MTV Turns 25

I have to admit, I don't remember the exact moment when MTV first arrived. I can't, for the life of me, tell you where I was when the little astronaut came on the screen and The Buggles' silly, little pop ditty "Video Killed The Radio Star" danced its way into music fans' hearts.

I don't remember much from back then. I know my parents had cable at the time only because I can recall watching some movie about kidnapping and it scared me. But MTV, nah, the first memory I have of the station is that VJ with the huge hair who hosted the "Top 20 Countdown." I bet that was like 1985.

But what's the real question to be asked while most magazines and newspapers run large feature stories on how MTV changed the world? Well, the same one Yankee fans ask ARod every night: What have you done for me lately?

We can talk for days about the station's influence on music and television in general, but we could have had the same conversation a decade ago, when MTV turned a paltry 10. For heaven's sake, even "The Real World" is older than a decade ... and typing that just made me feel so very old.

MTV has done nothing in the last decade but totally ditch the bulk of its music programming, unless, of course, you count Ozzy running around like someone with half a brain and Jessica Simpson running around like someone with no brain as music programming. I mean, go look at the site; it's really pathetic and totally out-of-sync with anything really going on in the music world.

I mean, turn on the station at any point of the day and all you’ll see are 16-year-old rich kids acting stupid and planning ridiculous, hedonistic parties. Maybe you’ll catch shallow guys and gals telling people to hit the highway because they said the word “lemon” or something. (With that said, I must admit my friends Jay and Ryan both love these shows and will have my head for mocking them. I even got a text message from Ryan tonight asking me if I saw the latest episode of “One Ocean View,” a show I wouldn’t think about watching.)

Anyway, maybe if MTV brings back “Beavis and Butt-Head” and “Remote Control” I’ll have a totally different viewpoint. Or what about that show about the ranch? Oh, wait, that was Nickelodeon.