VJ The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave

In this “highly entertaining snapshot of a wild-frontier moment in pop culture” (Rolling Stone), discover the wild and explosive true story of the early years of MTV directly from the original VJs.

Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn (along with the late J. J. Jackson) had front-row seats to a cultural revolution—and the hijinks of pop music icons like Adam Ant, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Duran Duran—as the first VJs on the fledgling network MTV. From partying with David Lee Roth to flying on Bob Dylan’s private jet, they were on a breakneck journey through a music revolution.

Boing beyond the compelling behind the scenes tales of this unforgettable era, VJ is also a coming-of-age story about the 1980s, its excesses, controversies, and everything in between. “At last—the real inside story of the MTV explosion that rocked the world, in all its giddy excess, from the video pioneers who saw all the hair, drugs and guitars up close. VJ is the wild, hilarious, addictive tale of how one crazy moment changed pop culture forever” (Rob Sheffield, New York Times bestselling author).

Nina Blackwood was one of the first MTV VJs and is a radio host on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s Big 80s channel and host of two radio shows nationally syndicated by the United Stations Radio Networks, “Absolutely80s” and “New Wave Nation.”

Mark Goodman was one of the first MTV VJs and is a radio host on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s Big 80s channel.

Alan Hunter was one of the first MTV VJs and is a radio host on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s Big 80s channel.

Martha Quinn was one of the first MTV VJs and is a radio host on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s Big 80s channel.

Gavin Edwards is the author of five books on music. A contributing editor at Rolling Stone, he has written for The New York Times Magazine, Details, and Wired.