Or maybe without VJ spots, there'll be more room for music videos.

Love yer site, keep it up!

Damn, that's not good. It's sad how far MTV has sunk.

That's horrible! Even though I haven't watched Subterranean or Headbangers Ball all that much, I still enjoyed the presence of Jim Shearer and Jamey Jasta on their respective shows. Oh well, life goes on...

BLOG HOST... PLEASE READ THIS
Hey.. right now I feel like I just wanna collapse. I really hope you read this message because I feel so shitty to a point I can't even describe. MTV jumps the gun, and begins showing constant rotation of reality television and studied dating game shows. Yet, fans of the original MTV still have Subterranean. Something to look forward to every night. Now they do this? I officially hate MTV. They have turned into monsters. It's so sad too, because I remember as a kid loving MTV, everything it stood for. The music videos, the slacker attitude, specifically the 90's. It's so sad to see the demise of Subterranean as a show.. because now MTV will cloud it with skits and web videos like they have done with the Rock Block. Not only, but it will lose its followers, leading to an abandonment as a whole.

I believe that you should keep the site.. and dedicate it towards a bigger project. I myself have been looking over the entire world wide web to find some sort of dedication to alternative rock. And I found this place. It has become a home to me, constantly reminding me how my childhood. I feel so nostalgic right now. Anyway, I think that its possible to somehow make an even bigger site dedicated to alternative. Keep the archives, and build on them. For instance, we could make a stream radio for everyone to listen to, and maybe a forum area to talk about our favorite bands, and reminisce about the 90's. Well, you probably don't have the money for it. But if there's any way I can help I will.
Sincerly- Chris

I don't really have the resources to do any big things with this site, but I'm all for continuing the archive. At the very least, the archives of all the 120/Sub stuff will stick around.

bullshit. chris harris, you are a prophet. it seems as though mtv is hellbent on eliminating everything creative that has managed to slip through the cracks and find it's way onto the air. we used to have 2 F**KING HOURS! then it gets trimmed down, kicked around to virtually every shitty time slot possible, and now they have finally decided to trim every little bit of juicy fat left on that show. unbelievable. i am amazed at how a channel that was started with such brilliant goals has managed to slowly kill all that it once stood for. NEXT? real world/road rules challenges? laguna beach? garbage. talk about creating shit and shoving it up thoughtless tool's asses. all while whitty banter and thoughtful, dare i say journalistic, interviews suffer the butcher's knife. truly mtv would rather show us 5 boners fighting over a dumb broad than what tv on the radio thinks about the state of indie music. how sad. kudos to all of you who are committed to keeping creativity and originality alive. fight the good fight follks. cheers.

this is terribly depressing. it's been ages since I've watched the show because I don't get MTV2 at school, but I have tried to watch it online. it's not the same. I actually really enjoyed staying up late Sunday nights in hopes of seeing one, maybe two videos I liked. Jim's interviews and introductions were always entertaining, and being a shallow teenage girl when I started watching the show, it didn't hurt that he was adorable. but much more than that, he seemed like one of very few people on MTV/MTV2 who knew anything about music. I can't even fathom how many of my favorite bands I found out about from 120 Minutes/Subterranean, but I believe I owe my amazing taste to the exposure given to alternative music on these programs and Jim Shearer was a huge part of that.

Do you guys think there's any chance of MTV ever returning to its roots of some sort? Or do you think this is the last straw that kicked the bucket. I still keep hoping that at least of executive from MTV will realize the mindless dribble that they are producing right now. At least fucking make a side project, like MTV Music.. you know.. considering MTV doesn't even show music anymore. But then again, that would just get overthrown in time anyway. Look at MTV2...
Remember these shows?
Control Freak
Latest and Greatest
etc.?
I just checked MTV2 tonight and right now they have a 6-7 ep. marathon of Wild n' Out. Pathetic.

How do you guys feel about Fuse? In my opinion its on its early road down the path MTV is still traveling. They have begun showing movies on it!! And even yet, their music selection is horrible. If you enjoy the generic pop punk and mainstream rock that's on the radio right now watch Fuse.

I do not think MTV will return to its roots just because it has been on a downfall for a while. This should have been seen coming miles ahead but I guess we expected better of MTV.

This was certainly sad news but it will be good to find alternatives to finding alternative music. MTV seems a lost cause now.

Good luck to the staff of the show and to Jim Shearer, "the last VJ"—and one of the better. Live to fight another day.

Again, I argue that music video itself will markedly change. MTV was the reason to make videos. If MTV plays limited numbers of videos, then the audience for the videos changes and videos themselves should consequently change.

Artists no longer need MTV. They should make videos, but for their own audiences and for new online sources.

TC, you should continue the website. However, you should change the focus from alternative music on television to alternative music in general, but mostly online.

Conan O'Brien features only so many acts and Austin City Limits repeats too often already.

The internet has become the source...you cannot review it completely like you did one television program on one network, but you can cover alternative music, and link to whichever similar internet sites also cover it.

It's tough to find good information on the alt. music scene; this was my first place to look. Please keep going as the shows progress until Subterranean is no more. The tone and tenor of the blog is awesome, and shows like "the Dive" (on Fuse) just don't cut it.

Do you have any suggestions regarding other alt blogs to read? WKXP in Seattle isn't good enough...

And I'll pile on regarding MTV's unfortunate decision to cease being about "Music" at all. 120 minutes was awesome, Subterranean was good, and phasing these shows out don't help the channel's cause at all...

this is pretty ridiculous. it's not really the VJs and their banter that I'll miss, it's just the concept of having music video shows that seems to be just about extinct. I'll miss the bands, especially... the actual people who make the music. I'm sure they're not going to be around without hosts and producers.

I think you should keep the site going as an archive and reminder of how things used to be. it would also be nice to have a place where you could blog about music-related shows that are coming up such as one of the earlier posts. I haven't really found a site that's dedicated to this that wasn't difficult to sift through.

I agree with all of you that the archive should stay alive. Have no doubt about it, I will keep the archives online.

However, about everything else: I don't have the knowledge, time, or resources to make my blog about the entire world of alternative music on the Internet. I'd love to be a "start page" of sorts to everything alternative, but I don't see it happening. If anyone has some suggestions about other blogs I could link to, please post them.

As for MTV, it's true, the "music video show" is dying off, and the concept is nearly dead. I can only hope bands continue to find it worthwhile to make music videos for their audience on the Internet.

You know, I wouldn't have found MTV's current state so depressing if I hadn't spent some time in Europe and been exposed to MTV2 over there. You people would not believe how fantastic that channel is. It's all about music, videos and live performances. 120 minutes is on every night and is incredible. I would pay $20 a month or more to have access to that one channel. And here we are, in the country where MTV started, and all we have are marathons of The Hills. Jesus.

The commercials were already really bad and very long - thank god for DVRs I rushed right through them. Now we've hit a new low - having no VJs and no guest bands. THIS IS A TRAVESTY! Some day music videos will come back I hope - the videos and the music use to set the stage for fashion, trends, and word-of-mouth on bands to check out and see!

and it's at times like these when I wonder... what's Adam Curry's hair doing right now?

no more intersting "ALternative music"? get out of the 90's man and into the oo's. Go check out new bands like tokyo police club, kaiser chiefs, the shins, and the horrors,klaxons, pigeon detectives, and babyshambles.

"no more intersting "ALternative music"? get out of the 90's man and into the oo's. Go check out new bands like tokyo police club, kaiser chiefs, the shins, and the horrors,klaxons, pigeon detectives, and babyshambles. "

I know this. We all know this. Otherwise Subterranean wouldn't exist. However, it's not fun when your only television access to the alternative that's left is at 1 am. on Sunday. All I'm saying is you have to look a lot harder to find alternative anymore.. and that sucks.

Your desire for on-air personalities and traditional show content is the reason MTV rarely shows music videos anymore.

MTV is supposed to be about music videos. If people like you complain when they get more videos and less show content, then guess what: they'll give less videos and more shows.

If you want news or interviews then read Pitchfork or subscribe to a podcast. There's no reason you need Jim Shearer reading you information you can read for yourself online.

I am definitely upset about the whole situation with MTV2. I was a production intern with them until I went into work on Valentine's Day to the news that pretty much everyone associated with MTV2 had been laid off. I worked on Subterranean the most out of all the shows and it was definitely my favorite even before starting there. My first shoot was the show they did with The Shins not too long ago, and it was awesome. I am so upset over this cuz working there was one of the best experiences of my life (even though it was short lived), and the people were so cool and laid back, especially Jim Shearer. I miss it so much already.

"Your desire for on-air personalities and traditional show content is the reason MTV rarely shows music videos anymore."

"There's no reason you need Jim Shearer reading you information you can read for yourself online."

I watched the show for not only the videos, but also the for the interviews and for the perspective. The show personally related bands to the audience. The show selected the videos, guests, and themes. It represented for an inconsistent but fine niche.

Subterranean was a show that made fans stay awake into the night, until early Monday morning. Subterranean was the end of the weekend.

It's not over, but it should almost be.

I'd like to make a point that by wanting more interviews and news content from MTV is not a contribution to the state of MTV right now. MTV hardly ever does the "every hour around the hour" news anymore. They're too busy showing blocks of The Hills and Super Sweet Sixteen. So please, don't be stupid.

Chris C hit the nail on the head. I couldn't have said it better myself.

I was never a big fan of Jim Shearer anyways. Honestly, it seemed like some of the guests didn't like him that much either.

It's not such a bad move for mtv to let the dj's go. Hopefully,it will allow them to show more videos in that hour--we all know the outrageous high volume of commercials they show will reamin unchanged. I remember watching 120 minutes in the late 80's and remember the great, obscure videos they boradcasted. I don't even remember the host or much less a lot of commercials. As long as they keep showing lesser known indie rock and punk revival acts, I will support the show.

As far as your site goes, it's a great archive. I'm one of the few people that doesn't own a Tivo so I have been known to dose in and out during a few episodes of sub. I appreciate the fact that I can come to your site to view the playlist and get some kind of commentary. YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND PROVIDE A GREAT SERVICE! Please, keep it up. And by the way, I still need the playlist for the videos shown on 2/24-2/25.

...and we still have the Dive as well on fuse.

Check, one, two, one two...

TC shutting down the site? Say it ain't so! Through the years this has been the most comprehensive "alternative" music site on the web. Believe it or not, we used to reference it whenever there was a question regarding a playlist or past guest (no lie). Though we kept logs of such information, we never had it quite organized like this. I'd love for the 120/Subterranean archive to stay up, because altmusictv may be the only place in the world (seriously) that contains this information. One day our great-great grandchildren will have an "alternative" music revival, and they'll find this content very interesting!

Over the years I have refrained from posting on this board/blog. I felt it was never my place to engage or interfere in the dialog. I didn't want to sway anyone's opinions either way (and trust me there's both a lot of love and hate in those opinions). However, there seems to be a bunch of questions about the continuation and/or future of Subterranean. I'm more than happy to let you in on what I know. It's turned into a blog-eat-blog world, so fire away (and yes this really is me):

After all this time...now, you reply—and it better be you, Jim.

Okay, briefly...

Why now—why did MTV cancel VJs now, not earlier and not later? (Do fewer VJs equal more ringtones?)

Do you or the other remaining staff from the show write the new official blog?

What happened during the Top Ten of 2004 when the #1 video never aired; and in spring 2006, when the show aired erractically, as late as 4 AM EDT and interspersed Fall Out Boy between videos? It's hard to get over it.

Well! I'll stop, but there's so much more.

For the longest time, I've had a strange suspicion that someone from the show read this site. There were just too damn many well-informed "anonymous" posts to explain.

Chris C. ... what's your problem dude? This is Jim Shearer.. probably the last VJ to actually care about the state of music on MTV. Relax.. he didn't want this to happen.

Anyway..
Jim.. I actually do have a few questions if you don't mind. :)

1. First off.. being the nostalgic person I am.. Do you miss the 90's at all? How come MTV focused so much on alternative rock back then? Was it just a trend that now lost its popularity in the new decade?

2. What do you think about the state of music right now.. What are your opinions on what I like to call it the "generic era" of music, where bands continuously are making carbon copies of eachother?

3. At what time period do you believe that alternative rock "went into a coma".. Would agree about 1999, when pop groups like Backstreet Boys and Nsync threw MTV off its course?

4. And finally, what are your plans for the future? and of course any bands recommendations? :)

Thanks so much for your time and effort.. I greatly appreciate everything you've done for "MTV".

Jim -

It's great to know that someone from the show reads this blog, especially the host.

I just wanted to say that I think you were a great successor to Matt Pinfield and that Subterranean was a good replacement for 120 Minutes. But, enough with the praise, I've got a few questions (if you could please answer them).

1. Now that you're apparently done at MTV2, what's next? You're a great VJ and I don't think I've ever witnessed one awkward moment between you and any artist (as opposed to, say, the out of touch VJs at TRL, Fuse). Will you be getting any shows on satelite radio or any other channels?

2. Did you and the other staff at MTV2/etc. know you were losing your jobs before or was it sudden?

3. Is there any chance that MTV Viacom will hire staff back, or is the show definitely dead?

Thanks,
Vinnie Massimino

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1. First off.. being the nostalgic person I am.. Do you miss the 90's at all? How come MTV focused so much on alternative rock back then? Was it just a trend that now lost its popularity in the new decade?



Yes, I do indeed miss the 90’s. Growing up in that era was like a little kid growing up in a candy store (so much good stuff to choose from). I think MTV focused on it, because they had no other choice. From Lollapalooza to Nirvana—everything felt so exciting and new at that time, it was just something MTV couldn’t afford to ignore. I don’t believe it was a trend. The reason it died out is because everyone wanted to sound like everyone else, and before you knew it, you had watered-down versions or Nirvana and Pearl Jam—and record labels willing to sign them.

2. What do you think about the state of music right now.. What are your opinions on what I like to call it the "generic era" of music, where bands continuously are making carbon copies of each other?



I think it’s always easy to say that music sucks. Mainstream-wise, the state of music right now doesn’t really excite me. However there’s always great bands out there, it just takes a little more work to find them, especially when the mainstream isn’t giving them the time of day. The whole “emo” thing really annoys me. It’s very formulaic, with the whiny, melodic sing-song verse only to be countered by the gruff, Cookie Monster chorus. The tight-jeans, eyeliner, and parted-hair is also a bit played out. Don’t get me wrong, a band can wear whatever they want, but when you flip through an issue of AP and can’t tell one band from the next, it might be time for some bands to quit being followers and start being leaders. I just like when bands are unique.

Good call on the “Generic Era” of music. Think about it, we are in 2007 now, what will this decade be remembered for?

3. At what time period do you believe that alternative rock "went into a coma".. Would agree about 1999, when pop groups like Backstreet Boys and Nsync threw MTV off its course?



I honestly think “Alternative Rock” went into a coma when bands like Creed and Matchbox 20 became popular. At least to me, these bands didn’t really represent anything. They lacked that “realness” of a Nirvana, Beck, Soundgarden, or Weezer.

4. And finally, what are your plans for the future? and of course any bands recommendations? :) 


Plans for the future? I’d love to continue working in music, but I just don’t know? With the state of the internet, TV, and radio being the way they are, and the creeping death of the compact disc, I don’t know how realistic it will be to think I can even work in music? We’ll see though. As for band recommendations, try out the Klaxons and Milagros (from Brooklyn).

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Hey Jim

I thought you did a great job.

1. I'm a 120 minutes fan from back in the Kevin Seal/Dave Kendall era, what are your favorite bands/videos from that time period? (the pre Nirvana days)

2. What's Morrissey like?? You had to have met him at some point, hehe

3. Do the kids on TRL know how dumb they look screaming like idiots when they announce a new Britney video??

That last question was just for a laugh, hope you can bring the show back in some way

Okay, I may be too late for the Q&A, but...

Jim- have you thought of doing some sort of collaboration with "New York Noise?" (on channel nyc25) most of their videos are vintage, but it seems like it'd be up Subterranean's alley. Plus, their format can be really quirky and fun. (antiques roadshow for Vinyl?)

1. I'm a 120 minutes fan from back in the Kevin Seal/Dave Kendall era, what are your favorite bands/videos from that time period? (the pre Nirvana days)



Wow, you’re taking it back to the old school! I started watching 120 Minutes sometime in 1993 (after the Dave Kendall era had ended). My parents actually didn’t allow me to watch MTV for the longest time, so I was probably three years into my secular music discovery phase around then. Pre-Nirvana, I was actually very much into old-school hip-hop (Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Run DMC, and Sir Mix-a-lot). To retroactively answer your question, The Cure is probably my favorite band from that period.

2. What's Morrissey like?? You had to have met him at some point, hehe



Believe it or not, I have never met Morrissey. A couple years ago he was scheduled to be a guest on Subterranean to promote “You Are the Quarry.” Every week leading up to the show we held our breath. We were a bit worried, because it was not out-of-the-ordinary for a guest of that stature to cancel on us. A week before the show, we got word that he wasn’t coming in.

3. Do the kids on TRL know how dumb they look screaming like idiots when they announce a new Britney video?

Let’s walk through the scenario: Kid goes to TRL in the late 90’s and “woo-hoos” their guts out when a Britney video is announced. The kid makes sure his or her best friend tapes it. Years later, the kid (now someone in their mid-20’s) goes to the back of their closet and pulls out an old dusty VHS tape. They pop it into their VCR to see what’s on it. Low and behold it’s them screaming for “Crazy”. They do one of the following:

A. Chuckle. Cause c’mon, all of us were a little dumb when we were young, and besides, TV makes you do stupid things.
B. Looks around the room to make sure no one is watching, then promptly ejects said tape and deposits it in the nearest trash receptacle.
C. Is still so proud of the tape that he or she posts it on YouTube for all to see.

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Jim, this may be a little odd of a question, but I run an indie/alternative show on a local college station. Would you be willing to be interviewed on-air about everything that's going on at MTV2/MTV Networks?

If you're interested, my email is in my blogger profile.

Vinnie Massimino

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There's more coverage of alternative music videos (and industry stuff) at videos.antville.org, and a nice linkset here.

Thanks for your work, Jim and TC, et al! I've been a fan of 120, Alternative Nation, and Subterranean for a while. Good luck over at MTVN..

hey Jim..it's Corinne the ex-MTV2 production intern!! I'm really glad to hear that MTV2 still has a contract with you, that's awesome. I'm over at mtvU now, but it's just not the same as being at MTV2. Working on Subterranean was definitely my favorite part of interning there. Best of luck with ur band, take care.

hey jim, what happened to the (fake/not fake) basement? It had all those signatures from all the bands that passed through.. are they going to auction it off, or put it in a vault somewhere for 100 years until it goes into an Indie Rock Museum ?

hey jim, what happened to the (fake/not fake) basement? It had all those signatures from all the bands that passed through.. are they going to auction it off, or put it in a vault somewhere for 100 years until it goes into an Indie Rock Museum ?

Ah, the fake basement. A year or so into the “fake” basement I started bringing down permanent markers for the bands to sign the wall after their interviews. The wall boasted clearly legible (I’m a stickler for legibility) signatures from Beck, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith, The Flaming Lips, Bono from Coldplay (aka, Noel Gallagher), Death Cab For Cutie, Muse, Gnarls Barkley, Cat Power, and many more indie-minded luminaries. I found out they were getting rid of the fake basement the day I was leaving to go back to Pittsburgh for Christmas. If I knew earlier I would have arranged to save it, however, I couldn’t jam five walls of basement with me in my friend’s car. It all happened a little too quickly. On the same afternoon I found out that we weren’t shooting with that set anymore, they threw it away (yes, in the garbage). One slab of wall was saved in the studio, which was later brought up to our office. However, we recently had to leave our office space, so that slab of wall is missing in action. As for the other pieces, I heard through the grapevine that someone came by with a pickup truck the next day and brought it back to his home. That’s the last I heard. So the “fake basement” is floating around somewhere in the greater NYC area. Sounds like a damn Indiana Jones movie, huh?

Corrine! Have fun at the U!

Jim...one last question, before it's late:

Could you briefly describe the process to producing Subterranean? (It's interested me for awhile. I would have killed to have been an intern too.)

Besides featuring artists who had currently released records, how were the guests determined? Was the show taped at a usual time or whenever the guest could appear? How important were ratings to a show airing to the graveyard shift?

Which department of MTV opposed the show the most and caused the the most friction?

Also, thanks again, for the show, as it was, as it should be.

hey jim,
sorry for the many questions but I love the show!

1) Was it harder getting British Artists than American Artists on the show?

2)Why couldn't they make Subterranean two hours instead of 1 (like headbangers ball)?

3)Did some artists arrive "wasted" on the show? (i.e. Anthony R. of Dirty Pretty Things/.)

thank you :)

2)Why couldn't they make Subterranean two hours instead of 1 (like headbangers ball)?

Anonymous - I'm not Jim Shearer, but here's a good answer - because, if it were two hours in length, then it would be 120 minutes long. Like the old show's (Subterranean's predecessor's) title.

Hi there Jim,

This is Archie C, and I loved your show Subterranean. How is it like when Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode came as one of the guests of the show? And what would be your favorite Depeche Mode videos?

Love to see you in the near future, especially if MTV2 changes their mind about removing VJs like you.

Love,

Archie C. (a.k.a. Mr. Archibald)

Hey Jim...

I have a question as well.

1. Do you think now, with the recent success of bands like the Shins and Arcade fire to reach number 2 in the billboard 100 that MTV may have to cater to more indie fans? I'm not sure if this isnew or just something i haven't notieced but it seems like a few indie bands have found there way on MTV(ie; The Shins , TV on the Radio, Modest Mouse).

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Was it harder getting British Artists than American Artists on the show?



Nope. There was actually a long span (shooting wise) where we didn’t tape with an American artist. When one would finally come on, we’d say something like, “You’re the first person from the states we’ve spoken to in the last month-and-a-half.” Off camera we’d actually keep international tabs. There was one time I think we had two or three French guests on in a row.


2)Why couldn't they make Subterranean two hours instead of 1 (like headbangers ball)?



Probably just a business decision. My guess for the thinking behind that is it’s probably easier to get someone to sit down for one hour as opposed to two.


3)Did some artists arrive "wasted" on the show? (i.e. Anthony R. of Dirty Pretty Things/.)


We’ve had artists come in that seemed to be “wasted” on something. Whether that be alcohol, lack of sleep, or whatever, I don’t know. As for Anthony, that was kind of a crazy Subterranean. The reason I never interviewed them is because I had to catch a flight (for another MTV2 shoot). I was running out of the studio, as they were coming in. Don’t know what Anthony’s status was on that day cause I was trying not to miss my flight.

well thanks anyway for answering my questions. yeah, anthony just seemed like he wasn't into it. he even said something like he wished he was more up to doing promos and stuff. well anyway thanks!
you rock!

How is it like when Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode came as one of the guests of the show? And what would be your favorite Depeche Mode videos?

Dave came on during the period of Subterranean where we would get to chat with the artists for a good hour or so (we’d later edit together the best snippets). Basically, I’d ask Dave a question and he’d run with it. He gave very descript answers and didn’t hold back with anything. He was a very charming guy. As for my favorite Depeche Mode video, I’d have to say “Personal Jesus.” There’s a couple reasons. First of all, I had a good friend in college who would always request it when I was doing my radio show (every time I hear the song it brings me back to that time). Secondly, You gotta love Depeche Mode getting their spaghetti western on.

Do you think now, with the recent success of bands like the Shins and Arcade fire to reach number 2 in the billboard 100 that MTV may have to cater to more indie fans? I'm not sure if this is new or just something i haven't noticed but it seems like a few indie bands have found there way on MTV (ie; The Shins , TV on the Radio, Modest Mouse).

If bands like The Shins and Arcade Fire continue to make impressive strides on the album charts, everyone will have to start paying attention. I have a feeling Modest Mouse’s album will do quite well too. In addition, Bright Eyes has an album coming out soon (I believe sometime in April). I don’t know how many indie-minded bands it will take to agitate the state of mainstream music, but the present time seems quite promising. I just think we need a few more solid indie acts (with that all important pop accessibility) knocking at the door.

hey, jim:

some of the artists looked reluctant to talk on subterranean, how did you make them feel at ease at the show? did you start with a joke or something?

-franzchick66