SNUB-TV

June 20, 2015 1:05 PM

SNUB-TV was an alternative music TV show that began life in 1987 as part of Night Flight on the USA Network. It was subsequently picked up by the BBC, and ran for three seasons (1989-91) as part of Janet Street-Porter’s DEF II ‘Youth TV’ strand. A diligent YouTube user has compiled a playlist of 64 SNUB-TV clips, featuring artists such as The Cure, The Sugarcubes, Fugazi, The Cramps, The Stone Roses, Ride, Sonic Youth, The Breeders, Primal Scream, The Butthole Surfers among many others. Marvel at the strange haircuts and peculiar music from this faraway time…

Also at YouTube, some more-or-less complete episodes of the show: 1989/ep. 9, featuring Momus, The Fall and Napalm Death; 1990/ep. 1, with Dinosaur Jr., Happy Mondays, The Butthole Surfers, et al.; 1990/ep. 6, including Primal Scream, The Pale Saints, Lemonheads,… 1991/ep. 2 (Manic Street Preachers, Pixies) and 1991/ep. 3 with Primal Scream, MBV & so on. And some other clips not in the playlist above featuring the KLF, Teenage Fanclub,
Cabaret Voltaire, Pussy Galore & Ciccone Youth.

posted by misteraitch (11 comments total)

a playlist of 64 SNUB-TV clips, featuring artists such as

some solid history in there. The Sonic Youth clip is from 1989, Daydream Nation time ...
posted by philip-random at 1:31 PM on June 20, 2015

More proof that Night Flight was fully awesome.
posted by vibrotronica at 3:06 PM on June 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

We're now watching the best of 1989 special. Thanks for posting this.
posted by otters walk among us at 5:39 PM on June 20, 2015

Thanks for these.
posted by dozo at 7:21 PM on June 20, 2015

Wonderful. What a find. I had so many of these recorded on VHS -- I can remember some narration verbatim. If I recall correctly there was a segment with James / Tim Booth which somewhat pompously began, 'James, always intellectually ambivalent about fame...' Loved the TFC and Manics episodes -- but felt ripped off by the Pixies' Velouria video.

I realise now though that some clips I recall as being SNUB weren't. It was in fact FSD (1987) which had Primal Scream playing three tracks from their first album (Sonic Flower Groove).
posted by NailsTheCat at 10:02 PM on June 20, 2015

I hadn't actually looked at the posting user originally. Hello chum from decades back and continents away.
posted by NailsTheCat at 10:04 PM on June 20, 2015

Hello NTC! You recall very nearly correctly: James were ‘…always intelligently ambivalent about pop fame.’
posted by misteraitch at 11:53 PM on June 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

I remember watching it in its original UK broadcast for sure.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 5:41 AM on June 21, 2015

One of the Buttonhole Surfers clips is filed under Pets and Animals on Youtube. I love little subversive touches like that.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:42 AM on June 21, 2015

I thought The Buttonhole Surfers might be the ideal name for a Butthole Surfers tribute/wedding band (if there were ever a demand for such a thing), but, reliably, fact is stranger than fiction: ‘The Christian parody band ApologetiX parodied “Pepper” into “People”, a song about the disciples of Jesus Christ. The song is labeled on the CD as “People (A parody of “Pepper” by The Buttonhole Surfers).”’ Just occasionally one encounters entire categories of things one had never previously suspected might exist: today, for me, such a category is Christian parody bands.
posted by misteraitch at 1:38 PM on June 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

It's better to autocorrect something you have done than to autocorrect something you haven't done.
posted by infinitewindow at 3:12 PM on June 21, 2015