I woke up this morning to a vintage R.E.M. song whirling through my mind. “Talk About The Passion” asking me “Combien du temps?” My thoughts brought me back to the late 80’s and early ‘90’s; club scenes and bad vodka, traveling through Europe with a 25 pound pack on my back, being insanely in love with music and the meaning it gave each adventure I had.   
 
Music was as vital as my pulse during that time, as were the videos that promoted it. A day without MTV was a day without sunshine. I could spend hours playing the same song over and over again, trying to decipher each word and decode its meaning.
 
  Pouring my coffee and unable to let go of Michael Stipe’s voice in my head, I decided to log on to You Tube to see if I might find the video. My kids are constantly on this site, watching as well as posting videos, but to be honest with you, I personally have spent little time checking it out. Once I got on, I typed in REM and the song’s title and bam…there it was, not only one, but several video clips, some live, some that had been created. I started to peruse the archives of several bands/artists that lived with me during my 20’s. Natalie Merchant, Pearl Jam, Tracy Chapman, Nirvana, Kirsty MacColl… all of a sudden I was back in time, hanging on each word, playing most-loved videos again and again. Time traveling, coming face to face with emotions I have long since packed in the attic of my brain. Tears welling in my eyes as I watched a video created by still photos and put to “Beloved Wife” by Natalie Merchant, memories of endless hours on European trains, listening to Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “Walk on the Ocean”-my mantra that reassured me that giving up my job, my car and my apartment, along with my relationship, was the best decision I could have made (and to this day, I believe it absolutely was!). What treasured times, what treasured music.
 
     After exploring You Tubeland and getting a dose of nostalgia, I am grateful to have tuned in (and feel a bit silly that I had yet to do so until today). I also realize that music via video is a medium that is sorely missed in my life. With the moon man virtually dead, MTV has decided that reality is better than infusing musical culture into its viewers, when in fact reality has killed the video star and left those of us who grew up on the stuff with a sense of void. There really is only so much “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” a person can take. How come the execs at MTV don’t know this? Simply astounding.
 
     Now that I have found a new toy to play with, my kids may have to take a number for the You Tube time. Better yet, they can sit down beside me and I can show them the soundtrack to a slice of my life pre-mommy. They can tell me how old I am (because this music is sooo old) and I can smile with sense of satisfaction, tasting my younger days and remembering the times…
 
PS-My son, reading this over my shoulder, just told me that MTV now has just a music video channel. Schooled again by my 12 year old. I still like the idea of finding what I want to watch via You Tube though :)