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August 24, 2009

John Norris: 'TRL Was Really Lame...'

A.V. Club (The Onion) | Read Full Story >

The A.V. Club: It seems like anyone discussing the Times Square studio’s closure makes sure to mention TRL. What impact did TRL have on MTV?

John Norris: The era of MTV in the early-to-mid ’90s was the last hurrah of VJs and newspeople telling you the way things are. And that sort of top-down, “we impart information to you” kind of thing.
TRL changed that, and took the audience and made them a part of the show. They were the stars. It was their daily countdown. The most obvious example of that was the sidewalk—the crowds, the signs, hosts asking people on the street if they wanted to sit in the audience.

But TRL was really lame, especially the music. The usual suspects were all the boy bands and the pop girls, but in the late ’90s it was that whole new-metal garbage like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Papa Roach. And fucking Staind.



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