I want my MTV!

I am a young guy. 26 years old. I don't really feel old, and in fact I feel younger than my age most of the time. However, there are a handful of things that make me feel the perspective of my age. One of these things is MTV.

It seems like MTV used to be for all ages when it first came out. Crusty old rockers, as well as young teenagers were captivated by the new music video format. Now, when I watch some of those old early 80's videos, they're so incredibly cheesey, I can't believe they were on TV. They seemed so fun and charming. At the time, they were "edgy". And, as a kid, I used to watch MTV when I wasn't supposed to! I remember watching Michael Jackson videos when they were new! I know, it seems like an eternity ago.

Then, there was the middle school phase. This was the phase when MTV got much darker. They were showing Metallica, and grundge hit the scene. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Green Day, and a whole host of heavy metal and early 90's alternative videos ruled MTV. Late night MTV was filled with an array of low budget, and absolutely bizarre animated shows and theme shows. Not the least of which was Beavis and Butthead. Then, Dr. Dre made a little video called "G Thang", and the world was changed forever. (Or, at least pop culture changed!) Now, the gangsta rap video was mainstream. All of these developments seemes monumental to my young mind. In retrospect, it seems impossible that my parents, and my friends' parents, were pretty much completely oblivious to these giant shifts in pop culture.

I enjoyed MTV when I was in high school, somewhat. It got a bit stale to me my junior and senior years of high school. I never got into "Puff Daddy" videos, and rock never recovered from the loss of grundge.

Now, at age 26, MTV seems quite foreign to me. I mean, I enjoy "Cribs", I vaguely liked "Ozzbournes" during its prime. And now, I have to admit, I have occassionally watched (and laughed at) Laguna Beach. But, for the most part, most MTV shows are really boring to me. What was once edgy has now swelled into a worldwide corporation. There are no real shows on MTV anymore that are that bold, or dark, like the early 90's. I guess I'm just getting old.

Everyone on there looks so young. TRL, a show that screams "after school entertainment", is filled with a studio audience of fifteen year old screaming girls. And, I'm pretty sure I'm older than every VJ on there. Exit Carson Daly, enter new generation of mediocre MTV puppets. They're all fairly bland, and their clothes look more like costumes than "cool" hipster rock clothes. I don't know any of the bands on the countdown, and I rarely know any of the guests that visit the show. Truly, the MTV train has left without me in recent years.

Gone are the days of home video camera quality videos, and obscure late-night shows. Am I getting old?