MTV: BEHIND THE SCENES (MTV Special Program)

by Richard Riegel

Have you ever wondered why MTV veejay Martha Quinn got her hair cut short? Nope, neither have I—my burning query’s been more along the lines as to whether J.J. Jackson’s always been a Negro—but the publicity mojos apparently felt that Ms. Quinn’s chopped locks were newsworthy enough to use the topic as a repeated teaser commercial for their MTV: Behind The Scenes special.

The occasion was, of course, Music Television’s second anniversary of programming round-the-clock rock videos into the chipdip-stained laps of MidAmerica, and the special was as exuberantly self-congratulatory as any other instant pop industry’s self-inventory. According to MTV Vice President of Programming Les Garland—a curlyperm/bigglasses/three-piece-suit type who could easily star in one of those Cuervo I-may-have-to-act-like-anexec - during - the - day - but - I’m - a -hippie-at-heart magazine ads—MTV has been a revolutionary force in changing the public’s pop tastes. No sweat there, but individuallywrapped slices of American cheese were a rather revolutionary force in their day, too, and 15 years later all you’re keeping fresh is lowly “cheese food.”