College Radio for Your Eyes
August 30, 2021 2:33 PM Subscribe
Why is Phyllis so excited? Perhaps because it's time for another broadcast from The Museum of Home Video, a found-footage channel dedicated to unearthing the strangest possible video ephemera for its audience of "stoners, seekers, archivists and drinkers." Over the last year, the channel's hosts have aired everything from Angela Lansbury's Positive Moves workout tape to an entire bat mitzvah, interspersed with the best of local news, public access, cursed commercials, CHiPs freeze-frame supercuts, Richard Lewis' BoKu adult juice box ads, Carol Channing, and much, much more.
The channel's eponymous, flagship show, which broadcasts on Twitch every Tuesday at 7:30 pm PST, is hosted by channel creator Bret Berg, a film programmer, archivist, and longtime employee of West Los Angeles' cult video store Cinefile Video. Initially conceived as a way to display Berg's own extensive collection, the channel has expanded to include a host of specialty shows. K.J. Relth-Miller of the UCLA Film and Television Archive examines the city of Los Angeles through archival film on L.A. Daze; The International Voice of Reason (whose long-running show on beloved L.A. college radio station KXLU is a pinnacle of weirdness in an otherwise homogenous radio landscape) takes viewers on a frantic journey through the strangest and horniest music videos of the 80s, 90s... and today! on MUSICVIDEODROME; screenwriter and movie critic Josh "Worm" Miller explores the world of horror movies on Friday Night Frights (an extension of his Los Angeles screening series, now resurrected IRL at the Los Feliz 3 Theatre); and Alamo Drafthouse film programmers Zack Carlson (co-author of the punk cinema guide Destroy All Movies!) and Laird Jimenez host ¡DEATHBLADE!, a celebration of ludicrous action cinema.
Fascinating as the material is, the magic is in the chat, where an inclusive and welcoming community of film and culture buffs provides a stream of real-time commentary to the broadcast, benevolently moderated by channel producer Jenny Nixon. So tune in, have a nice white-grape-raspberry BoKu — we're adults, we can choose — and enjoy some pirate television for the soul.
The channel's eponymous, flagship show, which broadcasts on Twitch every Tuesday at 7:30 pm PST, is hosted by channel creator Bret Berg, a film programmer, archivist, and longtime employee of West Los Angeles' cult video store Cinefile Video. Initially conceived as a way to display Berg's own extensive collection, the channel has expanded to include a host of specialty shows. K.J. Relth-Miller of the UCLA Film and Television Archive examines the city of Los Angeles through archival film on L.A. Daze; The International Voice of Reason (whose long-running show on beloved L.A. college radio station KXLU is a pinnacle of weirdness in an otherwise homogenous radio landscape) takes viewers on a frantic journey through the strangest and horniest music videos of the 80s, 90s... and today! on MUSICVIDEODROME; screenwriter and movie critic Josh "Worm" Miller explores the world of horror movies on Friday Night Frights (an extension of his Los Angeles screening series, now resurrected IRL at the Los Feliz 3 Theatre); and Alamo Drafthouse film programmers Zack Carlson (co-author of the punk cinema guide Destroy All Movies!) and Laird Jimenez host ¡DEATHBLADE!, a celebration of ludicrous action cinema.
Fascinating as the material is, the magic is in the chat, where an inclusive and welcoming community of film and culture buffs provides a stream of real-time commentary to the broadcast, benevolently moderated by channel producer Jenny Nixon. So tune in, have a nice white-grape-raspberry BoKu — we're adults, we can choose — and enjoy some pirate television for the soul.
VHS was wacky. The Internet Archive digitized a bunch. A bunch.
posted by brewsterkahle at 5:31 PM on August 30, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by brewsterkahle at 5:31 PM on August 30, 2021 [3 favorites]
So happy to see this on the blue! I discovered the Museum of Home Video Twitch network very early in quarantine and it's become a cornerstone of my social life as I continue to stay home. The network namesake is such a delightful variety show and the chat is truly special. The way that the shows are curated by people who have miles-deep knowledge about various genres and access to archives to match makes it so fun to watch. I can't imagine wading through the amount of material it takes to find the true gems, but they manage it week after week after week.
For anyone who loves a good dance party and misses the very old days of MTV (when they used to show videos - many of them weird), their music video show, MUSICVIDEODROME, is so fun. I discover new music every week while also getting a good dose of songs I haven't heard in years/decades. Their website has a handy calendar if you want to catch a show.
posted by quince at 5:42 PM on August 30, 2021 [4 favorites]
For anyone who loves a good dance party and misses the very old days of MTV (when they used to show videos - many of them weird), their music video show, MUSICVIDEODROME, is so fun. I discover new music every week while also getting a good dose of songs I haven't heard in years/decades. Their website has a handy calendar if you want to catch a show.
posted by quince at 5:42 PM on August 30, 2021 [4 favorites]
Thanks for posting this. It is something I never knew existed but when I saw this post, realized it is something I want. Not sure where I am going to find the time to watch this channel and the others in the genre, but I look forward to sitting down with a glass of (not) boku but something that will warm the cockles of my soul anyway.
Oh, props to Rachel Kiri Walker for being that person who can overcome the embarrassment of their Bat (r) Mitzvah video and share it with the world. While I am sure my uncle Irving would love to have me share my video featuring him and Aunt Rose dancing in that mid 70s way a drunk old jewish man would, there is zero chance I would ever share that with the internet.
posted by AugustWest at 6:36 PM on August 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oh, props to Rachel Kiri Walker for being that person who can overcome the embarrassment of their Bat (r) Mitzvah video and share it with the world. While I am sure my uncle Irving would love to have me share my video featuring him and Aunt Rose dancing in that mid 70s way a drunk old jewish man would, there is zero chance I would ever share that with the internet.
posted by AugustWest at 6:36 PM on August 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Seeing MOHV on the blue is like having two friends become friends or something. Worlds collide.
It's truly great, weird stuff and every week I am agog at how much work and professionalism goes into making weird clips feel like a polished TV program with charming hosts and an absolutely fantastic chat.
It somehow restores my faith in things: being excited by weird stuff with fellow weirdos, music videos are still cool, and watching over-the-top action movies with friends is still fun even digitally streaming during plague times.
posted by Gucky at 10:08 PM on August 30, 2021
It's truly great, weird stuff and every week I am agog at how much work and professionalism goes into making weird clips feel like a polished TV program with charming hosts and an absolutely fantastic chat.
It somehow restores my faith in things: being excited by weird stuff with fellow weirdos, music videos are still cool, and watching over-the-top action movies with friends is still fun even digitally streaming during plague times.
posted by Gucky at 10:08 PM on August 30, 2021
best of the web. Absolutely
posted by From Bklyn at 8:39 AM on August 31, 2021
posted by From Bklyn at 8:39 AM on August 31, 2021
Great stuff, cheers!
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:37 AM on August 31, 2021
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:37 AM on August 31, 2021
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I have had some success in retrieving odd instructional VHS tapes from the free boxes in front of my local Rasputin Music (covering key topics like 39 ways to elegantly fold a formal napkin). I've shipped these artifacts on my own dime to the archivists at the Found Footage Festival.
Looking forward to reviewing this trove of material!
posted by JDC8 at 3:05 PM on August 30, 2021 [2 favorites]