Don’t Touch That Dial: TV That Shaped My Musical Tastes

VH1 Classic

Originally segmented into shows based on decades and genres, this spin-off of VH1 featured all videos all the time, with no commercial interruption. The VJs were all older, some hailing from the early years of the channel’s parent network, and served the purpose of doling out interesting facts about the artists and songs. This was where I discovered artists such as X, The Replacements, and Husker Du, while finally getting to see videos by existing favorites like The Kinks, The Smiths, and Depeche Mode. Playing everything from the overplayed sounds of each decade to the truly obscure videos not seen on air since MTV’s early days, VH1 Classic was truly a glorious hodgepodge of music that encouraged me to explore many artists I’d never heard before, while also embracing already-heralded talents whom I’d previously viewed as overexposed. I watched this channel on and off for years until my family finally got rid of digital cable, leaving me to discover music online and elsewhere.

MusicChoice

I’d known about the virtues of MusicChoice forever but didn’t get to truly experience it until it ended up on our digital lineup: 40 channels of just about every musical genre one can imagine. I was particularly fond of “RetroActive,” which introduced me to numerous New Wave and ’80s Alternative acts, sometimes providing further song selections from artists I had previously heard on the radio or the stations listed above. The commercial-free format meant that I frequently left it on as background music during my teenage years, and this led to Internet searches to find more about who I was hearing. Like VH1 Classic, I would lose access to this channel once my parents pulled the plug on our digital cable.

When I last checked in with these stations, much had changed. VH1 Classic has become a dumping ground for regular VH1 trash programming and the same tired music specials. Videos have now become an afterthought, and the rarities that made the channel fun earlier in the decade have vanished altogether. MusicChoice recently dumped RetroActive, though some similar station apparently remains on their lineup.

As for MuchMusic. . . the station that once influenced a minor change at MTV has seemingly embraced many of the non-musical aesthetics of the American network. On a recent trip to Canada, I noticed with dismay that in place of what had been The Wedge‘s timeslot was the movie The Matrix, which has very little to do with the Canadian rock and pop music the station had once taught me to love. At least I still have the memories of these once-great stations, as well as all of the fantastic music they introduced to me.

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