi and Tawny Kitaen take Hair Metal to the Top
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Part 3
Where Do We Go Now
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"With or Without You" to "U Can't Touch This" 1987-1990
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31
"The Island of Misfit Toys"
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353 |
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120 Minutes and the Rising Up/Selling Out of Alternative Rock
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32
"Martha Was Heartbroken"
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367 |
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MTV Finds A New, Mouthier Squad of VJs
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33
"A True Television Network"
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382 |
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The New Boss Orders Up A Riotous Show that Forever Changes the Network
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382 |
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34
"That's What Hype Can Do to You"
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396 |
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Club MTV Launches the "Upskirt Shot" and a Pop Scandal
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35
"The First Time I Smelled Freebase"
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404 |
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MTV Parties Down at Spring Break
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36
"I Brought Snowballs to the Desert"
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411 |
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Sucking Up to MTV's Laddish New Power Broker
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37
"People in the Hood Rushed to Get Cable"
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418 |
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How Ted Demme Did, Didn't, Maybe Did, and Absolutely Did Create Yo! MTV Raps
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38
"We've Always Loved Guns N'Roses"
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436 |
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Chicks and a Snake, Headbangers Ball, and the Return of Hard Rock
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39
"Those Harem Pants Came Out of Nowhere"
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451 |
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Rap Busts A Move into the MTV Mainstream
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40
"Ego-Fucking-Maniacs"
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464 |
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Michael Bay, Cher, and All 9:08 of "November Rain"
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41
"I Want to Have a Nickname"
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478 |
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How MTV Helped Michael Jackson Elect Himself "The King of Pop"
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Part 4
Nothing Lasts Forever, and we both know Hearts can Change
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"Justify My Love" to "Jeremy" 1990-1992
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42
"Rhythm Nation"
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483 |
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Superstars and One-Hit Wonders Stage A Dance-Off in Your Living Room
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43
"Your Manager's an Asshole"
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498 |
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Fistfights and Pyro Farts: War Breaks Out at the Moscow Peace Festival
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44
"Kermit Unplugged"
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502 |
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An Acoustic Music Show Morphs into a Worldwide Megabrand
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45
"Silly, Superficial, and Wonderful"
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509 |
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Cindy Crawford and Jon Stewart Bring Beauty and Laughs to MTV
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46
"Tired of Cheap Sex Songs"
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514 |
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R.E.M., U2, and Van Halen (!) Elevate the Art Form in the Nineties
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47
"A Monkey Could Do It"
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520 |
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Pauly Shore and the Third Generation of VJs
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48
"A Pep Rally Gone Wrong"
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526 |
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"Smells Like Teen Spirit," Grunge, and the Hair Metal Apocalypse
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49
"You're No Better Than a Rabbit!"
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543 |
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Fearless Twentysomethings Shape A Presidential Election
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50
"Getting Out of the Music Business"
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550 |
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This is the True Story ... of What Happened When the Real World ... Took Over MTV ... and Made Music Videos ... Obsolete
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51
"Let's Get Crazy Tonight"
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555 |
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Tears, Tequila, and Broken Glass: MTV VIPs Celebrate the First Decade
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52
"Fat City"
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557 |
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The Bubble Bursts on Music Videos' Golden Era
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53
"You Have No Idea How I Miss It"
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564 |
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Fans, Stars, Staff, and Detractors Reflect on the Video Age
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Acknowledgments
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573 |
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Cast of Characters
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575 |
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Index
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595 |