I Want My MTV Quotes

“my management partner, Simon Napier-Bell, was more camp than a row of tents.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“went to the awards when Madonna did “Like a Virgin,” and Cher was there. I was excited to meet Cher. But some punk comes up to her and says, “Hey, Cher, where’s Sonny?” And without missing a beat, Cher goes, “He’s home, fucking your mother.” That’s the sort of story you remember.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“MARTHA QUINN: I said to Jack Nicholson, “I’m Martha Quinn from MTV.” And he goes, “I know who you are.” That’s when I realized I was a celebrity.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“We wanted to give the Go West singer an image for “We Close Our Eyes.” He had a great voice, great presence, but terrible teeth. We said, “You have to get your teeth fixed.” We were brutal. We thought this was the sort of thing despot directors did. He fixed his teeth, we styled him, gave him a grease-monkey look, and it helped enormously.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“Here’s my pitch. You’re a teacher, and you’re gonna fall in love with a blind girl.” I admit, I hesitated. But you don’t hire Picasso and then tell him how to paint.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“I saw “Thriller” for the first time at Michael’s house, in his screening room, with his brothers Tito, Jackie, and Randy. When Michael said, “I’m not like other boys” in the video, Jackie and Randy started laughing. Jackie put his mouth to my ear and repeated the line: “He’s not like other boys.” Michael said, “Shut up, Jackie, that’s not nice.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“For the “Beat It” clip, Michael originally wanted to do it on a white slave ship with him as the slave master. I heard that from a director in Roberta Cruger’s office.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“Their playlist had no black artists on it. And at the time, Michael Jackson was black. So what is this bullshit that they loved it? They were forced into it by me.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“People often say “Billie Jean” was the first black music video on MTV. “Pass the Dutchie” was first. Because they were little and spoke in funny British accents, Musical Youth were deemed as nonthreatening, and therefore non-black.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“The people that look after the elephants were completely smashed. They drink this stuff called arrack. For “Save a Prayer,” John and I were on an elephant, Simon was on one with Andy, and Roger was on one of his own. And they brought a female elephant who let out this enormous noise, which one of the guys in the crew was taping. He thought, Oh, this will be funny, and he played it back through the speakers. Nobody knew that it was her mating call. So the elephant with Roger on its back charges down the swamp and mounts this other elephant. Roger’s hanging on for dear life, and all of the mahouts are rolling around, thinking it’s hilarious. If he’d fallen off, he could have been trampled to death.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN, artist: I’d had long blond hair and when I went short brunette for “Physical,” my haircut started a trend. The headband I wore also started a trend, which is hysterical, because it began as a way of keeping the hair out of my face. The record was number one for ten weeks. That was the last time I ever wore a white leotard. Once was enough.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“JANE WIEDLIN: When Miles Copeland, the president of our record label, said we were gonna shoot a music video for “Our Lips Are Sealed,” we were like, “Music video? That’s stupid. You suck.” We were totally bratty about it. The money he used for the video was, like, left over from the Police’s video budget. It was pennies. They got a guy to follow us around Hollywood. We wanted an old-school convertible, so we rented it from Rent-A-Wreck for $10 or $15. This was the plot: “Get in a car and drive around. Belinda, you sing. Everyone else look cute.” When we needed a grand finale, our big idea was to jump in the fountain at the intersection of Santa Monica and Wilshire in Beverly Hills. I remember thinking, The cops are gonna come any minute, this is gonna be so cool.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“Chapter 8 “MIDGETS, MODELS, AND TRANNIES” THE FIRST VISIONARIES AND VICTIMS OF THE MUSIC-VIDEO ERA”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“chyron”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“JANE WIEDLIN, Go-Go’s: It was the go-to place to find new music, and you could find out right away what you need to know about a band, like if you liked their style or if they were cute.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“JANET JACKSON, artist: I loved watching it. How exciting back then, being a teenager and having something so creative, so fresh, so new. It was about waiting for your favorite video, and not really knowing what hour it would hit, so you’d have to watch all day long.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“JANE WIEDLIN plays guitar in the Go-Go’s and cowrote their hit “Our Lips Are Sealed.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“SIR MIX-A-LOT is a Seattle-based rapper best known for his 1992 number one hit “Baby Got Back.” He likes big butts.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

“CAMILLE GRAMMER was a dancer on Club MTV. She later posed for Playboy, married (and divorced) actor Kelsey Grammer, and starred on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
― Craig Marks, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution