Performance-enhancing thugs

( Steroids and baseball )

I imagine there are other arguments, as well as criticisms of my own, and I'd be happy to hear and respond to them.

Have at me.

Nostalgia

I miss music videos.

Most were dull and uninspired -- glorified concert video, uninspired shots of the band from funky angles in some exotic location, banal love stories, or an excuse to show a lot of hot chicks (which is OK). But if you liked the song, you watched the video anyway. And then, on occasion, they served as great little backdrops for storytelling (Mike and the Mechanics -- "All I Need Is A Miracle", A-ha -- "Take On Me"), as strangely compelling experimental films (Peter Gabriel -- "Sledgehammer", New Order -- "True Faith"), or as a short four-minute oddity featuring Chevy Chase pretending to be Paul Simon. Despite all the dreck -- or maybe because of it -- it became a real pleasure to suddenly encounter something original and creative, or just plain weird.

I used to leave MTV on in the background while I did my homework. For I while, I went through a phase where I would pop a tape in the VCR and record my favorite videos. I taped Al-TV, and reveled when the man created and ate such concoctions as a hot dog and vanilla ice cream sandwich.

I miss VJs -- of whom I can only remember Martha Quinn (who I thought was cute) and "Downtown" Julie Brown (who I thought was unfortunate). I miss that MTV would start counting down the premiere of a big video days in advance. I miss Kurt Loder on MTV News, as serious -- though perhaps not as self-important -- as a 'real' anchorman. I remember, embarrasingly, Remote Control, hosted by Ken Ober and Colin Quinn, and which, sadly, gave Adam Sandler his start.

I have a few of these collections, and like them a lot. But somehow part of the enjoyment I got out of the videos that I loved was the fact that they were inflicted on me -- as if for one moment, someone knew exactly what it was that I wanted to experience, and sent it my way.