Great job, Internet!: Want your MTV? MTV Rewind has music videos free of Ridiculousness

Reports of MTV’s death may have been premature, but it’s still a far cry from the Music Television of yore. Some of our elder readers probably remember their elders telling them that MTV used to show music videos, an evergreen complaint that has seemingly existed since the 1980s. The criticism consistently pointed to a need for a channel that exclusively ran music videos, music news, concert footage, and artist interviews—the type of channel MTV has been veering away from for decades. Today, it’s impossible to imagine an MTV that isn’t solely devoted to reruns of Ridiculousness, where even a Jersey Shore reunion can feel like manna in the desert as the sweet sounds of Snookie remind viewers that a different world is possible. But on July 31, 1981, the idea of a channel dedicated to homemade videos that beg the question, “Did that guy just die?,” before cutting to Rob Dyrdek laughing maniacally on a giant keyboard was as ludicrous as a channel dedicated to music videos. Nevertheless, the following day, a future where one could supersede the other was born. 45 years later, a new web app finally gives music video-starved viewers the MTV they want.

Created by a crafty coder who goes by FlexasurusRex, MTV Rewind returns MTV to its proper state, providing an easy-to-use archive of music videos. The site connects to YouTube playlists, giving users access to more than 33,000 music videos from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and today. Free of ads (aside from some period-specific Rainier Beer spots) and broken into several collections, including “MTV 1st Day,” MTV ’70s, and MTV 2010s, the site does what people want: It plays music videos. It even has genre playlists that harken back to the channel’s signature shows, 120 Minutes, Yo! MTV Raps, and Headbangers Balls. There’s even a shuffle feature, which makes it even better than MTV.

MTV may be running on fumes, and soon Ridiculousness won’t even be part of its future (unsurprisingly, the show was canceled about a year after its writing staff unionized and secured its first contract). But MTV lives on through MTV Rewind. Now if only it could get some Kurt Loder playlists.

Want your MTV? MTV Rewind has you covered.

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