Obsessively blogging about pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from inside the MTV headquarters in Times Square. We also have a slight Jonas Brothers problem. And a little fixation with Tokio Hotel.
Below, is a video of Kanye West in December 2005, ranting and raving and gnashing his teeth and all but shaking an angry fist to MTV News, living out an entire emotional arc before the 2006 Grammys and reminding everyone how hard he works (because other artists don't work hard?), how much money he spent on his album, and how much everyone LOVES his music and how it's just balm for the soul if you lost your gram. Basically, Kanye implied a pox on all kittens and puppies if he didn't win the Album of the Year Grammy for Late Registration. (Whoops! U2 won it!)
One of the most foretelling lines Kanye says: "You put the camera in front of me, I'ma tell you like this..." That much is obvious. If there's a camera to be found, Kanye West's gonna find it. Live TV? That's probably even better in Kanye's mind.
Every time I get into an intensely heated debate or discussion about Madonna (this happens at least once weekly), I always go back to the fact that the Madonna I miss most is the raunchy, raw, real Madonna, gum-smacking, shellacked hair, torn t-shirts, cherubic-faced, post-punk, totally DIY (even if it meant sleeping with club promoters) ruling the East Village, enamored of her newfound success, and, of course, enamored of herself.
Now, the more Madonna evolves from that aesthetic, the less I can relate to Kundalini/ cock-diesel arms Madonna. And the more I miss flirty, bratty, Boy Toy Madonna. And it almost feels the scarier Madonna's arms get, the more I feel like I'm mourning the loss of the original Madonna.
In this week's New York Magazine, Writer Emily Nussbaum perfectly captures the impact that The Original Madonna (early 1980s Madonna, not the mother of Christ, though to some, Madonna Ciccone is certainly a holy woman) had not just on music fans (and those who can remember when she -- and Michael Jackson -- put MTV on the map) but on young women old enough to have dressed like Madonna... and how she (and fans like myself) are trying to reconcile the Madonna of the past with the strange, almost-alien Madonna of today.
+ Read the New York Magazine Madonna article, and below, watch the Madonna I miss the most in an MTV interview from 1984, and, after the jump watch my favorite-ever Essential Madonna Video, "Borderline." More vintage MTV Madonna interviews here.
The subject of my girl Jessica Simpson is not the most cheery for me right now... That said, this vintage TRL video temporarily sent me to a happy place. First off, Jessica's outfit will put a smile on your face; I had to hit pause just to savor the image. I mean... just watch it. The glittery pink eye shadow, the crimped hair, the leather pants... what a difference nine years makes.
Yes, it was a simpler time, a happier time, when Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson were still together. While the duet of "Where You Are" from Jessica's 1999 debut, Sweet Kisses, showcases Jessica's fantastic voice (she also knows to turn her head before a belt, sparing Nick's eardrums), my happy moment was short-lived.
Why can't it just be like this again? Vanessa's gone; Tony's gone; John Mayer's gone (wait -- Mayer might not be gone; did you hear that rumor?), so couldn't Nick and Jessica offer each other the perfect comfort? So say her Tweets, Jessica's just sleeping with her mom and dogs and listening to Olivia Broadfield songs right now. Help her! Let the rumors of a reconciliation be true...
Watch the duet from the good ol' days below, intro-ed by a "lonely and untalented" Carson Daly.
The focus during yesterday's Michael Jackson memorial shouldn't have been on Mariah Carey's performance of "I'll Be There," but for a while, it kind of was. There was tons of Twitter talk about how Mariah's lost her chops, she can't perform live anymore, she isn't the singer she once was. Yesterday was Michael's day.
But today, let's talk about Mariah Carey. I loved Mariah's performance of "I'll Be There," and the fact that an emotional Mariah could hold it together and even get through the whole song with Trey Lorenz was enough for me. Plus, "I'll Be There" is my favorite Jackson 5 song, one of my Mariah performances, and all-around favorite songs ever, so I'll take it any way I can get it: wholeheartedly, half-assed, whatever. Just give me those opening piano chords that've always sent chills up my spine and that tale of a love so earnest and unselfish that it's still gonna come back for seconds, and I'm good.
"I'll Be There" was the Jackson 5's fourth No. 1 hit, and when Mariah Carey added it as a last-minute addition to her 1992 MTV Unplugged performance, it became her sixth No. 1 hit and the only MTV Unplugged single that ever made it to a No. 1 spot. It was even nominated for a Grammy in 1993.
And 17 years later, it still sounds fresh.
Watch Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz's 1992 MTV Unplugged performance of "I'll Be There," and get lifted.
Michael Jackson jokes aren't funny anymore. Being cruel to that special little guy is passe and, well, cruel. "The Way You Make Me Feel" is a particularly problematic video.
For one thing, this song rules. It's amazing. I say with no sarcasm, whatsoever, that it basically almost makes The Beatles look bad. Honestly, the same can be said for much of MJ's early catalog. His talent is just astounding. How in the hell did he do it?!?
On the other (gloved) hand, there are a few things about this video that are just too absurd to ignore. For one thing, as an aggressive pursuer of women, Michael Jackson is completely implausible. There is just no believing him.
Secondly, the fact that he seduces this woman by screaming, literally screaming, "ahhhhhh," right in her face, is almost more than I can handle. Could that ever possibly work? Will somebody PLEASE try it and report back? If it works, we'll give you a reality show.
Back to the matter at hand. As flat-out incredible as "The Way You Make Me Feel" is, as a single, the plot line of the video is almost completely indigestible. Michael Jackson just can't be believed as a romantic lead. It's like casting Christopher Mintz-Plasse opposite Angelina Jolie in a Gladiator sequel. Totally impossible. All except for one part. The end. Where the woman finally submits to Michael Jackson's animal advances.
In the perfect climax to 6+ minutes of raw "masculinity," they approach each other tentatively in shadows, sizing each other up, breathing heavily, and then... They hug.
It's Flashback Friday! And it's also pretty much a rock-solid fact that the "Wannabe," by the Spice Girls, is, was, and always will be one of the most irritating songs ever recorded. So when they dropped "Say You'll Be there" -- the second single off their debut, unimaginatively titled album, Spice -- it was almost as if Posh, Ginger, Baby, and Mels B. and C. were offering the world "Say You'll Be There" as a mea culpa in song form.
While the "Wannabe" video was pretty much a panning party (although it was done in almost one continuous take, which is pretty amazing) and took place in a hotel, "Say You'll Be There" was shot in the Mojave Desert and featured the Girls as naughty ninjas fighting... something or other... with boomerangs, Chinese throwing stars, and vinyl pants.
One of the best parts about "Say You'll Be There" -- both the song and the video -- is the harmonica hoedown part at the bridge. And if you're a total music geek, you either already know, or you'll be as nerdily thrilled as I was to discover that the harmonica solo was performed by Judd Lander, who also performed the harmonica part in Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon." (Watch that video after the jump.)
Other ways that the Spice Girls were clearly saying "we're sorry" in their "Say You'll Be There" video -- the ridiculous sound effects, cheese-tastic retro "surveillance" equipment, and former Madonna boy toy Tony Ward, who's first shown right before 1:00.
Oh yeah, the Spice Girls also performed "Say You'll Be There" at the 1997 MTV VMAs, which is just another reason I wish I had a time machine. Anyway, enjoy the sounds of 1997... without the burdens of zigga-zig-ah.
+ Watch "Karma Chameleon after the jump! Read more...
About a month ago, during the lead-up to the release of 21st Century Breakdown, I told the story of what hell broke loose at my high school when Dookie came out (still can't get over that phrase). Here is an excerpt, in case you missed it.
"I was 14 when Dookie came out and my whole school just about lost its mind. The next day everybody had green hair, tight striped shirts and lip rings ... When [Green Day] came to town, their show got shut down because kids were freaking out and throwing bottles. It was the coolest thing any of us had ever heard of ... They were so dangerous."
What I didn't mention, is that those events took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As far as I know, an early curfew was the only consequence Green Day faced for that mayhem. BUT! I have just discovered, with the help of the ever-illuminating MTV Vault, that Green Day's beef with Milwaukee didn't end there!
Two years later, Green Day came back. I can't remember if they were promoting Insomniac or Nimrod, but I do remember that the Dookie really hit the fan that time! For a colorful account of how Billie Joe landed in the Beer City slammer, just click play below.
It's easy to forget, after all these years of hysteria and unparalleled strangeness, how a guy as odd and troubled as Michael Jackson got to be one of the world's biggest celebrities.
Believe it or not, it wasn't just by virtue of being strange. It wasn't by writing Thriller either, or for the way the floor lights up when he dances, although both certainly helped (just ask Justin Timberlake).
What first established Michael Jackson as a full-blown phenomenon was the fact that, at the age of 11, homeboy could match pipes with Aretha Franklin. Lil Michael Jackson could sing a whole gospel choir under the table. Back then, when they called him a freak of nature, it was a major compliment, which is really hard to imagine today.
Well, you don't have to imagine. The good folks who guard the MTV Archive have squeezed off another dose of vintage brilliance, this time in the form of The Jackson 5. The video below obviously came long after the 1969 song, "Who's Lovin' You," which was the B-side to first Jackson jam, "I Want You Back." But, updated as it may be, the video is still your front row ticket to see a star being born.
Most bands come loaded with so many cultural references and spawn so many spin-offs, that they may as well become genres of their own. Think about it. How many Pearl Jams have there been since the '90s (I'm looking at you, Staind)? How many Led Zeppelins have there been since the '70s (ask Jack White)? Can you even count?
The B-52s are a rare exception. By all counts a major mainstream success, they carved their names indelibly into pop culture's skin with off-beat hits like "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack."
They were also a bunch of middle-aged (bang, bang, bang), Pee Wee's Playhouse-lookin', new wave Athens art weirdos (on the door, BABY!), with a style that's damn hard to identify in any other living band.
Who are the new B-52s? Katy Perry? Never Shout Never? Lady Gaga? Nope. Not at all. What's the modern equivalent of "Love Shack?" Does it even exist? Screw on your thinking caps (hurry up!), watch the classic 1989 Club MTV performance of "Love Shack" below (and bring your!), and do your best to come up with today's popular descendants of The B-52's (jukebox money!). I dare you to find one.
During a unit on the '60s, my high school sociology teacher brought in a set of photographs that he'd taken at our school as a new teacher, 40 years before. Each one came with an exaggerated story about cigarettes in the bathroom, girls being sent home for going bra-less and the like.
The photo that made the biggest impression on the class was of a hulking weirdo in a flannel shirt and what looked like shop glasses. Despite his tough-looking shoulder-length hair, he was the biggest goon we'd ever seen.
But Mr. Lemon told a different story. Apparently this guy had been the biggest deal in his class by a long shot, and spent four years being chased by all the ladies. We were blown away. How could a few decades have changed people's taste SO much?
Well, check out this 26-year-old video, in which KISS -- one of the biggest bands of their time -- manage to stop all MTV programming and pull an exclusive segment, just by taking off their make-up for the first time. That was 1983. Amazing how fast things change, eh? Can you imagine such a thing making you scream? More importantly, can you imagine what your kids are gonna think when they get a look at Bill Kaulitz? WEIRD!
With no further ado, we open the MTV Vault and travel back in time with (deceased original VJ) J.J. Jackson, to see KISS, unmasked!
It's easy to forget, after all these years of hysteria and unparalleled strangeness, how a guy as 
Most bands come loaded with so many cultural references and spawn so many spin-offs, that they may as well become genres of their own. Think about it. How many 
During a unit on the '60s, my high school sociology teacher brought in a set of photographs that he'd taken at our school as a new teacher, 40 years before. Each one came with an exaggerated story about cigarettes in the bathroom, girls being sent home for going bra-less and the like.