1990s Era Teletunes Intro

KBDI's Other Music Video Shows

I remember in the 90s there being a few other music video shows on Channel 12: Rhythm Visions, Musiclink and Punk TV. Does anyone else?

Rhythm Visions - Rap, hip hop, R&B and soul videos. I wasn't really too down with R&B back in those days so I usually didn't watch much of Rhythm Visions. I recall seeing some cool rap videos though.

Musiclink - Hosted by Bill Amundsen? I remember there being a bunch of recent music on there but it lacked Teletunes' weird/oddball/retro feel. Plus it had a constant stream of "made possible by Twist n Shout Records" promos. AND it was on late, after Teletunes, so I usually went to bed.

Punk TV - What it sounds like, 1990s era punk videos with some Ska thrown in. I remember watching Unsane's painful "Scrape" video (it was entirely made out of biffs from skate videos) on there.

I'm sure there were others, but my memory is pretty hazy. I remember Channel 12 showing random music videos during membership drives back in the day too. Like a 30 minute special of Enya music videos.

Awesome

I just noticed that my blog has two followers on blogspot. That alone isn't that interesting but one of them is former Teletunes VJ, Bonnie Burton! She was one of my favorite VJs, so I think this is pretty awesome. It appears she's written a few how to draw books and is working on a variety of projects that help sell both technology and Star Wars to young women.

Thanks for the follow Bonnie, if you're reading this. If any other Teletunes VJs/staff have an interest in this blog, let me know. I'd love to have some stories from behind the scenes.

Home Movies youtube channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/homemoviescolorado

Home Movies was kind of like public access cable, but on KBDI back in the day. It showcased the creativity of Coloradoans and featured some music videos by local artists too.

FM TV credits

Before it was Teletunes, it was FM TV. This was also before there was MTV.

Vintage Teletunes Host Segment shot at Red Rocks during a Sugar Cubes, PIL and New Order Concert

Cody at Red Rocks, Sugar Cubes, PiL, Neworder from Jason Taubman on Vimeo.

Some Facebook Groups for You To Join

Fans of Teletunes -  "For those who grew up watching the best music video show of the 1980s: Teletunes, on KBDI in Denver, CO."

Oldskool Denver - "Are you a Denver GenXer? A Tattooed Taxpayer? An Ex-Skater? A Grown-Up Goth? A Postpunk Parent? Did you hang out at Muddy's or Paris on the Platte, drinking espressos, vanilla cokes, and smoking cloves til 4:AM? Were you a small fry in the 70's, a teen in the 80's, and you miss the original Elitch's and Celebrity Fun Center? Did you celebrate your pre-adolescent Birthdays at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor, or the Organ Grinder? Did you frequent Inxxs, Norman's, Rock Island, Club L.A. or Ground Zero, and shop at Imi Jimi and FashioNation? Then this group is for you!"

Sort of like Teletunes, if you have cable/sattelite

Now, I know you've got the jones for Teletunes, or you wouldn't be watching this blog. The slimy corporate masters at MTV have bequeathed that a "Classic 120 Minutes" (formerly The Alternative) show is to be aired on their VH1-Classic channel. It's basically a lot of the same content as Teletunes, but you know, lamer. It's like the methodone that alleviates the sickness of junk withdrawal but it doesn't really get you high. It doesn't help that they only show Classic 120 Minutes at crappy hours.

Peep this example playlist and see if it's not close to Teletunes.

RIP Dannie Flesher, Co-Founder of Wax Trax Records

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2010/01/wax-trax-cofounder-dannie-flesher-dies-at-57.html

Wax Trax Records was started in Denver in the 1970s by Dannie and his partner Jim, they later sold the store and moved to Chicago where they started up another store also called Wax Trax. They specialized in hard to find imports of early punk and electronic music, eventually starting their own label that epitomized the "disco industrial" sound Chicago was famous for in the late 80s early 90s. Bands signed to Wax Trax included Ministry, KMFDM, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Coil, Underworld and others, most of which went onto great success after the label folded.

Definitely a man whom Teletunes owed a great debt to its musical selections and founding the Denver record store institution Wax Trax, which is still operational to this day.



(Laibach - Across the Universe)

Westword's Teletunes Post Mortem from 1999

Google searching for Teletunes turned up this awesome in depth history of Teletunes, framed with the story of its final days. Seriously, KBDI 12, you should have kept Teletunes.

Ever wonder wtf the teletunes theme song was?

It's "I've Been Waiting for Tomorrow (All of My Life)" by The The, thanks to the technology of Shazam's iphone app I've solved this mystery that's bothered me for like 20 years.

2 hours of vintage Teletunes from 1990!

Teletunes / KBDI Pledge Drive with Cody circa 1990 from Jason Taubman on Vimeo.

What was Teletunes?

Teletunes

KBDI Channel 12 | MySpace Video

Only the most awesome music video show ever! It ran on channel 12 in Denver for almost 20 years and started BEFORE MTV! It turned on thousands of disaffected Colorado youth all kinds of alternative rock! Everything from Peter Gabriel to Front 242 to Public Enemy.

This blog hopes to capture the thrills of watching teletunes back in the day with plenty of videos found off youtube and other hosting sites. Please feel free to contact us with anything you think should be on here!