All this talk of television has got me thinking about the new role the box has in my life. I've basically pooh-poohed TV for many many years now; I think the last time I actually followed a show was in the Cheers/Night Court days. Which is not to say that television isn't better than ever, better than movies even. Everything Bad Is Good For You makes a lot of compelling arguments about the New Complexity of TV (thanks MB!). But I just can't seem to make time for it. I got cable last year for the first time in my life so I could watch World Cup. When I was working on movies this year I'd come home and unwind with Sportscenter and a drink for a half hour. But that's it. These days my TV probably gets 30 minutes of viewing a month (for non-movie watching purposes).
But I have a dirty little secret: About once every other week I go over to the gfs place and watch VH1 for about three hours straight.
I just can't get enough of it. And this is my idea, definitely not hers.
VH1 was reborn out of the ashes of Adult Oriented Music Video Hell about ten years ago when they created Behind the Music. Since then they've reinvented themselves again with long slate of outlandish reality-based shows and pop-cultural commentary.
In 2004 I was doing a movie in Maine and caught "I Love the 80s", their half-hour program which focuses on a single year and the pop-culture that dominated it, using clips from comedians who comment on it all. I watched it for 5 hours in a row. I couldn't help myself. It spoke to me in a way I hadn't been spoken to before. It was simple and lowbrow and fluffy and but most of all it was hilarious. Of course I could never admit this to anyone.
In the last few years VH1 has ramped up its outrageous reality programming, culminating with the wonderful "The Surreal Life" and "Flavor of Love" which starred our favorite MC Flavor Flav. Now Flav has been replaced by Bret Michels of Poison, and it's not the same. But there is bunch of great new shows out now, like:
Scott Baio is 45...and Single
Hogan Knows Best
The Pick-up Artist
and specials like:
Britney's Most Shocking Moments
The 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs
I'm especially looking forward to the premiere of America's Most Smartest Model, but that is too much to talk about now.
Karen doesn't know what to make of all this. I can be pretty snooty when it comes to my movies (she calls me Arrogant E and Ivory Tower from time to time), but all of this low-low-lowbrow pop culture (and my love of it) can be a little bit hard to process.
I don't know what else to say.
My only explanation is that at least VH1 is self-aware, and firmly tongue in cheek. The new season's tag line: "VH1: Watch and Discuss" has me thinking that the channel is run by English Majors.
4 comments:
No doubt. It is kind of like the Decemberists are a band of English majors. They have to be. There is no freaking way around it.
It just makes you ReaL instead of Snobby Movie Guy. Plus, you have to have some way to unwind. My students couldn't believe it when I told them I watched "Blind Date" and "Elimidate" as a way to deprogram after spending all day reading Derrida and others. But hey, it works. And beer helps too.
Plus you gots to support the English Majors.
Well, I'm pleased to know you have a dirty tv secret, because basically, I like so many things, media-wise, that I fear I have no taste whatsoever. So I'm happy, happy happy! that you like VH1, because I could care less about it, which makes me . . . feel better about me. Thanks for blogging! Also, I wish I had had the gumption to figure out something like, say, invent programming for VH1 when I was deciding whatever to do with my English major. No, no, I love my job.
in grad school, the last time I had cable, I was seriously addicted to VH-1. I watched every countdown they put on and sometimes I wouldn't leave for other, more interesting engagements until the countdown was over.
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