I Want My MTV
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CHIP RACHLIN joined MTV in 1982 as director of acquistions. He is now the president of Rachlin Entertainment.
RIKI RACHTMAN owned the Cat Club, an LA metal venue, and began hosting Headbangers Ball in 1990 after being recommended to MTV by his friend Axl Rose.
VERNON REID is the guitarist and primary songwriter in Living Colour, whose “Cult of Personality” won three awards at the 1989 VMAs.
MARC REITER is a manager at Q Prime. He was a product manager at Epic Records, where he worked with Pearl Jam.
MIKE RENO is the singer in Loverboy, whose hits include “Turn Me Loose” and “Working for the Weekend.”
NICK RHODES is the keyboard player in Duran Duran and was an early advocate of men wearing mascara.
LIONEL RICHIE is a top-selling singer, songwriter, and musician. His 1983 album Can’t Slow Down, featuring the singles “All Night Long” and “Hello,” won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
LEE RITENOUR is a Grammy-winning jazz guitarist. Two of his videos were shown on the first day of MTV, but rarely thereafter.
JULIANA ROBERTS is a music-video, film, and TV producer. She was a producer for Propaganda Films’ hard rock division, The Foundry.
DAVID ROBINSON plays drums in the Cars, who won Video of the Year at the first VMAs. He owns an art gallery and is a jewelry maker.
JAMES D. ROBINSON III was the CEO of American Express Co. from 1977 until his retirement in 1993.
JON ROSEMAN was the founder of Jon Roseman Productions. Among the videos he produced are Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).”
LIZ ROSENBERG has been Madonna’s press agent since 1982 and was a senior vice president at Warner Bros. Records, where she worked for thirty-nine years.
EDDIE ROSENBLATT was the CEO of Geffen Records.
CAROL ROSENSTEIN is a music-video and television producer.
MICHAEL ROSS cofounded the LA hip-hop label Delicious Vinyl in 1987 and released records by Tone-Lōc and Young MC.
JORDAN ROST was hired as vice president of research at WASEC, making him the company’s first department head, and later became vice president of sales. He then spent sixteen years at the Warner Music Group, as senior vice president of marketing and new technology, and is now a consultant.
RICK RUBIN cofounded Def Jam Records as a college student and has produced music by LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Johnny Cash, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
TODD RUNDGREN has been writing, singing, and producing hit songs since the late 1960s. He tried to launch a music-video network before MTV.
DONNA RUPERT placed second in the Miss Canada 1981 pageant, modeled for the Wilhelmina agency, and played the teacher in Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher.”
SALT cofounded the rap group Salt-N-Pepa, who appeared on the first episode of House of Style.
RICHIE SAMBORA is the longtime lead guitarist of Bon Jovi.
DEBBIE SAMUELSON was a music-video promotion and production executive for Columbia Records.
JOHN SAYLES directed three Bruce Springsteen videos and has made sixteen feature films, including The Return of the Secaucus 7, Eight Men Out, and Lone Star.
SCARFACE is a hip-hop artist and a former member of the pioneering gangsta-rap group the Geto Boys.
RUDOLF SCHENKER is a guitarist and founding member of Scorpions, Germany’s best-selling heavy metal band.
RICHARD SCHENKMAN is a writer/director/producer who joined the program services department of MTV in February 1981.
FRED SCHNEIDER and the B-52’s won two VMAs in 1990 for “Love Shack.”
JACK SCHNEIDER had a long career as chief of the CBS Broadcast Group before becoming the original president and CEO of WASEC. Schneider left the company in 1984 and later served as the managing director of the investment firm Allen & Co.
STEVE SCHNUR began his career as an intern for Les Garland in the programming department of MTV. He is currently worldwide executive of music and marketing for videogame developer Electronic Arts.
MIKE SCORE worked as a hairdresser before singing and playing the synthesizer in the British foursome A Flock of Seagulls.
KEVIN SEAL was a college student when MTV hired him as a VJ in 1987. He left the network in 1991 and is now a stay-at-home dad and handyman who does voice-over work for radio ads.
DENNIS SEATON sang with the young Jamaican group Musical Youth. Their hit “Pass the Dutchie” was the first reggae song on MTV.
FRED SEIBERT was Bob Pittman’s first hire at The Movie Channel, in May 1980, and was MTV’s head of program services at its launch. He oversaw the design of the MTV logo and the creation of the “I Want My MTV” ad campaign. He is the founder of Frederator Studios, which makes cartoons for TV, movies, and the Internet.
DOMINIC SENA is a music-video and film director. He was a cofounder of Propaganda Films.
ANDY SETOS began at WASEC as vice president, engineering, and was promoted to senior vice president at Viacom. He is now president, engineering, at the Fox Group’s television and film operations.
BRIAN SETZER and the Stray Cats were one of the first bands to become stars from MTV airplay.
SHOCK G is the mastermind of rap group Digital Underground, whose 1990 debut was Sex Packets.
HANK SHOCKLEE is a music producer and former Def Jam executive who was integral to the creation of Public Enemy’s sound and videos.
PAULY SHORE joined MTV in 1989 and was soon hosting his own show, Totally Pauly. His first starring film role was in Encino Man, a surprise hit that grossed more than $40 million.
JONI SIGHVATSSON is a movie producer and a cofounder of Propaganda Films.
SUSAN SILVERMAN was a video production executive for Warner Bros. Records.
TARSEM SINGH grew up in India and moved to the U.S. at the age of twenty-four. He has directed commercials, R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” video, and the feature films The Cell and The Fall.
SIR MIX-A-LOT is a Seattle-based rapper best known for his 1992 number one hit “Baby Got Back.” He likes big butts.
DAVE SIRULNICK is currently the executive vice president of news and production for MTV, overseeing the news and docs department, as well as studio-based programming and event productions. Sirulnick joined MTV in 1987 as a news producer.
NIKKI SIXX plays bass and writes songs for Mötley Crüe and published a best-selling memoir, The Heroin Diaries.
RANDY SKINNER was a video production executive at Warner Bros. Records.
ROBIN SLOANE was a video production executive at Elektra Records and creative director at Geffen Records.
BOB SMALL created Unplugged with Jim Burns and has produced shows for Comedy Central, HBO, and Nickelodeon.
CURT SMITH founded Tears for Fears in 1981 with Roland Orzabal and is the featured singer on “Mad World” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”
ROBERT SMITH has been the Cure’s front man since 1979.
PATTY SMYTH is a singer and musician who was the front woman for the band Scandal.
DEE SNIDER is the lead singer of the band Twisted Sister. He hosted the first heavy metal show on MTV, Heavy Metal Mania.
TABITHA SOREN was formerly a reporter for MTV News and is now a professional photographer.
GALE SPARROW was the director of talent and artist relations at MTV from 1981 to 1985. She co-owns an estate liquidation company that serves the greater Philadelphia area.
RICK SPRINGFIELD is an Australian singer and actor known for the 1981 number one single “Jessie’s Girl.”
BILLY SQUIER had multiple hits from his first two records: “The Stroke,” “In the Dark,” “My Kind of Lover,” and “Everybody Wants You.” His third record included “Rock Me Tonite,” widely considered the worst music video of all time.
JEFF STEIN directed a film about the Who, The Kids Are Alright, and many memorable videos, including Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” the Cars’ “You Might Think,” and Warrant’s “Cherry Pie.”
SUE STEINB
ERG was MTV’s first executive producer, responsible for the casting of the five original VJs. Now retired, she enjoyed a long career as a television producer.
LOU STELLATO was a producer at MTV. He is currently creative director at the advertising firm the Warehouse Agency.
LARRY STESSEL was a marketing executive at Epic Records from 1975 to 1991. He is now a managing partner at the Revolver Marketing Group.
ALISON STEWART began her broadcast career at MTV News, then reported for CBS Sunday Morning and 48 Hours, anchored ABC’s World News Now, and contributed to NBC Nightly News and The Today Show. Most recently, she has hosted and reported for NPR and PBS.
DAVE STEWART is a musician, songwriter, and producer who performed as one half of the 1980s duo Eurythmics.
ARNOLD STIEFEL has managed Rod Stewart for many years and also managed Billy Squier.
MICHAEL STIPE is the singer in R.E.M. He started a film company in 1987 and was a producer of Being John Malkovich and an executive producer of Velvet Goldmine.
DONNA SUMMER worked in musical theater before recording a string of dance, R&B, pop, and rock hits.
ANDY SUMMERS is a guitarist best known as a member of the band the Police.
JAZZ SUMMERS managed Wham!, along with Simon Napier-Bell, and launched the career of George Michael.
JOHN SYKES is a founding executive of MTV. He was the network’s director of promotion at launch and became vice president of programming before his departure in 1986. He later served as president of VH1 from 1994 to 2002 and as CEO of Infinity Radio. Sykes is currently president, national ventures, for Clear Channel Communications.
GEOFF TATE sings with the progressive rock band Queensrÿche, who won a Viewer’s Choice VMA for “Silent Lucidity” in 1991.
JOHN TAYLOR plays bass in Duran Duran, which he cofounded.
AL TELLER was president of Columbia and CBS Records from 1981 to 1988. He later became chairman/CEO of the MCA Music Entertainment Group.
JULIEN TEMPLE directed the 1980 Sex Pistols “mockumentary” The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle and the 2000 Sex Pistols documentary The Filth and the Fury. He has made videos for Culture Club, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Tom Petty, and Whitney Houston, among many acts. He is currently a documentary and feature film director.
ABBY TERKUHLE was creative director of MTV and the founder and president of MTV Animation. He executive produced MTV’s animation showcase Liquid Television , which spawned the hit series Beavis and Butt-head. Terkuhle is currently the president of Aboriginal Entertainment, a production company.
VAN TOFFLER is president of MTV Networks Music/Films/Logo Group. He began working at MTV in 1987 in the business affairs department.
TREACH is a member of the hip-hop group Naughty by Nature. He was married to Pepa, whom he met at an MTV Spring Break.
RALPH TRESVANT was a founding member of the R&B group New Edition.
LARS ULRICH is the drummer and cofounder of Metallica.
USHER is a singer, dancer, songwriter, and actor who released his first album in 1994.
KATHY VALENTINE plays bass in the Go-Go’s and cowrote the singles “Vacation” and “Head over Heels.”
VANILLA ICE is a rapper whose smash 1990 single “Ice Ice Baby” was “retired” nine years later on the MTV show 25 Lame. He currently hosts a home-improvement TV series on the DIY Network.
JOHN VARVATOS is a fashion designer who grew up in Detroit and has played guitar onstage with Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, and Guns N’ Roses.
MICHELLE VONFELD was the head of the standards and practices department at MTV.
RUPERT WAINWRIGHT directed videos for MC Hammer and N.W.A, and the films Stigmata and The Fog.
TONY WARD is a model and actor who starred in a number of music videos, most memorably Madonna’s “Justify My Love.”
CHARLIE WARNER was a radio and TV executive for many years. He hired Bob Pittman as a program director and gave John Lack his first job at CBS, and now teaches at NYU’s Stern School of Business.
RON WEISNER is the former comanager of Michael Jackson.
PAUL WESTERBERG made albums with his band the Replacements from 1981 to 1990.
JANE WIEDLIN plays guitar in the Go-Go’s and cowrote their hit “Our Lips Are Sealed.”
ANN WILSON is the main singer in Heart, which she leads with her older sister Nancy. The group has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.
NANCY WILSON plays guitar in Heart, which she leads with her younger sister Ann. They were one of the few 1970s bands to have hits on MTV.
KIP WINGER led the 1980s band Winger. He now composes classical music under the name C. F. Kip Winger.
HOWARD WOFFINDEN is a commercial producer who worked at Propaganda Films from 1986 to 1996.
KARI WUHRER was a model and an actress before she was hired for the cast of Remote Control while still in college. Since then she has been in many films and TV shows, including Sliders and General Hospital.
“WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC got lots of MTV play for his song parodies “Eat It” and “Smells Like Nirvana” and hosted many episodes of Al-TV on the channel.
WALTER YETNIKOFF was the head of CBS Records from 1975 to 1990. He is the author of the music-industry memoir Howling at the Moon: Confessions of a Music Mogul in an Age of Excess.
YOUNG MC cowrote Tone-Lōc’s “Wild Thing” while enrolled at USC before releasing his own 1989 crossover hit, “Bust a Move.”
JIM YUKICH may have directed more music videos than anyone in this book (192, according to MVDB.com). His collaborations with Phil Collins and Genesis are legion; thirty-seven videos in all, including the award-winning “Land of Confusion.” He is currently a TV director and producer.
PETER ZAREMBA hosted MTV’s monthly alternative-music show The Cutting Edge from 1984 to 1987. He is the lead singer of NYC’s long-running garage-rock band the Fleshtones.
ETHAN ZINDLER was youth outreach coordinator, at the age of twenty-three, for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. He has since worked for MTV and the White House, and now heads policy research for a clean-energy market-research firm.
Index
ABC (group)
Abdul, Paula
Abrams, Lee
AC/DC
Aykroyd, Dan
Adam & the Ants
Adams, Bryan
Adams, Cey
Addams, Charles
Adler, Bill
Adler, Lou
Adler, Steven
Ad-Rock. See Horovitz, Adam
Aerosmith
A-ha (DJ)
a-ha (group)
Aiello, Danny
Ailes, Roger
Alaia, Azzedine
Allen, Bruce
Allen, Joey
Alonso, Maria Conchita
Anderson, Jon
Anderson, Laurie
Angelus, Pete
Anger, Kenneth
Ant, Adam
Anthony, Michael
Anthony, Polly
Antonioni, Michelangelo
Armatrading, Joan
Armstrong, Mike
Armstrong, Neil
Arnaud, Daniele
Asher, Dick
Astaire, Fred
Astley, Rick
Aucoin, Bill
Avis, Meiert
Ayeroff, Jeff
Azoff, Irving
Azoff, Shelli
B-52s
Babineau, Marko
Bach, Sebastian
Backer, Steve
Bagley, Laura
Bailey, Bunty
Bailey, Tom
Bak, Sunny
Baker, Anita
Baker, Carolyn
Baker, Rick
Ballhaus, Michael
Bananarama
Bangles
Banks, Tony
Barbis, Johnny
Barnes, Don
Baron, Peter
Barron, Siobhan
Barron, Steve
Base, Rob
Basil, Toni
&nb
sp; Bators, Stiv
Bauer, Axel
Bay, Michael
Bayer, Samuel
Beach, Reb
Beard, Frank
Beastie Boys
Beatles
Beatty, Warren
Beck
Bellettini, Alisa Marie
Belushi, Jim
Belushi, John
Belzer, Richard
Benatar, Pat
Benitez, Jellybean
Benjamin, David
Bennett, Bill
Benson, Jac
Bergman, Georgia “Jo,”
Berle, Marshall
Berle, Milton
Berlin
Bernhard, Sandra
Bernstein, Adam
Berrow, Michael
Berrow, Paul
Bertinelli, Valerie
Beug, John
Bicknell, Ed
Bigelow, Kathryn
Biondi, Frank
Bissett, Josie
Biz Markie
Black Crowes
Black, Michael Ian
Blackwell, Chris
Blackwood, Nina
Blake, Rebecca
Blond, Susan
Blondie
Bloom, Howard
Blotto
Blotzer, Bobby
Bolino, Julia
Bonaduce, Danny
Bone, Mike
Bonet, Lisa
Bon Jovi
Bono
Boogaloo Sam
Boomtown Rats
Bowie, David
Bow Wow Wow
Boy George
Bozzio, Dale
Bradt, George
Brafman, Marcy
Branca, John
Brando, Miko
Braun, David
B-Real
Brickman, Mark
Brindle, Ronald “Buzz,”
Briscoe, Jimmy
Britny Fox
Broday, Beth
Brown, Bobbie
Brown, Bobby
Brown, James
Brown, Jerry
Brown, Julie
Bruck, Connie
Bruckheimer, Jerry
Bryant, Karyn
Buck, Peter
Buckholtz, Tom
Buggles
Bullet Boys
Bunim, Mary-Ellis
Burns, Jim
Burnstein, Cliff
Burroughs, William
Bus Boys
Bush, George H. W.
Busload of Faith
Butler, Geezer
Byrne, David