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(Fall 2006) by Dave
Iozzia
Nina Blackwood is a radio celebrity who’s probably best known as one
of the original five MTV VJs. I was honored when she took the time to answer
my interview questions about MTV, satellite radio, music in the 21st century,
and so much more.
RIL: Hello Nina, thanks for letting me conduct this interview. Looking
back 25 years to day one of MTV and the days that followed, did video really
kill the radio star, or did he just beat him up so bad that radio went into
hiding for years?
NB: I don’t think it’s either of those two scenarios. It was
the opposite. I really feel that video enhanced the radio star. At the end
of the 70’s, the music industry was really in the doldrums. It was
the end of the “disco” era. You had British progressive- rock,
and you had a Southern California scene with bands like The Eagles, but the
music business was kind of standing still and not going anywhere. MTV, when
it started, and music videos gave a shot in the arm to the industry. It opened
radio playlists across the country to artists and music, especially British
new-wave, that wouldn’t have seen the light of day in most markets.
When people started seeing new artists and different types of music on MTV,
they wanted to start hearing them on the radio also.
RIL: Who should have a bigger place in rock history: the bands who
made one-hit wonders; or the bands who had poor musicianship and weak songs
but
who looked great on TV and made great videos?
NB:
If we narrow the focus to just the 80’s, I think it’s
the bands that made the great videos, which were a huge part of the song’s
success. For better or worse, it’s hard to hear a song from the MTV
era that had a great video without thinking about that video. A band like
Flock of Seagulls, with their distinctive look, is synonymous with the 80’s.
They weren’t a one-hit wonder, and they weren’t expert musicians.
Yet everybody remembers them because they had a couple of hits and a couple
of good videos.
RIL: Then in turn, does “the song” or does “the video” have
the bigger place in rock history?
NB: Obviously,
it’s the song that has the longevity. A one-hit wonder
like “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum has been used on
countless movie soundtracks. A great song is a great song no matter what.
Yet certain songs became one-hit wonders because of the great video, like
A-Ha’s “Take On Me.” That song and video made the band
huge. They were called the “Norwegian Duran Duran.” They couldn’t
get airplay for that song in the U.S. until their record company kicked in
some dough for a cutting-edge video. It went number 1 because of the video.
Unless that song gets used like so many others on a bunch of commercials,
or unless you’re a big 80’s fan, I don’t think it’ll
be engrained on the collective fabric of pop culture.
RIL: As a music fan, I was into live performance, great musicians
and the way they played their instruments, and good songwriting. I ignored
a lot of bands from the “hair-metal video” days. Many of those
musicians are still around today and they had the qualifications I was
looking for back then, but I couldn’t look past the hair, the spandex,
and the image represented on their videos. Were you able to look beyond
that, recognizing the musicianship and songwriting, or did the videos blind
you like they did to me?
NB: In some cases
yes, but in others I’d have to say I was blinded
just like you. I wasn’t into the “hair bands” at all. Guns
N’ Roses was the one band that I loved. They really kicked my butt.
They were on the cusp, and they wiped the rest of the little poseurs off
the map. I could see past their image, and I knew that there was some substance.
Some songs and bands have aged well. When you hear Depeche Mode and The Cure
today they sound timeless. Some of the cheesy power ballads are still popular,
but when you hear them today you have to roll your eyes. Or, I hate to say
it because Jani Lane is such a sweet guy, but when I hear “Cherry Pie” today
I say “oh no!”
RIL: Why did MTV change from playing videos and concerts that push
songs and new bands to a network of reality television that you’ve
affectionately termed “lifestyle TV”?
NB:
I’m not the definitive person to ask, but like any other network,
they probably wanted to boost their ratings. MTV started the whole thing
with reality shows, it spread like a virus, and they continue to produce
shows with that format. Reality shows are on TV everywhere. The people that
grew up with MTV probably don’t like it today. For others, who weren’t
even born when I was on MTV, it’s all they know. They like watching
all of the reality stuff. I wish the music was back at MTV. That’s
not what the powers-to-be choose to do, Consequently, I don’t watch
it.
RIL: MTV, in its hey-day, was a real friend to the record industry,
bands, and music fans. It also opened doors for film-makers and directors,
letting
them be more creative than the regimented network television or Hollywood
film industries would allow. Now that MTV has changed and stepped aside,
what do you see jumping into the void to give the music industry the shot
in the arm, and the kick in the ass, that it desperately needs?
NB:
Technology has fragmented music fans so much that it’s really
hard to say. It’s only to become more fragmented. Every week there’s
a new technology. What I do know is that it’ll never go back to the
golden era of bloated expense accounts and big parties. I do foresee more
independent labels and better marketing through the Internet. Not to be a
nay-sayer, but it’s not going back to the glory days regardless of
what comes along next.
RIL: Many of the bands from the early MTV video era are now eligible
for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Do you think Duran Duran, Def Leppard,
and Motley Crue are Hall of Fame-caliber bands?
NB:
That’s a real tough call. I was watching a debate on VH-1 recently
about artists who have not been recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rush, Yes, and Van Halen are not in yet. I’d have to pick those bands
before I pick Motley Crue.
RIL: Forgetting specific bands then, do you think the MTV era of
bands will be looked upon favorably by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
NB:
I don’t have a definitive answer. Because they haven’t
recognized the bands I’ve mentioned, what are they looking for? What’s
their criteria? KISS, even though they are over-the-top and more the Gene
Simmons merchandising factory than a real band, certainly belong. How can
Alice Cooper not be in, he’s an icon and he influenced most of the
bands that are in there? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has to address all
of the bands they’ve overlooked so far before they start thinking about
Motley Crue and the MTV-era bands.
RIL: It’s safe to say, that with your credentials, that you are
an authority on 1980’s music. That being said, who are the new bands
of the 21st century that have impressed you the most?
NB:
I’m blown away by Jack White’s talent. The Raconteurs
is my most favorite new record and I love what he did with two instruments
in the White Stripes. He’s so creative and we’re just seeing
the tip of the iceberg of his musical talent. The Killers are up there but
it’s a little too soon to start thinking about what type of longevity
they’ll have. They’re cool and I like them a lot. On the pop
side, I think Christina Aguilera is a wonder talent. She’s got the
goods and the brains to be in it for the long haul. I like Beck, he’s
very creative in the studio, but he’s not really 21st century. It’s
strange since we talked about one-hit wonders before, but so few bands from
the 90’s are still out playing and still relevant. What happened? The
only relevant ones left are the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam. Oh,
and Dave Grohl. I love what he did. I don’t even know the guy, but
I’m proud of him.
RIL: What are your thoughts about broadcast radio in the 21st century?
Don’t forget to mention your nationally syndicated radio shows: “Nina
Blackwood’s Absolutely 80’s” and “Nina Blackwood’s
New Wave Nation.”
NB: As much as I think
that video did not kill the radio star, satellite radio will not put “terrestrial radio” out of business. There
is a localized feel that you can only get from terrestrial radio and I love
that aspect of it. Over the last few years, terrestrial radio hasn’t
been using the power that it has to full advantage. If they had, people wouldn’t
be switching to satellite radio. I wish the powers-to-be wouldn’t keep
switching around their formats or not utilizing on-air talent by having the
station run by computer. Why should I listen to a station run by computer
when I can just set-up my i-Pod? The power is still there in terrestrial
radio, but it’s being misused. I still love it though and I’m
very proud of the two shows I have through the United Stations Radio Network. “Absolute
80’s” is more mainstream pop and rock, but not heavy rock. “New
Wave Nation” is really my cup of tea, going back into the late 70’s,
all of the 80’s, and into the 90’s. It’s new wave, punk,
and alternative. My website, www.ninablackwood.com, has a locator function
that will help people find stations in their market that carry my syndicated
radio shows.
RIL: You’re very involved these days with satellite radio,
which is still in its infancy. As one of the original five MTV VJs, you
were there
for its birth and you witnessed its growth. Compare the expectations you
had for MTV then with the expectations you have for satellite radio now.
NB:
Before I started on MTV, I was working on some video-music projects so I
thought video was going to catch on. I wasn’t certain that a music
channel that was on 24 hours a day would catch on. My expectations going
in were that of a gamble. I’ll try it for six months and if I don’t
like it I’ll leave. Five years later, I was still there. It was definitely
a wait-and-see attitude. Now, because of hindsight, I have bigger expectations
for satellite. Even on a personal level if I wasn’t working for satellite,
I just absolutely love radio. I’m in Los Angeles, the number two market,
and I couldn’t find decent music on the radio. I was so angry trying
to listen in my car to radio. Then satellite, and 160 stations came along,
and you can get anything you want. It’s wonderful. I’m not trying
to sell it, but it’s a no-brainer. Everybody should have it. If I wasn’t
working on satellite radio, I’d be really frustrated wishing that I
was.
RIL: Talk a little bit about the Sirius Satellite Radio channel “The
Big 80’s.”
NB: The original MTV
VJs: Myself, Martha Quinn, Alan Hunter, Mark Goodman, and of course J.J Jackson
in spirit because he would
have been with us, are
all together again on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel 8, “Big 80’s,” and
I think it’s great.
RIL: I haven’t jumped aboard with satellite radio yet, but
I hope I make the right decision on either XM or Sirius. I’m clueless
and I’m the same guy that chose Sony Beta over VHS, 8-track over
cassette, and laser disc over DVD.
NB: You
have to pick Sirius, of course that’s my answer. I’m
not one of the corporate guys so I don’t know if there will be a crossover
of channels down the road. God only knows where satellite radio is heading,
but you’d better jump aboard.
RIL: Bands in the 70’s and 80’s could have a live concert
aired on a nationally syndicated radio show like the King Biscuit Flower
Hour. Arbitron ratings and listener demographics allowed radio stations to
market themselves to bands who might in turn have an idea on the size and
shape of the audience their concert was reaching. Many bands that I’ve
interviewed acknowledge that having a concert aired over satellite radio
is great exposure, but they have no idea about the audience they are reaching.
Does satellite radio have an audience measurement system in place to provide
broadcast ratings?
NB: I read something recently
that an audience measurement system is going into motion. A ratings system
is definitely necessary.
For me personally,
I don’t even want to know if there are ratings unless they come in
and they are good. That way I can say I’m number one!
RIL: What other ways do satellite radio stations market themselves
to a band?
NB: The best angle to market to
musicians is very simple: exposure. That says enough. Satellite radio is
also less restrictive.
Artists can say what
they want and play what they want. In a way, it’s so sad that musicians
have become so business-savvy. I’m a child of the 60’s, where
musicians just wanted to play for the sake of their art.
RIL: That’s all of the questions I have for you Nina. Thanks again
for the honor of letting me interview you. Is there anything that I’ve
neglected to cover that you’d like to mention or promote?
NB:
No Dave, you’re very thorough and it’s been wonderful
talking with you. You and I have a passion for our music and I’m sure
that we could talk all day!
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NINA
BLACKWOOD
