Fresh from the vault, an original episode of Night Flight that surveys early TV performances and visuals from rock canon, before the music video revolution. Check out some legendary Beat Club performances (in impeccable quality from the 2 inch masters), stick around for Night Flight Trivia and bonus: all the original commercials.

Episode 268. An episode of Radio 1990 from 1984 featuring R.E.M, Rockwell and Marvin Gaye.

In this original episode of Night Flight, we take a look at the mysterious art rock project the Residents and have a profile of the San Francisco Rock scene that includes. music videos from Santana, Starship, Grateful Dead and more. Original Air Date: 2-18-86

Well folks, the Night Flight library never ceases to amaze us. It is literally a treasure chest of nostalgic gold. This week we’re incredibly excited to share a full, uncut interview with Mark Hammil conducted by Lisa Robinson in 1986. He dons a rare mustache for his theatre production role in Room Service. In the interview, Hamill talks candidly about knowing from his first reading of the Star Wars script it would be a success (“at least as popular as James Bond”), how not being allowed to read Comics as a kid lead him to obsessively collect them as an adult, the 33 1/3 birthday party he celebrated and much, much more. Watch this tonight! It’s an absolute joy.

For three magical days in 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was a "Rock 'n' Roll City" half a million strong. Get ready for one of the headiest retro-television experiences of your life as Night Flight flashes back to Woodstock, with live documentation, concert footage and music from the iconic festival's key sets. 

Tonight, fly around the globe with us while sampling the sounds of (nearly) every continent circa 1985 along the way. In this two hour block (featuring a treasure trove of original commercials) we ride the wave of cultural globalization as it arrives in Jamaica, Japan, Australia, and South Africa. Featuring global hits and b-sides from Nile Rodgers, Malcolm Mclaren, Juluka, Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse, and many many more.

Featuring interviews with members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, this 2013 story delves into the tumultuous history of Aerosmith and their well-publicized rock and roll lifestyles.

This special ‘90s syndication episode feature host Tom Juarez introducing multiple classic Night Flight segments. PAL Tape 3 features a Video Profile of INXS.

Tonight's new Short Cut dives into the theme of money in music, showcasing cash-and-capitalism themed videos from Talking Heads, the pioneering 3D-animated classic "Adventures in Success" by Will Powers, playwright Sarah Tuft's commercial collage, and the Pheromones' send-up of the '80s yuppie class in "Yuppiedrone."

Van Halen video music highlights bookended by entertaining bites from incorrigible singer David Lee Roth's interview with Lisa Robinson. An excellent survey of the band in pure Radio 1990 style.

"Viewer discretion is advised" Pat Prescott tells us at the start of tonight's 1988 Take Off episode to Controversial Videos. "Sex, Drugs, Religion, Politics..." what more can you want from Night Flight's curated collection of controversial music videos. Everyone knows that while other fledgling music networks from the era avoided controversy, Night Flight actively courted it. Just ask creator Stuart Shapiro about what happened the first time we aired The Clash's "Rude Boy" completely uncut :). This episode brings you music from Billy Idol, Motley Crue, Slovenian avant-gardists Laibach, Sheena Easton's fantastic "Sugar Walls", the always classy George Michael and maybe one of the best sequencing decisions ever: a transition from the "Ballad of Jim and Tammy Bakker" to a Raucous Dead Kennedy's performance with Jello Biafra compelling the audience to "Shoot Up With God." Then, stayed tuned for two films from the Glasshouse Production Team, Tom Stern & Alex Winter: "Aisles of Doom" and "Squeal of Death." CLASSIC NIGHT FLIGHT.

This special ‘90s syndication episode feature host Tom Juarez introducing multiple classic Night Flight segments. PAL Tape 5 (Parts 1 & 2) feature a “Take Off” to Irish Rockers, a Tom Waits Video Profile, and Dire Straits.

“Rock ’n’ Roll has always had a strong political perspective,” says Night Flight host Pat Prescott introducing a politically-charged "Take Off" episode from 1985. The quintessentially '80s video mix starts with a puppet caricature of Reagan from the British TV series "Spitting Image," leading into a compilation of music videos (with some definitely carrying a stronger political resonance than others.) Featuring Culture Club's "The War Song," Eurythmics' "Sex Crime" theme from the film 1984, the socially conscious montage of Bruce Cockburn's "If I Had A Rocket Launcher," and The Specials' (then known as Special AKA) anti-apartheid anthem "Free Nelson Mandela." Concluding the episode is a brief cooking segment featuring our beloved (and oft-mortally wounded) friend, Mr. Bill!

Take a ride down the glory days of the Sunset Strip, featuring some of the hardest-rocking and hardest-partying bands of the era including Poison, Great White and Kik Tracee, as well as legendary venues such as the Rainbow.

Night Flight profiles rock’s 'rude boy' Billy Idol in this classic segment from 1985. “I don’t want to see the no flabby, boring old Billy Idol trying to be what he was when he was 21… I’m young, I need to move about.” he tells Night Flight in an excellent, candid interview, in which he talks about the role of New York City on his art, how he views his critics, and what inspired his name change. Classic and essential Night Flight right here folks.

Part 2 of this special 2 hour original Night Flight episode, where you’ll see the artists who made headlines in 1985, the latest trends in video music from the year’s top performers. This is a bona-fide who’s who of what was popular in the mid ‘80s scene. Featuring interviews with Lionel Richie, Peter Wolf and music, and clips from Phil Collins, Julien Lennon, Til Tuesday, Chuck Mangione, Wham, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Part 2 Bonus: Sade tells Night Flight how to correctly pronounce her name.

Something is missing from Gordon's life. Despite his colorful friendships and accomplishments Gordon has decided there's only one way out. Except... maybe not that way? Not that way, or that way, or that way either. In the end, maybe the way out is to give in. Created by Jessie Contour.

In "Take Off to Comedy IX," enter Jackie Mason's mind with the brilliant compilation “The World According To Me,” Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi get Brian Wilson out of bed to go surfing in a long forgotten clip that was one of our most popular stories on the blog last year. Other gems include Divine’s “These Lips Were Made For Kissing,” Dweezil Zappa, Weird Al Yankovich and an original segment with comedian Ritch Shydner’s hilarious bit in the Night Flight studios.

Night Flight salutes the Women of Rock in this original episode from June, 1988. "Today," Pat Prescott tells us, "women's voices are more powerful than ever in new music, neo-folk and down & dirty Rock n Roll." Featuring Sinéad O'Connor with MC Lyte, Joan Jett, Lita Ford, and Annie Lennox.

Directed by Don Swaynos. A late night horror show host is having a bad day.

“Heavy Metal is a musical reaction against the mellow love generation of the 1960s,” Pat Prescott tells us. Tonight’s 1984 Night Flight Original takes us away from this world for a history lesson in Metal with classics from Black Sabbath and Judas Priest and '80s arrivals in Heavy Metal of different varieties: German, (Accept, Scorpion), Woman-Fronted (Rock Goddess, Girlschool) and much more.  Watch in our “Take Offs” section tonight!

Ann Magnuson's performance art video piece in character as "Fallopia," the latest in a line of sexy Prince protégés — which she describes as "a classroom lesson in "How to Become a New Wave Video Slut"-- was produced exclusively for Night Flight in the 1980s, and you can now watch it in its entirety in this episode from 1986. "My rise to the top was pretty much standard stuff, same as everyone else's. First there was the live sex acts, then the stag parties, then the sleazy piano bars and conventions, then "Star Search." And then after, gosh, I don't know how many 'dates' with record company executives, I was signed to a major label, and my own rock video, and today I'm one of the BIGGEST New Wave Sluts in the industry!!"

Tonight, Night Flight’s “Take Off” goes around the world in 1984. “It’s a rock ’n’ roll travelogue” Pat Prescott says, before introducing an eclectic mix of videos united by their on-location shots in unique and famous places around the world. Featuring Juluka's "Umbaqanga," Blancmange in Egypt, a tour of the US with Randy Andy and a new age city flight with Jean Luc-Ponty’s “Individual Choice.”

New from the vaults: Night Flight's Fourth Anniversary show, featuring a Special Top Ten video countdown from NF’s panel of music experts. Focusing more on the artistry of the filmmaking than the song’s themselves, Night Flight honors videos from The Cars, Art of Noise, Jean-Luc Ponty, Herbie Hancock and more. Little bit of trivia: Night Flight was the first television program to add the names of the Director’s to the music video Chyron.

Examining and monitoring LA's new music renaissance with host Peter Ivers. "Welcome to New Wave Theatre. Monitoring the new music scene is a discovery into the minds and artistic souls of its artists... one of the last roads to freedom left is through the world of art and entertainment." Featuring Fear, Powertrip, Carnival of Souls, Red Wedding and more…

This Night Flight Original episode features a segment from the "Take Off" series on Politics and Progressive Rap. We also included extra special bonus feature on 'Movie Villains.'

Tonight we bring you a July 1989 episode of Hit Parader Magazine's Heavy Metal Meltdown! Visit a Sunset Strip tattoo parlor with L.A. Guns, get up close and personal with Badlands' lead vocalist Ray Gillen, go on the road with Winger and step inside the Elektra Records office for a little Metal Business Advice. Get ready for the meltdown!

Visions was an original series of 'Yesterday and Today' type music video features covering Sting, Beach Boys, Robert Plant, Bob Dylan and David Bowie/Mick Jagger. Hidden David Lynch interview inside as well!

His fellow musicians call him “Fitzy” a term of both affection and respect. Born March 27, 1970, in the Canadian province of Manitoba, the hockey loving multi-instrumentalist is always busy. In his long, eclectic career, he has worked with Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Theory of a Deadman, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Union, Gene Simmons, The Guess Who, Brad Whitford from Aerosmith, Derek St Holmes, and Ronnie Montrose just to name a few. This caffeinated conversation took place at our mutual favorite, Star Wars-themed local coffee house, Grouchy John’s, just days before he hit the road for a three-month European stint with the Dead Daisies. He is truly a prince in a land of few gentlemen.

A rhythmic collection of sounds, textures and images.

"New Age music is a global sound that reaches for the stars," says Pat Prescott in tonight's brand new Night Flight Short Cut. The best in New Age music is rounded up in this bite-sized Night Flight episode, featuring classics from Bowie collaborator Carlos Alomar as well as Yellow Jackets and Al Di Meola.

Welcome to the Meat Loaf edition of Night Flight (1993), where we bring you a smorgasbord of videos with the star of Operatic Rock. Featuring “Getting Away With Murder,” “Surf’s Up,” and the duet that propelled 1978’s Bat Out Of Hell straight into the stratosphere, the pointed ballad “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.” Bonus: Syndication host Tom Juarez reads Night Flight fan mail on air in this episode!

Tonight, we go back to 1988 to Take Off to Futurism in Music Videos. "The future is upon us, with Robots, Computers and new technologies" Pat Prescott informs us at the top of tonight's episode. Kicking off with Bonnie Tyler scored supercut of Fritz Lang's Metropolis this episode shows a multitude of visions of the future through music. Re-flex is "Hurt," the Earons explore "The Land of Hunger," Tangerine Dream's Peter Baumann signs of "Strangers in the Night" and DEVO tell the tale of the "Worried Man." This episode on the future has the special honor of being bookended by a good friend from the past, Mr. Bill.

"Coming up tonight, we have some of the heaviest metal ever!" - Twisted Mr. Bill. Welcome to tonight's edition of Hit Parader Magazine's Heavy Metal Heroes from April 1985 featuring music from Ratt and Iron Maiden, a revealing interview with Gene Simmons (sans makeup) and all the latest news on all your favorite headbangers.

This special ‘90s syndication episode feature host Tom Juarez introducing multiple classic Night Flight segments. PAL Tape 7 profiles Simple Minds and Aretha Franklin.

This special ‘90s syndication episode feature host Tom Juarez introducing multiple classic Night Flight segments. Juarez stops by Universal Studios in PAL Tape 19 delivers two Video Profiles: Steve Winwood and Ike & Tina Turner.

Welcome back to Viewer’s Choice, where you get the videos you asked for. “We’ve got some wild requests tonight...” Pat Prescott proclaims as she lists of: Zappa, The Cure, Falco (“Jeanny!!!”), Whistle, Ultravox, Shriekback and Phil Collins. Another snapshot of pop music in the '80s from the perspective of the fans, preserved forever in an episode of Night Flight. “Ska is a pre-reggae Jamaican dance rythym first popular in the 60s…” Pat Prescott explains, while introducing this very special Video Vault. Tonight we all dance to a Ska beat when the vault opens to the leaders of Britain’s ska revival of the 80s featuring Special AKA, Madness, Fun Boy 3, The English Beat and more.