Station To Station The Secret History of Rock & Roll on Television

by Weingarten, Marc

• ISBN13: 9780671034443
• ISBN10: 0671034448
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-01
• Publisher: Gallery Books

Summary

"Rock 'n' roll was loud, brash, and impudent; TV was soothing and polite. Rock 'n' roll was sex; TV was violins. Rock 'n' roll was Elvis Presley; TV was Robert Young."-- fromStation to StationTelevision and rock 'n' roll: a combative yet profitable marriage of convenience that shapes fashion, attitude, talk, and music itself. InStation to Station,the first book to fully chronicle the evolution of televised rock, renowned music journalist Marc Weingarten brings to life all the defining moments in its history, from Elvis andThe Ed Sullivan Showto Madonna and MTV.Covering six decades of culturally significant performances, personalities, and shows, and drawing on dozens of in-depth interviews with key players at every level, Weingarten reveals how rock on television synthesized the burgeoning youth culture and transformed the face of middle-class America. He exploresAmerican Bandstand's stranglehold on the pop-radio charts in the 1950's, the rise and demise of artists viaSoul TrainandSaturday Night Live,and the impact of radio programmer Bob Pittman's idea for an "all music video" channel. Whether discussing players (Dick Clark, Don Kirshner, Don Cornelius), prefab teen idols (Fabian, The Monkees, The Partridge Family), or showstoppers (The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Run-DMC) Station to Station is a thouroughly engaging and coprehensive look at the intersecting realms of popular culture's two most influential artforms.

Author Biography

Marc Weingarten is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, US Weekly, Rolling Stone, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, and Vibe. He lives in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Local Heroes	1	(17)
``A Real Decent, Fine Boy'': Elvis on TV	18	(22)
The Idolmaker: Dick Clark and American Bandstand	40	(29)
Nelson Family Values	69	(16)
The Whole World Is Watching: The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show	85	(23)
Do the Demographic Rock: The Monkees	108	(16)
Bump City: 1960s TV Rock Shows	124	(22)
Tougher than Leather: Elvis's '68 Comeback Special	146	(18)
Couch Time with the Counterculture	164	(26)
After the Sugar Rush: Cartoon Rock	190	(21)
Naked Lunch Box: David Cassidy and the Cult of the Teen Idol	211	(12)
Lucite and Soul: 1970s TV Rock	223	(22)
Saturday Night Live: Rock as Comedy, Comedy as Rock	245	(19)
Last Night a Veejay Saved My Life	264	(27)
Notes	291	(10)
TV Rock Top 40	301