Punishing Questions: Bowie on MTV's lack of diversity (1983)

[@papaluskask999]

There would be no rock'n'roll without black music.

[@cwdoby]

Rock and roll is black music

[@rayburt921]

Chuck berry

[@CaptainCrooner]

Nailed it!

[@walter-vq1fw]

I wish bowie knew this. He wouldve popped off more

[@jeffersonclippership2588]

@@rayburt921 and Little Richard

[@ZoeThomson00]

"Is the tape off?" OOF he did NOT like what Bowie said. YIKES.

[@fabriziomilcent3835]

Yikes

[@mulder006]

@@fabriziomilcent3835 What did he say AFTER the tape was off..

[@theodoretheelder6248]

Bowie's silence as Mark Goodman made a fool of himself was extremely Loud.

[@Caltops78]

Bowie just stares him down with a smirk while Mark tows the company line and bumbles through his answers.

[@paulbryden4006]

And he state whilst this man fumbles his awnser.

[@ryanal4923]

“We’re a rock n roll station and if we play black artists we wouldn’t be playing rock n roll” You remember a guy named Hendrix?

[@TheDrakebellcovers]

Black people created Rock & Roll!!!

[@darklordixor]

To be fair Hendrix didnt have a music video when MTV was starting and really only few artists had music videos.

[@candyDander]

The thing is, the guy kept naming all of these older acts. As if kids couldn't get into the trends current young Black artists were putting out. But, already we know they didn't want to put Black artists on their station. Glad Bowie pressed him. Never knew that he did that.

[@jamesmason8436]

@@TheDrakebellcovers whoever invented the electric guitar invented rock 'n' roll.

[@mikechilds7877]

Completely agree and Hendrix contributed so much for music. He opened up a whole new pathway! Bowie was a musical genius and and good for him on challenging this interview

[@viddrone]

What is sickening about this interview was the fact years earlier major black music artist(of that time) had already called out MTV's racist programming from the start. Artist like Rick James had tried to call for a boycott of some kind. That's why David Bowie seems so confident calling them out. Black artist had already rang the alarm and he was being a true ally. This is a perfect example of systemic bias/racism that hides behind protocols and policies. The one positive side of MTV's evil racism was that it pushed Michael Jackson and Prince to make Thriller long form video and Purple Rain movie.

[@starryeyedtarot8876]

Preach. He really demonstrates what it means to be a true ally in this war- fuck the bullshit, PERIOD (for lack of better words). If you see something, you say something, you do something, for silence is violence. We will overcome together and, hopefully, drain the swamp of those who refuse to live in a brother/sisterhood of (wo)mankind. #blacklivesmatter #blm

[@saffronjuice]

@@starryeyedtarot8876 Ew

[@ClearOutSamskaras]

+viddrone I always knew the Purple Rain movie or "movie" was simply a showcase for Prince. But I never knew or realized it was also a strategic and needed way to break from racist programming at MTV. Prince was taking Extreme Ownership long before that phrase became popular or even developed and known.

[@ClearOutSamskaras]

@@starryeyedtarot8876 Wow! I hope you can get a position at a University one day, a brand new title like: Virtue Signaller in Residence.

[@themadmattster9647]

I don’t know if they were being racist Vs going after their (expected at the time) demographic. But the scolding at the hands of Bowie probably helped push some of the biggest artists of all time become who they were. Things were more segregated music wise back then, which was a result of racism but I don’t think mtv were doing this consciously, the damage had already been done

[@vaughnresperjr]

Rock & Roll music IS black music.

[@fern5971]

Exactly!

[@AsianpopLover103197]

So you're telling me that in 1983 "NONE of the urban markets have been wired yet?" Even if that was true, do black people and other minorities only exist in Urban neighborhoods? You're telling me that there was not A SINGLE BLACK FAMILY lived in an American suburb by 1983???

[@reppinseattle7974]

Oh, so you heard that dog whistle too huh?

[@RomanZolanski123]

Pretty sickening.

[@OneRudeBoy]

I'm biracial Black/Scottish.. lived in Westchester, NY. Yes, up till 5th grade - I was the only representative Black American in the suburbs of Montrose, NY.

[@Loki1815]

So we had the Beatles refusing to play to a segregated audience in 1964, (not sure if American bands did the same) and here we have DB, sticking it to the man in 1983!

[@RomanZolanski123]

Times have changed both so quickly and so slowly.

[@mahkille282]

BOWIE: "Lets face it, the ground rules were laid in the beginning. There shouldnt HAVE to be a change".. GOODMAN: "Is the tape off?"

[@clarapilier]

"We only play Rock n' Roll." Sister Rosetta Tharpe most be rolling in her grave. Her sound defined Rock n' Roll. She was a black woman. Rock n' Roll is black. Most, if not all American music is or has some black influence. The Banjo, that musical instrument people like so much in country music and Folk was brought or invented by West African slaves.

[@stitch684]

@Damien Fuentes So who is Muddy Waters, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe??

[@jimbecarroll5780]

BUT YA SEE WHITE AMEIRCANS DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT. IT MEANS WE DID SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF THEIR THIN VEILED EXPECTATION OF US AS A PEOPLE AND A CULTUTRE. IT'S NOT IN THEIR INTEREST TO quantify or qualify us as a VIABLE SOURSE..OF ANYTHING REALLY ESPECIALLY IF IT'S THE ORIGIN OF SOMETHING THAT THEY TOOK FOR GRANTED AND DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS derived by an African American

[@goosequeen2144]

The one dislike is the interviewer.

[@dexstewart2450]

He was perfect - and the way Bowie gently took him to pieces was sublime

[@bogartwilley]

Dude got him some alt accounts now lol

[@cherylcovington6008]

Thank God Bowie EXPOSED MTV Racist show.

[@aryanna4614]

Bowie is not taking this bullshit. You can see just by the way he looks at him! So brave and righteous speaking up for black of representation in the music industry. Rest in Power Bowie

[@SecondWizards]

@Damien Fuentes you and MTV could get along.

[@safegourd]

“is the tape off?” no ❤️

[@doovde82]

The way they started zoomin in on David’s face because the camera man knew that man was finna spit some bullshit that was not going to be had lol

[@retro2161]

David Bowie was a very evolved human being so much so that he was a true Starman.

[@giovannicellini6481]

I didn't know about this interview. David acted like a perfect investigative journalist, and MTV admitted after this interviews they started to think about promoting black artists... Bowie is still full of surprises.

[@FoxyChariot]

I’m not sure what Bowie meant by “somebody laid down the ground rules in the beginning.” He either meant A) Some higher ups with ulterior movies are preventing black music from being played on MTV B) Black people literally laid the ground rules for the genres that white people are commonly associated with

[@pjetrs]

i understood it as A, that there is institutionalized racism in MTV

[@dylanhuculak8458]

Yeah, Bowie said that in response to the MTV guy explaining how difficult it would be to suddenly make a "left turn" and start playing black music. Bowie continued saying "there should be no reason it has to change", arguing it should have been that way in the first place, but somebody made a decision in the beginning to play music by white artists.

[@Samsoncomposer]

A

[@nclxmefozd6264]

Yep I definitely vote A 🤣

[@kaydgaming]

B

[@TallDocK]

Bless you David Bowie. Using his immense capital to call for change.

[@urbanninja313]

The fact that he says the whole thing laid out wrong in the first place tells you everything you need to know.

[@nikkhare5788]

This is one of the most important interviews in the history of the world.

[@starryeyedtarot8876]

THANK YOU so much for uploading this. Those last few moments that MTV edited out were crucial. Imagine how many other brilliant statements went unheard.

[@pires610]

I agree. I saw the MTV News version. The entire non edited version is very important. The Interviewer failed continuously at answering Bowies questions regarding lack of diversity at MTV. "Is the tape off yet?"

[@Darkassassin505]

So bowie knew that there was going to be something different other than rock that will dominate the music industry.....

[@spectrelex3051]

i mean, popular music changes. rock and roll could've possibly ruled forever

[@MikeRees]

Only gotta look at his catalogue to see that.

[@jeffersonclippership2588]

I'm really curious to see what comes next when hip hop stops being dominant

[@gotrac8121]

@@jeffersonclippership2588 I don't know. It's so weird since rap as we know it today is effectively a prog genre. Proof of that being rap could have easily split in two during the late 2010s when uzi and them came.

[@EldestSauce]

it was called disco

[@vaughnresperjr]

When David was talking about a Black station, he was probably talking about BET's Video Soul.

[@therealsoulproduct]

Sure was. In fact, BET is older than MTV by a year, but it was only limited to certain hours in the beginning.

[@anncarter82]

“Is the tape off?” David Bowie ate him up and he knew it. I wonder what the interviewer thinks today.

[@univon4892]

Absolutely You mean Mark Goodman?

[@samlaskowski9537]

Bowie smelled their bullshit when he doesnt stop smiling.

[@rickhall4855]

He wasn’t feeling that bs the interviewer was trying to sell!

[@HighlandMike325]

"Inaudible", think she said AOR - (adult orientated rock)

[@IronMan3582]

We did not deserve to be in the same plane of existence as Bowie was, for him to take initiative and talk about this point blank in a time when no one else was asking these questions is nothing short of incredible. What he did for music on and off the mic is an example that everyone else should follow.

[@EiriUesugiKun]

well .. still we were. And I am happy about it. :)

[@ArcherSuh4721]

I wonder how many times Bowie asked radio stations about this and got the same response, "We play what the audience likes and we know what the audience likes because it's what we play."

[@davidbrunson3219]

same old garbage!(rolls my eye!)

[@travis2333]

Man, when Mark started speaking about viewer demographics across the US he started digging a fucking HOLE. David was so smooth in this interview! He was amazing.

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

Yes. Yet another reason I love this guy (yes present tense), it's fashionable now but before Bowie met or married Iman, he was calling this crap out. A true South London boy, we don't stand for that racist $h!t. Good on you Bowie. We love you, we miss you, everyone says hi.

[@edalder2000]

Bowie was always a searcher and chameleon. He would understand how African American artists laid the ground for popular music. Those artists getting ignored and white artists making money off of that previous work is an oft repeated story.

[@davidbrunson3219]

exactly...and so true...I loved Bowie's Philadelphia Soul albums he was putting out in the mid 70's(Young Americans, Station To Station) he was heavily influenced by it and put together a good band for that music...he had Carlos Alomar in the group(from The Main Ingredient) and a young Luther Vandross as one of the background vocalists. And legendary producer Nile Rogers while not really having any music videos of his own(or none from Chic as I believe the group was non existent and died with the other disco-ish groups by MTV's time) was the brains' behind yet another great Bowie album with"Let's Dance" as he also was the mastermind behind a lot of great 80's albums ranging from Madonna, Duran Duran, The Power Station, and leftover disco artusts/groups like Diana Ross, Village People and Sister Sledge)

[@TorEtCetera]

That laugh David laughed was not one of humour. He’s like “who are these idiots...”

[@me-ub4lh]

He asked the questions and just observed while that fool ended himself. Artful and real. RIP to a real one

[@ahairdryer8941]

4:39 omg he looked so angry, even when he smiled-

[@charleslennonbaker]

We are witnessing a pop legend transition into a reporter, investigator, and quasi-barrister (prosecutor) right before our eyes, with the grace and charm of a gentleman.

[@MsWildberry1]

Rest in Love special David Bowie. Beautiful on the outside, and even more beautiful inside.🎼🎼🎼💜🖤💜🎼🎼🎼

[@regosen]

When at the end she said “RNB station or (inaudible)” the inaudible part was “AOR station” (Album-Oriented Rock)

[@johndoyle4416]

In 2024, there is a music channel for practically every genre, but literally no diversity in the music charts. When I was growing up, there was collaborations between Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, Philip Bailey and Phil Collins and McCartney and Michael Jackson. It is difficult to imagine collaborations like this today, and that is a shame.

[@blackmagician7645]

🤣Ha-haah-! Bowie brought receipts- get em David!

[@k-leb4671]

Man, what an enthralling interview. David's a pretty damn good interviewer.

[@KevinGloverpost24]

Shout out to the legend David Bowie his looks are priceless!

[@Noname304y2u2]

Hjs points are razor sharp. Such a eloquent man.

[@deesteve4156]

Keep in mind this is before rap, before gangsta rap...Black artist made the same music as every other race which was rock, pop, and rnb, artist like Whitney Houston, Luther vandross, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, prince, so literally there was no reason not to play other than racial bias which is wack, artists listed above are some of the top selling artists of all time, so literally there is no excuse except weak people doing weak sh!t....Don't be a bigot a black surgeon could save your life one day , or rescue your child from a fire , bigotry is silly!✌️

[@mulder006]

" Walter Yetnikoff, president of CBS Records Group, reportedly had to threaten to remove all other CBS videos from MTV before the network agreed to air the video for “Billie Jean.”

[@evied206]

this interviewer seems very flustered

[@denvercarlstrom8874]

"Is the tape off..."

[@mothvile]

This guy thinks he handled it well but he made it more obvious that they were against playing black artists

[@davidbrunson3219]

As Toni Basil would sing in her famous "Mickey" song(which would get hordes of airplay then) "You(or rather "He") think you got the right/but I think you("he") got it wrong! LOL

[@cerealscerealscereals]

*zoom* *”interesting”*

[@barbarajones6244]

An interesting and excellent interview!!

[@maxinesobers2606]

Whats being said is 'We don't want to alienate or offend our white audience, because our society is divisive, we've made ourself comfortable with this reality of institutional racialism, which is rational and above questioning.❤🇬🇧

[@jalensmith7436]

mtv wanted you to wake up one day like "woah...when'd the black people get here"

[@alexeilindes7507]

BLM

[@thedarklordnero]

Utter legend

[@EiriUesugiKun]

This video needs more views. :)

[@badgequeen]

Rock and roll - cultural appropriation from rhythm and blues, right?

[@CaptainCrooner]

Rock n roll was developed by the black artists themselves with Goree Carter and Wynonie Harris finally consolidating the style. At that time it was just r&b played faster which the white artists replicated. So rock n roll as a genre itself isn't the result of cultural appropriation.

[@TheDrakebellcovers]

Rock n Roll is black music. It was created by black artists.

[@danielhernandez2575]

And perfected by whites

[@bruiseviolet1992]

@@danielhernandez2575 y do u think that

[@JaySmith-wo3di]

@@danielhernandez2575 LMAOOOOO. Not even slightly.

[@jordil6152]

“Well as a music channel, our content is provided by the record labels. Our criteria comes down to quality of the video as well as the music. As a major recording artist, would you mind discussing who finances your videos and whether or not this money is distributed to black recording artists equally so that they can produce music videos to compete with the label’s white artists?” Of course, the interviewer didn’t say this, but it would have made a good rebuttal. But I can’t imagine MTV ever hired for brains.

[@EFunkRock]

That’s a question for the record executives, not the artists.

[@riccorich]

BET came out almost two years before MTV....

[@jimbecarroll5780]

Scared to DEATH by PR🎸NCE !! THE MIND-SET THEN THE SMALL MINDEDNSS THAT PREVAILED ...AND NOW EVEN MORE SINCE 2016

[@davidbrunson3219]

Yeah how could anyone be scared to death of Prince! Oh Gosh, talk about a guy who lived breathed, ate drink, slept smelled felt, look(if you could) at music. That guy was ALWAYS doing something musical. Self taught all his instruments, wrote, produced, arranged, performed all music(and his musical movies) put together tons of bands, he was a music mogul who ran a music empire...and "ppl" were scared to death of him...gosh GMAFB...talk about small minededness. When can ppl ever bitch about something that is serious AF and needs to change and is harmful to others than stupid little crap because it "bugs or offends them" I mean there's wars and cancer/illnesses but that never phases anyone...no wonder this world would make even a place called hell pleasurable(at least we'd have heat all year round) as far as I'm concerned, Hell only exists everyday right here because of mindless *fooks* like them1

[@Salsadivva]

2:09 Scared to death of Prince when, during that time, K.I.S.S was in its heyday?

[@gregevans6649]

is the tape off.there u go

[@dean4553]

King shit

[@mbooth6237]

By “black station on television” was Bowie referring to BET? I wonder. Anyway I love how he spoke his mind and opinion about this issue. But I feel he should have ask these questions to the network and not the employee that worked there aka the interviewer. Wasn’t that interviewer simply a VJ? I wonder what would Martha Quin’s answer would have been if it was her being questioned. Anyway, great video and damn that Bowie was legit!!! RIP DB #withDavidBowie

[@gregorybrian]

He asked those questions to the interviewer because he knew the higher-ups were going to end up seeing it. David knew how the game is played. If there’s no seat at the table for your voice, you put yourself ONTO the table so that they can’t HELP but hear your voice.

[@jacquiew.9165]

I think it was BET. That was the only station around at the time.

[@kristil5394]

Gregory; you are right 👍 But wouldn’t it be awesome if DB or any artist, (who has the same views about this topic matter) on hot seat who ever was the head honcho at MTV And asked him or her that question. I wonder what he/her/them would have answered.

[@mrchopsticks3]

I feel bad or Mark Goodman. He didn't make the decisions. Bowie should have saved his questions for the producers.

[@davidbrunson3219]

i do agree there....but would he have been allowed to speak to producers or just to do the interview...man these were really dark times!

[@IronheartvsMiles]

Dont feel bad for a racist

[@michaellamb134]

The 1 dislike, show yourself 👀

[@christinegivens9048]

Wow. ❤

[@libertyordeath555]

The host is insane considering the Stones, Zepplin, Floyd,Aerosmith,Beatles..etc all grew up listening to & being influenced by "black blues & rock" artists. See Times life history of rock n roll.

[@EiriUesugiKun]

He is correct though.. No?

[@candyDander]

❤️

[@LeviUlysses-mp5wg]

MTV guys words “ we can only teach a little bit of a time you know, but we’re moving that direction.” Bowie “I understand that answer” people that think the mtv host is racist arnt listening to the same interview

[@RomanZolanski123]

He’s definitely racially ignorant and also probably trying not to get fired. By the way the “I understand that answer” was shade.

[@Codex7777]

He was asked if he thought what the interviewer had said was a valid point. After a deliberate pause, Bowie replied, 'I understand your point of view' emphasising 'understand'. In other words, he understood it but didn't agree with it.

[@Ms.Laterholmes5253]

Love this man you go Bowie sticking it to the man there’s no excuse for not showing black artist I mean you’ve gotta be joking are you have to do is Cal tile down and say you know you’re right we’re sorry we’re gonna change it… I mean seriously where would music be another thing white people did not invent so stop trying to take it over.

[@cruzdeleon1888]

This MF actually said " Scared of black faces" in Midwest ‼️

[@PAClark101]

This interview and Bowie’s response lack a general understanding of the time. In the early 80s MTV was an experiment. It catered to middle class American kids. The song list of choice was Rock and Roll and New Wave. Bowie is fortunate that he was playing what was considered to be New Wave at the time. He got airplay on MTV. What Mark tried to explain is they had a target demographic. R&B and Disco were not it. Neither was Country music. It all had to do with the target demographic. Bowie is not getting this. He was trying to advocate all genres being played. But MTVs bread and butter was Rock and Roll in its various forms. And remember, there was a heavy Disco Sucks sentiment at the time of the early 80s. You didn’t see the Bee Gees or Abba videos either. Those artist were white. The racism calls on this interview lack a general understanding of what was popular at the time and who the target audience was. The same could be said about Soul Train. In the early 80s bands like Devo and even David Bowie were not featured on Soul Train. Nobody said it was racist. It was a genre choice not to feature them. Later in the 80s MTV expanded because artists like Prince and Michael Jackson became mainstream and a safe bet. It had to do with their music becoming popular. Not what color they were. They became part of the target demographic because of their broad appeal. Even Rap videos got air time in the late 80s. But again, MTV started with Rock and Roll. I like David Bowie, but he had no understanding of the US music market at the time. He happened to fit into it. But MTV was not trying to cater to all genres in the early 80s. It was still a fairly new concept and it catered to a specific genre. Even great Dance music like Italo didn’t make it to MTV in the US. Most of those artists were white and European. Again, retrospectively, I get what Bowie is trying to say. But the reality is his idea would have sunk MTV in the early 80s. It was not a free for all of all genres. Calling MTV racist in the early 80s lacks a big picture understanding of the US music industry at the time. And in the end, MTV needed viewers to exist. Playing every type of genre would not have worked for them. It was a decade switch. Disco was not popular and R&B was not the target genre.

[@davidbrunson3219]

Ah, technically though David Bowie DID in fact appear on an old episode of ST back in the 70's and so did a few(but just a handful not too much) like Elton John, Gino Vannelli and Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers. but yes I do understand ST was generally "Blackish" in different terms and MTV predominantly "Whitish"...I will go on and say that MTV only got better as more musical choices were offered!

[@tobycleo]

Bowie needed to look at the fact MTV was new! and showcased allot of British artists that would never have gotten aireplay before! also new wave! it was new and trying a new format!! Hry they didn't play christopher cross or ABBA. they didn't play Jim Croce,, james taylor either so what!

[@EiriUesugiKun]

But they played a lot of ABBA...

[@linearbrkdwnbro8714]

Lmao. Rubbish.

[@linearbrkdwnbro8714]

Fork Tongue

[@conc8888]

?

[@meIatonin]

Huh

[@borponoida9161]

What?

[@eldigan431]

twat

[@raykarena4595]

Bowie asking uncomfortable questions, awesome .... And then in the 90s hip hop arrived karma...

[@smoothpants]

I remember when this first aired, but I never saw the last minute or so. Wow