VJ The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave

by Blackwood, Nina; Goodman, Mark; Hunter, Alan; Quinn, Martha; Edwards, Gavin

• ISBN13: 9781451678123
• ISBN10: 1451678126
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-05-07
• Publisher: Atria Books

Summary

The original MTV VJs offer a behind-the-scenes oral history of the early years of MTV, circa 1981 to 1985, when it was exploding, reshaping the culture, and forming "the MTV generation." MTV's first VJs (along with the late J.J. Jackson) had front-row seats to a cultural revolutionand the hijinks of rock stars from Adam Ant to Cyndi Lauper. Their worlds collided, of course: John Cougar invited Nina Blackwood to a late night "party" that proved to be a seduction attempt. Mark Goodman partied with David Lee Roth, who offered him cocaine and groupies. Aretha Franklin made chili for Alan Hunter. After Martha Quinn interviewed Bob Dylan, he whisked her off to Ireland in his private jet. While the book has plenty of dishsecret romances, nude photographs, incoherent celebritiesit also tells the story of four VJs growing up alongside MTV's devoted viewers. Using MTV as a focal point, the book tells the story of the 1980s, from the neon-colored drawstring pants to the Reagan administration. Readers don't just get the inside scoop on music stars like Bob Dylan, Madonna, and Duran Duran, but a deeper understanding of how MTV changed our culture. Or as the VJs put it: "We're the reason you have no attention span."

Author Biography

Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn were the first MTV VJs and are all radio hosts on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s Big 80s channel. Nina Blackwood was one of the first MTV VJs and is a radio host on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s Big 80s channel and host of two radio shows nationally syndicated by the United Stations Radio Networks, "Absolutely80s" and "New Wave Nation." Gavin Edwards is the author of five books on music. A contributing editor at Rolling Stone, he has written for The New York Times Magazine, Details, and Wired.