Comments on: 1988 Countdown #88: Michael Bolton, “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” http://rulefortytwo.com/2008/07/17/1988-countdown-88-michael-bolton-sittin-on-the-dock-of-the-bay/ The Self-Aggrandizing Website of Gavin Edwards Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:23:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Scraps http://rulefortytwo.com/2008/07/17/1988-countdown-88-michael-bolton-sittin-on-the-dock-of-the-bay/#comment-206 Scraps Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:02:03 +0000 http://rulefortytwo.com/2008/07/17/1988-countdown-88-michael-bolton-sittin-on-the-dock-of-the-bay/#comment-206 This countdown is very entertaining to me, but it's also informative, because 1988 was the tail end of the few years I'd stopped listening to new music (burned out by the few years I'd spent working at a chain record store). On the one hand, I missed the advent of the Pixies; on the other hand, I have never heard this desecration of one of the greatest songs ever. And I never have to. This countdown is very entertaining to me, but it’s also informative, because 1988 was the tail end of the few years I’d stopped listening to new music (burned out by the few years I’d spent working at a chain record store). On the one hand, I missed the advent of the Pixies; on the other hand, I have never heard this desecration of one of the greatest songs ever. And I never have to.

]]> By: Chris M. http://rulefortytwo.com/2008/07/17/1988-countdown-88-michael-bolton-sittin-on-the-dock-of-the-bay/#comment-205 Chris M. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:53:37 +0000 http://rulefortytwo.com/2008/07/17/1988-countdown-88-michael-bolton-sittin-on-the-dock-of-the-bay/#comment-205 Man, further to my point from your Traveling Wilburys post: <i>What is this doing on MTV?</i> In my writing about the charts over the years, I've often pointed to the ’90s as the dawn of the evil that media programmers call "narrowcasting," but man--the dividing line is bigger and brighter than I thought. I submit to you: just two or three years after this, the idea that, not just Bolton, but any act with his demographic appeal would appear on a station programmed for teens and 20somethings, would be unheard of. I suppose I should be wistful that MTV would once have played a video by Michael Bolton, an artist VH1 programmers of the period would have created in a lab if they could (30something housewife appeal: check, pretensions toward soul: check, Boomer referents: check). But this is one instance that actually makes me glad narrowcasting was invented. Only Michael Bolton could make me feel that way. Man, further to my point from your Traveling Wilburys post: What is this doing on MTV?

In my writing about the charts over the years, I’ve often pointed to the ’90s as the dawn of the evil that media programmers call “narrowcasting,” but man–the dividing line is bigger and brighter than I thought. I submit to you: just two or three years after this, the idea that, not just Bolton, but any act with his demographic appeal would appear on a station programmed for teens and 20somethings, would be unheard of.

I suppose I should be wistful that MTV would once have played a video by Michael Bolton, an artist VH1 programmers of the period would have created in a lab if they could (30something housewife appeal: check, pretensions toward soul: check, Boomer referents: check). But this is one instance that actually makes me glad narrowcasting was invented. Only Michael Bolton could make me feel that way.

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