One photo. One memory. One thing to pass on to a kid. Then we’re gone till Thursday.
For those of us without cable, Friday night was the hook‑up. For one hour, kids with five channels and kids with MTV were watching the same thing.
MTV launched in 1982, and for a couple of years I was biking over to Erik’s house (he had cable — MTV and Showtime) to catch every video so I didn’t fall behind.
Then NBC announced Friday Night Videos. Videos were now on regular TV, for those of us living on NBC, CBS, ABC, the local channel (shout-out KMSP-9), and PBS. For a minute, it felt like they’d landed a man on the moon, just for us.
On those Friday nights, we were all equals. I didn’t have to head to Erik’s to see Peter Gabriel; I could just flip on Channel 10 and be right there with everyone else.
Homework Assignment
Tell a kid about rushing to get to the video store before 5 to return the tape and avoid a late fee, only to find out you didn’t rewind it.
See ya next Thursday.
-SMCoaT crew
