Back in my day: Australian TV put another buck on the barbie
Video Hits is gone.
Sure, it didn’t exactly push the envelope culturally; nor even open one to reveal a letter of authenticity to the millions of kids who’ve watched religiously as their favourite artists strut about. But what it did do was be a vehicle in which one could travel the musical airwaves on the idiot box in the comfort of pajamas prior to indulging the great Aussie weekend.
Plus, it was a part of ‘the circuit’; you know, a guaranteed bit of airtime for PR types with their travelling VIP from the entertainment industry.
Now where to go; The 7PM Project, The Morning Show, Kerry-Anne, The Circle!?
Seriously?
What does this really mean? It means commercial TV programming doesn’t give a fuck about youth. Nor about the wonder of creative television programming that expanded the imaginations of youngsters. When I was a kid we dreamt of riding shotgun with Michael Knight, stealing a kiss from Daisy Duke or perhaps being lucky enough to watch a band with that ‘man in the hat’. Cooking dinner or renovating a house was the furthest thing from our minds… in fact, it still is. Junior MasterChef… Sheesh! Didn’t we get pissed-off children were making sports shoes in third-world countries? Now we’ve got ‘em cooking on TV so production companies can make dollars on small aprons!? And as for watching rich Yank kids go to parties gossiping on shallow relationships as they learn to wear high-heels; no thanks. Pray we don’t get some ‘Bondi Locals’ reality show where we see the continuing adventures of 23-year-old ‘Porsche’ and her gaggle of tanned BFFs struggle with parallel parking, scarves, the perfect wine bar and keeping good posture in $300 thongs. Actually I’m keeping that one, it could work!
The word ‘Variety’ is more than a worthy charity organisation. It’s a word that meant you never knew what was going to happen but were guaranteed to be entertained, informed and stimulated as a family unit. Watching Eddie McGuire ‘pause’ mid-sentence on live television; or some half-shaved hipster burn toast, is akin to doing an endless detention in Hell – it’s insulting television.
‘Oh, but it rates well.’
Ratings – Ha, don’t get me started. A few thousand black boxes and laborious radio diaries equate to inaccuracy most large, yet it still determines the success or failure of every single thing we watch and hear. Not to mention bolstering the so-called media ‘celebrities’ attached. The emperor is nude; trust me.
Even the hallowed ABC, an institution on the fronts of fair speech and equal opportunity for the artistic alternative seem to have dropped the ball and allowed it to roll under the couch now hidden amongst the dust bunnies. Countdown, Recovery and Rage all shaped my musical knowledge in a pre-internet teen and 20-something existence. I pity the kid today who may not be lucky enough to live in urban Sydney or Melbourne. How do they get their visual fix, their true understanding that the cool kids in the city aren’t that different to themselves – how do the goddamn artists themselves get their mugs in front of greater Australia? JTV…hmm, no – I don’t think so.
Online? Sure, but it’s still early days and deceivingly orchestrated.
Rage: baby, you are all that’s left.
Recovery: we need you more than ever. Now that Dylan’s out of a gig (a true talent underutilised in this town, much like Jabba) – just get the band back together and do it. I mean, you don’t even care about ratings, right (well, you shouldn’t!), so just grab a bunch of keen kids and get it done. I bet there are at least 10,000 kids out there who’d eat glass to get a gig on that show.
It’s no wonder one of the greatest impromptu pieces of live youth TV came at 10am on a Saturday morning. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion tearing apart the Recovery set. Those of you that know what I’m talking about will agree; those that don’t, well – you’re dead to me anyway.
Chris Murray is the creative director of Popcorn Taxi.
Holy crap, that Jon Spencer Blues Explosion moment was genuinely jaw-dropping, breakfast spilling excitement.
Thanks for reminding me TV could be like that.
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