You know, every day didn’t used to be like Sunday. There once existed a time where Sunday was one of the few days getting up at ten o’clock was an enjoyable affair. It allowed me an hour to complete my normal morning routine and then sit down at eleven for The Alternative, the only show that made VH1 Classic a channel worth having besides the Pop-Up Video reruns. The Alternative was a two-hour block of music videos from classic alternative bands from the 80s and early 90s, and every Sunday I sat in front of the TV, shirking breakfast and letting the music feed me in my own form of a holy communion.
Is the divine imagery a bit much? I don’t think so. After all, it was this show that introduced me to Kate Bush, and she and her music are some of the closest things to actual divinity on Earth that I’ve perceived. The Alternative was responsible for my first encounter with Kate in the form of the video for one of her early songs “Wuthering Heights.” It was then subsequently responsible for my first response to Kate’s music – “What the hell is this!?” A far cry from the unfailing loyalty I show to her now, I know, but my defense will be that “Wuthering Heights,” showcasing Kate’s excessively shrill vocal track, is not exactly her most accessible song. The show was quick to come to Kate’s defense, though, and after seeing videos for the songs “Running Up That Hill” and “This Woman’s Work,” (simultaneously hearing these songs for the first time as well) I was officially hooked, and would forever more be driven to levels of idolatry for Kate Bush previously reserved only for the likes of Spider-Man and Morrissey.
Another band I came to love thanks to my experiences with The Alternative was the Manchester-based group James. I knew of James from their song “Laid” that got occasional radio play, but upon after being introduced to the song “Say Something” through its video I was more than a little interested in checking these guys out. Their album Laid has since become one of my all-time favorites, and their album Seven is also very impressive, though it was hard to get a hold of, and I had to get the damn thing imported.
Also, without The Alternative my love affair with The Sundays might not be quite as passionate. The band shared the name of the very day my ritual took place, making it seem like a divine omen in a way that I should listen to them. The video for “Here’s Where The Story Ends” was the only one that got any significant play, but it was more than enough. Harriet Wheeler’s voice creates worlds of its own, and I’ve since been heavily lost in them many, many times.
I owe a great deal to The Alternative for introducing me to a good number of bands that I’m still checking out heavily today, groups like The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Big Audio Dynamite, and New Order. There were also a good many videos from popular alternatively-labeled acts of the day, featuring a lot of early R.E.M., Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Tori Amos, Catherine Wheel. . .honestly, the list goes on and on here. So imagine my surprise then when one Sunday, after a few weeks off from my usual ritual, I come back to find a huge void in the place of my beloved two-hour block. The void came in the form of Rock of the 80s or some other banal piece of programming that make VH1 Classic worth ignoring. I suppose I’ll always have the memories, but it was still painful to have the only form of a religious experience that would speak to me ripped away. Still, the music works in mysterious ways, and whose to say really – maybe saints like Suzanne Vega and The Butthole Surfers are watching over me still today. I suppose one can only hope. And pray. Amen.
