PopClips

Last updated
PopClips
Genre Music television
Created by Michael Nesmith
Developed by Michael Nesmith
William Dear
Directed by William Dear
Presented by Howie Mandel
Jack Armstrong
Jeff Michalski
Charles Fleischer
Bill Martin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
Production
Executive producer Michael Nesmith
Producer Jac Holzman
Running time30 minutes
Production company Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment
Original release
Network Nickelodeon
Release1980 (1980) 
1981 (1981)
Related

PopClips is a music video television program, the direct predecessor of MTV. [1]

Former Monkee Mike Nesmith conceived the first music-video program as a promotional device for Warner Communications' record division. Production began in the spring of 1979 at SamFilm, a sound-stage built and operated in Sand City, California by Sam Harrison, a Monterey Peninsula College instructor with a motion picture background. The series was produced by Jac Holzman.

With an infinity cyclorama as the background, set flats were made from the Styrofoam packing used to ship laserdisc players and 3/4" video decks. The first "VeeJay" was Jeff Michalski. The director was William Dear. Besides Harrison, the production team was made up of Bruce "Buz" Clarke, Keith Cornell, Marybeth Harris, and Leslie Chacon.

The program was broadcast weekly on the youth-oriented cable television channel Nickelodeon in late 1980 and early 1981. The channel's owners at the time, Warner Cable, wanted to buy the name and idea, but instead, according to Dear, "they just watered down the idea and came up with MTV."

PopClips was preceded by the video Elephant Parts (which won the first ever Grammy Award for Music Video), [2] and followed by a second series titled Television Parts , both of which Nesmith hosted and produced.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MTV</span> American cable television channel

MTV is an American cable television channel. It was officially launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Nesmith</span> American musician, songwriter, and actor (1942–2021)

Robert Michael Nesmith was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the Monkees and co-star of their TV series of the same name (1966–1968). His songwriting credits with the Monkees include "Mary, Mary", "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "Tapioca Tundra", "Circle Sky" and "Listen to the Band". Additionally, his song "Different Drum" became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Monkees</span> American rock and pop band

The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of the television show of the same name, the Monkees were one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s. With international hits, four chart-topping albums and three chart-topping songs, they sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micky Dolenz</span> American musician and actor (born 1945)

George Michael Dolenz Jr. is an American musician and actor. He was the drummer and one of two primary vocalists for the pop rock band the Monkees, and a co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). After the death of Michael Nesmith on December 10, 2021, Dolenz is the last surviving member of the band.

A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. These videos are typically shown on music television and on streaming video sites like YouTube, or more rarely shown theatrically. They can be commercially issued on home video, either as video albums or video singles. The format has been described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip", "film clip", "video clip", or simply "video".

<i>Head</i> (film) 1968 film directed by Bob Rafelson

Head is a 1968 American satirical musical adventure film written and produced by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, directed by Rafelson, starring television rock group the Monkees and distributed by Columbia Pictures. A theatrical spin-off of the 1966–68 NBC television show and a swan song, it started production directly after completion of series production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jac Holzman</span> American businessman (born 1931)

Jac Holzman is an American music businessman, the founder, chief executive officer and head of record label Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records. Holzman helped commercially launch the CD and home video formats, as well as the pilot program which became MTV. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Elephant Parts is a collection of comedy sketches and music videos made in 1981 by Michael Nesmith, formerly of the Monkees. Nesmith produced the video through his company Pacific Arts. Elephant Parts is one hour long with parody commercials and comedy sketches, and features five full-length music videos, including the popular songs "Rio" and "Cruisin'", which featured wrestler Steve Strong and Monterey-based comic "Chicago" Steve Barkley.

<i>Radio with Pictures</i> New Zealand TV series or program

Radio with Pictures was an early music video programme, airing on New Zealand broadcaster TV2 from 1976 to 1989. "RadPix" aired as a weekly, late night series featuring adult and alternative music.

<i>Pool It!</i> 1987 studio album by the Monkees

Pool It! is the tenth studio album by American pop rock band the Monkees, released in August 1987 by Rhino Records. It was the first Monkees studio album of new material since Changes in 1970 and the first Monkees album to feature Peter Tork since the 1968 Head soundtrack.

<i>Justus</i> (album) 1996 studio album by the Monkees

Justus is the eleventh studio album by the Monkees. The album was recorded in celebration of their 30th anniversary and released on October 15, 1996. It features the return of Michael Nesmith to the group.

<i>Nick Rocks</i> American TV series or program

Nick Rocks: Video to Go, usually shortened to Nick Rocks, was a music video television series that aired on American cable channel Nickelodeon from 1984 to 1989. It featured pop and rock music videos over a 30-minute timeframe, presented in a countdown format. The show was typically hosted by a man identified on-air as "Joe from Chicago". Most episodes feature Joe traveling to various locations to hear viewers request specific music videos. Several guest hosts were featured over the program's run, such as The Monkees and They Might Be Giants.

Music television is a type of television programming which focuses predominantly on playing music videos from recording artists, usually on dedicated television channels broadcasting on satellite, cable, or Streaming Platforms.

Michael Nesmith in Television Parts is a summer TV series run by NBC in 1985. It was a 30-minute comedy-variety series created by Michael Nesmith as a continuation of his Grammy Award-winning video production Elephant Parts, and earlier series PopClips. The first episode was a stand-alone television special which aired on March 7, 1985. The following series premiered on June 14, 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cable Music Channel</span> Former American cable TV channel

The Cable Music Channel (CMC) was an American basic cable channel that was owned by the Turner Broadcasting System. The all-music video channel was created by Ted Turner and launched in 1984, providing the first national competition to MTV. Turner later stated that the channel existed at the behest of the cable industry as a defense mechanism against MTV's unsuccessful attempts to increase the fees that cable providers paid to carry the channel by twofold; Turner offered the channel without any carriage fees.

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees is a one-hour comedy special broadcast on the ABC Network on Monday February 17, 1997. The program features all four of the original Monkees and was the last time Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork appeared together in a new television show. The program was written and directed by Mike Nesmith.

<i>The Monkees</i> (TV series) American sitcom (1966–1968)

The Monkees is an American television sitcom that first aired on NBC for two seasons, from September 12, 1966, to March 25, 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as a rock 'n roll band. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series television and won two Emmy Awards in 1967, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The program ended in 1968 at the finish of its second season and has received a long afterlife through Saturday morning repeats and syndication, as well as overseas broadcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Arts Corporation</span> American media company

The Pacific Arts Corporation, Inc. is a company formed by Michael Nesmith circa 1974 to manage and develop media projects.

"Rio" is a song written and sung by American musician Michael Nesmith. Included on his 1977 album From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing, it was released as a single. Although the single was not a hit in the US, "Rio" became Nesmith's most successful solo single in other countries.

References

  1. Lewis, Randy (February 7, 1992). "Nesmith Was Also a Music Video Pioneer". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  2. The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll (1995) ISBN   0-684-81044-1