Thursday, May 8, 2008

TV Party





I've been enjoying Pitchfork.TV's latest One Week Only feature about a TV show on a NY cable channel from 1978 to 1982 called TV Party, and it looked like a lot of fun to those involved (like regular contributors Blondie and Jean-Michel Basquiat). Congrats to anybody who has heard of more than 5 acts in part 4, Blondie doesn't count.

13 comments:

steenbeck said...

I saw that Pitchfork is looking for a director of photography. That would be a fun job!

ejaydee said...

Weren't you looking for a job?

steenbeck said...

Yeah, but I don't have the skills or the experience or the equipment. If they were shooting on 16mm film, maybe, but I don't know anything about professional video equipment.

steenbeck said...

I love TV Party! It's almost dadaist--the completely incomprehensible interview, the blurry shots of the tops of people's heads. Wonderful production values. That's what TV should look like. And Mick Jones!! Wild Thing played on an accordian!!

ejaydee said...

I know of a NY cable TV show with a woman in a way-too revealing G-string leotard. She's got long crazy blonde hair and sunglasses I think. That's all I can remember unfortunately.

Blimpy said...

i did like the accordian wild thing, i don't think the others stood the test of time - blondie sounded bloody awful in a brill way.

Blimpy said...

apart from DNA, i think they were in Downtown 81, another great document of that era in NY.

ejaydee said...

I loved the bit when they get abused by callers, and Basquiat, and their unanimous opinion of the direction, which seems to be the opposite of Steenbeck.

Blimpy said...

i am now going to watch the whole thing, i watched part one a few days ago, but got distracted.

(steen - modern video equipment is a piece of cake, it really is, i've only worked on productions using film a couple of times and it seemed like such a pain in the behind to me; 3 times as slow, and CHECK THE GATE, CHECK THE GATE!!! aaaaaarrrgh)

steenbeck said...

Wait, how is that opposite of me?

ejaydee said...

Well it seems like they couldn't watch the show on TV because it was sometimes too wobbly and zoom-y, but it looked like you liked it. (alliteration madness!)

steenbeck said...

Ah yes, I do love wobbly and zoomy. I'm sick of slick and cheesy. And now you're a member of the alliterati!

Blimpy said...

i love alliteration, i gave my son an allitical name, not unlike a super hero's cover identity.