From ‘The Monkees’ to ‘MTV’,  Michael Nesmith Revolutionized Music Television

The band The Monkees, often remembered for their catchy pop songs and quirky TV antics, started as a fictional band created for a TV show before later becoming one of the most successful bands of the late ’60s.

However, aside from their success, one of the most remarkable and underappreciated truths worthy of mention is the extraordinary legacy of Michael Nesmith, one of its members, who significantly contributed to shaping contemporary media, playing a crucial role in the creation of MTV. Also, no less remarkable is the work of his mother, Bette Nesmith Graham, who developed Liquid Paper, the first generally used typewritten correction fluid.

Michael Nesmith, driven by his passion for music and video, created a groundbreaking concept

I Was Flabergasted To Learn How A Member Of The Monkees Was Responsible For The Birth Of MTV (And That His Mother Invented Liquid Paper)

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Nesmith, known for his signature wool hat, was not just a pop icon but also a visionary who bridged the gap between music and visual media. Following the band’s early success, the guitarist fell in love with multimedia and cinematography, which drove him to try creative approaches to mix images with music. His track “Rio,” which debuted a music video in 1976, inspired his future concept for a television show devoted just to music videos.

Drawing inspiration from British programs like Top of the Pops, which occasionally featured videos between live performances, Nesmith conceived a format that would change the way audiences experienced music. This led to the creation of PopClips, a groundbreaking Nickelodeon show that aired short music videos hosted by a VJ (video jockey), laying the foundation for what would later become MTV.

Michael Nesmith’s concept of “PopClips” became the foundation for MTV

Nesmith’s innovative 30-minute show caught the attention of Warner Cable Communications, the parent company of Nickelodeon, which recognized its potential to revolutionize music television. Seeing an opportunity to expand on the concept, Warner partnered with American Express to create a 24-hour music video channel, thus giving birth to MTV, which launched on August 1, 1981, with “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles as its first video.

Although the musician was not directly involved in MTV’s operations, his creation, PopClips, served as the foundational blueprint for the music-driven television channel, a testament to the creativity that ran in his family. Earlier in 1956, Nesmith’s mother, a secretary frustrated with the difficulty of correcting typing errors, developed a quick-drying, paint-like solution called Liquid Paper to cover typing mistakes. This product eventually sold millions of bottles worldwide.

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