David Bowie Watches MTV (1983)

"It occurred to me, having watched MTV over the last few months, that’s it’s a solid enterprise, really. It’s got a lot going for it. I’m just floored by the fact that there are so few black artists featured on it. Why is that?"



G: I think we’re trying to move in that direction. We want to play artists that seem to be doing music that fits into what we want to play for MTV. The company is thinking in terms of narrow-casting.

Bowie: That’s evident. It’s evident in the fact that the only few black artists that one does see are on about 2:30 in the morning to around 6. Very few are featured predominantly during the day.



G: It’s funny, I think people have different perceptions. When you wind up watching -- let’s say you watch an hour or two or even three a day, people somehow come away with different ideas about what we are doing. We don’t have any kind of day-parting for anything, let alone for black artists, day-parted out of what would be “prime time.” We don’t have that.

Bowie: Because one sees a lot on -- there’s one black station on television that I keep picking up. I’m not sure which station it’s on. But there seem to be a lot of black artists making very good videos that I’m surprised aren’t used on MTV.



G: Of course, also, we have to try and do what we think not only New York and Los Angles will appreciate, but also Poughkeepsie or Midwest -- pick some town in the Midwest -- that would be scared to death by Prince, which we’re playing, or a string of other black faces and black music.

Bowie: That’s very interesting. Isn’t that interesting?

Via/Whole interview: LINK

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David Bowie YouTube Link Pack:

::: Life on Mars? WATCH/LISTEN
::: Ashes to Ashes: WATCH/LISTEN
::: The Man Who Sold the World: LISTEN
::: Space Oddity: WATCH/LISTEN
::: This Is Not America: WATCH/LISTEN
::: Changes: WATCH/LISTEN
::: Heroes: WATCH/LISTEN
::: Time: WATCH/LISTEN
::: When I Live My Dream: LISTEN
::: Wild is the Wind: WATCH/LISTEN
::: Love You Till Tuesday: LISTEN
::: In the Heat of the Morning: LISTEN
::: John, I'm Only Dancing: WATCH/LISTEN
::: Oh, You Pretty Things: WATCH/LISTEN

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photographs of David Bowie (London, Manchester Street, 1967) via and via and via