"Life on the V: The Story of V66" Teaser Trailer (2008)

[Underbellyish]

Keep it going! I was a card carrying member of SPIT before it became The Metro. Something like that. Saw Lou Reed at the Rat (my roommate waited tables there), was on line in Harvard Square the other day behind Cam from the Prime Movers (another roommate dated him) and The Atlantics, The Cars. Keep me posted! <3

[Paneeks1960]

Aerosmith at the Lynn Bowl. There was a live V-66 broadcast but I sort of remember the broadcast sounding horrendous that day. The idea was awesome and at that time it was very cool because no one else was doing it. But hearing a band like Aerosmith coming out of my 3 inch tweeter TV speaker was no way to listen to them. But if wasn't for the V, the only ones who would have seen them were the ticket holders.

[musicmuseumofne]

February 12, 1985 - V66 goes on the air. Happy anniversary! Search Google for the Music Museum of New England and check out the V66 entry!

[gash666]

Wow, that brings back memories!

[greenhouse1314]

@cheddah1918.....You are correct! I just watched it and wow, haven't seen that for at least 25 years!

[Kitsuneranger]

Please release this on Netflix Instant Stream so EVERYONE can see it!

[guinnes842]

yea there were only a few channels on tv in boston and then this bomb dropped when i was 8 or 9..... I still remember seeing the girls side boob in the madame butterfly video LOL

[greenhouse1314]

Does anyone remember the video that had a blue background with a bunch of wooden people figures??? I know it's really vague, but it was one of the first videos I remember every seeing on this channel. For some reason I think it was YES, but I'm probably wrong!

[cheddah1918]

@greenhouse1314  I think the song you are thinking about is 'We Close Our Eyes' by Go West.

[VivSavage]

Remember when even the lamest bands could prosper because of a great video? Thank you, MTV and VH1 for making music videos nothing more than a sentimental memory.

[MobiusBandwidth]

those were the days...

[Ufosrcool24]

HAHAHA, I can't believe I'm saying this but-

0:15-0:31 is my dad lol.

[Ufosrcool24]

@Ufosrcool24 Actually 0:40 :P

[SharksInTheGenePool]

This makes me want to kill myself. Twice.

[bolskyrocks]

V66 = MASS "Do you love me"

[smith123]

Wicked in Worcester!

[dtension]

Big V66 reunion at the House of Blues in Boston on feb 11 2010!

[tenfortyseven]

i had the biggest crush on david o'leary

[captainmelio]

Lizzie Borden and the Axes, Dogmatics, Til Tuesday with Voices Carry. It was all good. Oh, and Doo-wah Diddy and World Dance Party by the Fools. "Bring your boss to the party! World Dance Party!"

[DragonLord1975]

I WISH V66 would make a TRIUMPHANT comeback. All MTV and VH1 are is reality shows now!

Screw MTV...I want my V!

[davej463]

Good luck with making the documentary.

[Mattytars]

Time to bring V66 back.  A station that shows only 80s videos!

[mespada4940]

I remember V66 when they video in the 80's.

[mrmuffer69]

V66 was awesome. This video brings back so many great memories, including V66 day at Whalom Park. Miss all the great VJ's, Perry, Mary Jo, Tracey, Ian, John and all the others. Can't wait to see the whole story.

[GrandWebmaster]

altroval suggested below that the business case could not work. Clearly, the idea of a video radio station was doomed. I am not certain, however, if that was Garabedian and Ginsburg actually intended that. They created a television station that drew people up the UHF dial past 56 (Boston's highest channel before) and sold it to Home Shopping for big coin. It was a great success in that regard.

[skiggley]

Well...Channel 68 (WQTV) existed before WVJV back in 1979...so V66 wasn't the highest UHF channel.

[coordinatezero]

I first heard/saw the Smiths on the V --- eMpTV wouldn't touch 'em then. I would come home from school every day and turn on V66 hoping to see "How Soon is Now?" (or Digney Fignus' "Girl with the Curious Hand", actually...)

[TimmyTickle]

"eMpTV" What does that mean?

[coordinatezero]

"MTV" = eMpTV = empty -V = empty of anything reasonable at the time.

[RanetkiFan]

Does anyone have any video on RI based band HI-BEAMS from RI that came in 2nd in the 1982 WBCN Rock and roll rumble?

[altroval]

V66 was fantastic. It was the ultimate mid-80s Boston "Welfare Burger" (if you get the reference).

The business case, though, could not succeed for V66 - and it didn't succeed for MTV, either. Right around the time WVJV was gradually surrendering its air time to the Home Shopping Network, MTV was being forced to introduce non-music video programming to stay afloat.

V66 broadened my musical horizons, though, and for that I'll forever be grateful.

[dagdogg]

John Garebedian is currently hosting the nationally syndicated "Open House Party" radio show from 7PM-12AM eastern on Saturday nights.

[maxell07c0]

\m/

[arod138]

Boy that's amazing, I was Ft Devens 1985-1986, and that was a huge part of our lives in the barracks, or when we would go into Leominster or Boston and rent a hotel room and have beer bashes off base, V-66 was always on.  A-ha, Level 42, ABC, The Dream Academy, boy V-66 was the sound track to those all important ages, 18-19, first time away from home in the Army days....thank you!

[3goatees]

me too, we watched V-66 in the barracks @ Naval Air Station south Weymouth, from '85 - '88. we had cable in weymouth and V-66 was on

[SweetSweetWaldo]

Thank for posting this. I have such sweet memories of V66. I wasn't old enough to go out clubbing (and when I was, I found the Boston scene provincial and full of crummy garage bands, and it still is, sorry) but it was magic when I was 16!

[DJPaulV]

OOOMMMGG!

And they even had quick shots of Ball & Pivot, The Drive etc. WOW WOW!

[charmedcripchic]

this takes me back to my high school years

this station was way better than mtv or vh1

miss v66 very much

[UncleChato]

Hail V 66. You gave Lake Systems some busniess. It was fun.

[Herr2Cents]

They really did not have a very good format other than catching a small wave of the video revolution. I didn't think Arty was the guy to lead this revolution. God bless him,but I never could relate to him when he showed up on screen.

It was a sin that it did not make it here in Boston. I look forward to seeing what went wrong. Kinda like watching a fire.

[telengardo]

Wow, this was nostalgia overload.  Can't wait to see the whole thing.

[hereyougo03]

this was a GREAT station

[Dhalgren01]

Oh awesome. It was doomed to failure, but it gave my rabbit-eared bedroom TV a new lease on life. Fantastic work!

[Glacene]

omg omg omg, I loved v66 so much! I remember waiting for that a ha video to come on. Thanks so much for this :D

[Comicgirl8]

OMG!!! I had a portable tv in my room, and this was the ONLY channel I could get!! I miss v66 SO much!!! Thanks for posting this!!!

[jeb12blur]

I can't believe this! We didn't get cable in Bridgewater until late 86, so V66 was my only way to watch videos...it came in like crap, but I watched it constantly. I used to call in...didn't they have a "Video Vote" thing? I was 15 at the time and LOVED Mary Jo...She was SOOOO 80's hot! I wonder what ever happened to her...?

[EmiOfBrie]

o/~ I'm out of touch

Out of touch with yooouuuuuu!! o/~

OMG I remember that song now, and how much I loved it! I haven't heard it since the 80s!

And I preferred V66 to MTV! :) I like stations with local appeal! I only wish I was able to receive it better in P-town.

[KidAJonni]

Oh yea and also i'll always remember when they played "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears For Fears constantly , and i mean constantly, hehe

If they came on the air in 2/85, then i must of just started watching it at that time because it was early 85 when i 1st watched this station.

[KidAJonni]

I remember when i was a teenager, i called in at V66 to make a request and Mary Jo took my call live on the air. I remember the operator or whoever it was at the V said to me "'now remember, dont say things like your mother wears combat boots", lol.

Ill always remember that V66 station ID and one video ill always remember that i dont see anymore , even VH1 Classic doesnt even show was The Vels "Look My Way" video.

[PatchworkDream]

I had SUCH a crush on David O'Leary-he was on Kiss, right?

I LOVEd this show-My area didn't have cable yet(imagine that) so MTV was out of the question-V66 was my link to Rock Video and showed me music I had grown to appreciate-2 Video's I remember John Garabedian(remember the Tickets if you knew the video?) That's how I won my tickets to see aerosmith as I recognized Y & T's -Summertime Girls.

I never won the V66 leather coat-I wanted it soooooo bad

[capnquirky]

U68 Newark was way cooler. :)

[KazamaSmokers]

I think Perry Stone does the TV evangelist thing these days.

[thesicksadworld]

i would give anything to see that aerosmith at the manning bowl show. one of the greatest afternoons of my life

[QuincyDan]

I will be looking out for this film. V66 came out my senior year of HS, and thanks to the fact I got up at the crack of dawn to see some videos, I was never late for school! Thanks for posting it!

[titaniclady1]

David O'leary was SO CUTE!

[gjelpd001]

and v66 had aerosmith live at the manning bowl. and live aid!

new man was great. cant find that vid on you tube though.

[gjelpd001]

i remember the last sunday hour of v66 with garabedian. he had one of the phone girls, erin from i think framingham. when it turned up as hsn there was erin with a southern drawl. groan.

[gjelpd001]

god i love mary jo!

[gjelpd001]

glorious!

[shaggycub]

man, this takes me back. Back then, my family didn't have cable, so this was the only way I could see videos. I remember that they were always playing requests on air, something MTV never did until V66 was nipping at their heels. I was sad when they went off the air :-(

[NMNHTV13]

We still miss you Sonny!!!!

[jsimon]

Ah good times. The idea that a Music TeleVision station that played just played music but featured lots of great local bands when Boston was THE music scene. The original Face To Face, Stompers, Gang Green, Perry Stone(d), this was awesome. It was also the only station that played Pink Floyd's video of The Final Cut. Hope they can get the $ to finish this doc.

[Modeltrainguy]

COOL! ^__^ I STILL have the "V-66" Bumper Sticker!

[Philbisregin]

Holy crap...thanks so much for bringing this back! I thought this was so WICKED PISSA when this first came out....sooooo good that you brought it back! Can't wait to see Lizzie Borden and the Axes (I had a huge crush on the lead singer) again!

[Nighthag66]

I cannot WAIT to see this! The trailer alone brought back so many memories. GREAT work!!!

[GrandWebmaster]

Pardon me, but if memory serves me correctly, the phrase is not "awesome," but rather "wicked awesome."

[WhatsAYak]

Keep me posted...I'm not from Boston (native NYer here), but love anything TV-related, and V66 def earned a place in the history books...only in the 80s could you see a broadcast station devoted exclusively to music videos! :-)

[Rockvoxxx]

God they had the worst "vj's" but considering what was available in Boston at the time, well.......

[JimCutler]

Can't wait to see this. Way to go.

[shrinkingvideo]

I remember they couldn't get the rights to the Prince "Raspberry Beret" video so they kept showing pictures of the album cover as the song played.

New England, the Patriots, and We...

[WhatsAYak]

Yeah, a forerunner to those on YT who use the same tactic for a song that has no accompanying video footage! LOL

[crypticreign]

That's just strange!

[cntygrlby2006]

Those were the days.  Cant believe that O"Leary is still around on MAGIC 108. Just found the Stompers Eastside Girl.

[yaiknowscrewme]

Boston is a shithole

[BillyBear]

And yet you felt the need to do a search for "Boston" on You Tube.

Let me guess....you also do searches for "hot guys making out gay" but then say how gross it is.

I love hypocrites, they are so entertaining.

[silexsong]

Great stuff!  Looking forward to the full length!

[InsomniacGirl]

Thanks SO much for what you're doing! In Oxford (MA), our local selectmen wouldn't allow MTV to be shown on our small cable channel line-up, so I found V66, and LOVED it. My son got his first intro to music videos from watching V66. Lots of great memories. I called the station one day, Ian O'Malley talked to me on the phone during the videos, very sweet guy. A sad day indeed, when it went off the air. Can't wait to see the finished product. I'm going over to MySpace to join your group :-)

[StaggerHome]

Very cool! Looking forward to seeing the final cut! ;-)

[satchtc]

There is nothing better than the look of '80's video tape. Looks great and can't wait for the rest of it. Great editing!

[VolksDragon]

Oh my. I feel OLD now. LOVE IT.

[jmitchnh]

Great job! This brings back so many great memories; the 80's were the best. Eastside Girl by The Stompers? It doesn't get any better than that! Cant wait to see the finished product.

[dubitandum]

Holy $#@! This brings me back like you wouldn't believe...

Ball & Pivot? New Man? THOSE VJs?

I find myself emotionally erect.

:-)

[rockypointmovie]

Awesome!