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Once upon a time, MTV played music. "I Want My MTV" became the catchphrase of a generation when MTV debuted in August of 1981. Anybody who grew up in that era will remember the catchy tune and launch of the Saturn moon rocket that marked the top of the hour, culminating in an astronaut planting the MTV flag on the surface of the moon. It literally marked the beginning of another hour of music videos, and figuratively marked the beginning of a new era in music.

While rock and roll had always been about showmanship and entertainment value, the debut of MTV made it even more of a visual medium. Appropriately, the first video ever played on the all music channel was "Video Killed The Radio Star." Martha Quinn, Nina Blackwood, J.J. Jackson, Alan Hunter and Mark Goodman shepherded us into our adolescence, introducing videos by early 1980s mainstays such as The Cars, The Police, Culture Club, Quiet Riot, Prince and Duran Duran. Not to mention every testosterone riddled teenage boy's dream girl, Madonna. While much of what she did in the early 1980s was tame compared to today's standards, it was extremely provocative for its time and resulted in the banning of the music channel in more than a few homes.

The debut of a new video became a can't miss event. I remember waiting anxiously for the world premiere of Twisted Sister's video "I Wanna Rock," which was a sequel to "We're Not Gonna Take It," featuring Neidermeyer from Animal House. Other early classics included "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince, and of course, "Like A Virgin" by the aforementioned Madonna.

Much was made then of what is now taken for granted, the use of the music video as a promotional vehicle. Critics argued that MTV's playlist revolved around the record industry's needs for exposure, while advocates claimed the opposite. Then as now, the argument was that MTV rewarded style over substance. Many artists launched their careers via constant rotation on MTV, (the Beastie Boys "Fight For Your Right") while others reinvented themselves or broadened their exposure. Run D.M.C. launched their own career and relaunched the career of Aerosmith with a remake of the band's "Walk This Way," while Van Halen branched outside of their classic rock audience with the album "1984", featuring staples such as "Jump" and "Hot for Teacher."

Perhaps in response to this criticism, MTV launched "120 Minutes" in 1986, which promoted artists that weren't in the regular rotation. Many college radio

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