Hottt videos from heavy headliners Madonna, Rod Stewart, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Queen and Van Halen are highlights from this epic installment of Night Flight's "Take Off" from late 1984.

For tonight's Night Flight Originals, we start with a “Take Off” to LA Rock. Since the ‘60s, LA’s been a mecca for the music industry. Night Flight brings us up to date (1987) with LA’s bustling music scene that finds us watching and listening to videos from The Untouchables in their award-winning video for “Free Yourself,” Oingo Boingo, Concrete Blonde, Suicidal Tendencies, and Thelonius Monster. For part two tonight we take a look at a strange phenomenon of the 80s, Sport Rock! “Today’s fitness craze even spreads to rock,” Pat Prescott declares, as she introduces the first videos, including the Los Angeles Rams’ theme song, questionably named “Let’s Ram It,” and The Chicago Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle.” Both worth the price of admission alone. Next up, the wrestling mania of the '80s peaked with this Allstar line up known simply as The Wrestlers. “Land of A Thousand Dances,” the euphoric, almost mystical work from seminal 1985 album “The Wrestling Album,” will go down in history as an icon of the vibrant period we now refer to as the Rock ’n’ Wrestling connection. This is Night Flight, pure and true. We thank you for watching!

An evil demon runs a toy store.

Tucked away inside this 1990s Syndication episode is Night Flight's "Take Off" to Reggae. Night Flight has always been proud of exposing our audience to Reggae music early on by being one of the first music shows to put the genre's music videos into heavy rotation. Tonight's "Take Off" episode is a perfect example of this. Featuring interviews and music with Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Third World, and Bob and Ziggy Marley, this classic episode is not to be missed and still serves as an excellent entry point to the incredible genre. Be sure to also stick around long enough to see Laurie Anderson's performance of "Language is a Virus (From Outer Space)."

Night Flight's celebrating Independence Day (in 1988 and today!) with a Red, White and Blue Take Off Special to Freedom. We'll take a musical look at the many faces of Freedom, at home and abroad with Billy Bragg, Robbie Robertson, Hulk Hogan, and Aztec Two Step.

The director of Tribulation 99 and Sonic Outlaws returns with his grandest work to date! Spectres of the Spectrum plunders Baldwin's treasure trove of early television shows, industrial and educational films, Hollywood movies, advertisements and cartoons, combining these with live-action footage, no-budget special effects, and relentless narration to generate a wholly original paranoid science-fiction epic. BooBoo, a young telepath, and her father, Yogi, are revolutionaries pitted against the "New Electromagnetic Order." Their story, set in the year 2007 in a blighted Nevada outpost, is interwoven with a history of the development of electromagnetic technologies, from X-rays to atom bombs, from television to the Internet.

Your original Night Flight programming returns with a 1988 episode of Flash Tracks. Tonight we have neo-60s psychedelia Australian style with Hoodoo Gurus, gritty english rock Flesh for Lulu, and from Bradford, England it's "Sanctuary” for your soul with The Cult! And for a timely bonus, stay tuned at the end of this episode for Australia's roaming reporter Norman Gunston who pays a visit to the 1979 Grammys!

Welcome back to Night Flight. Tonight we celebrate the incredible life and career of Aretha Franklin with our 1987 Video Profile of the legendary artist. "She was the daughter of a preacher and by the late 60's the undisputed Queen of Soul" - Pat Prescott. With over a dozen million-selling albums, Aretha forever fused the passion of Gospel, the sensuality of R&B, and the precision of Pop. Tonight's episode is an incredible survey of Aretha's 1980s output, in true Night Flight Style. Featuring all of Aretha's 1980s cuts including: Rock A Lot, Freeway Of Love, Another Night, and George Michael collaboration Knew You Were Waiting.

A man lives in a computer program.

In 1965, as leader of the NY Band: The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed became Rock's first leather-clad social outcast. At the age of 20, Reed took violence, drugs, sadomasochism, and sang about them in a rock context creating music as painful as it was compelling. He set the stage for the punk revolution. Night Flight tells the story of Reed with music videos, live footage and amazingly candid interviews discussing his love for performance, writing and his unique approach to recording.

This special ‘90s syndication episode feature host Tom Juarez introducing multiple classic Night Flight segments. PAL Tape 20 covers the Kinks and The Cure.

For this edition of Night Flight, Morris Day, Prince collaborator and bandleader of The Time, sits down for an exclusive interview where he discusses what it was like acting for the first time in Purple Rain. Also featuring a special report on super-producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, including music videos from their hit songs with Janet Jackson and Robert Palmer.

Welcome back to Night Flight! “In a world where musicians bend over backwards to carry message of social responsibility, the wild and raucous Jane’s Addiction sings of personal freedom and non-conformity." - Pat Prescott. In tonight's 1991 original episode of Night Flight, find out why Jane's Addiction had become the most talked about band of the early ‘90s by going behind the scenes with lead singer Perry Farrell's Home Movie "Soul Kiss" This uncut original episode also features all the original 1-900 commercials, Night Flight comedy cuts, and clips from the 1938 exploitation movie, "Sex Madness."

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…

Tonight, we "Take Off" to iconic solo careers and the band's they left behind in this 1994 special Syndication episode of Night Flight. Ahh, the solo career: the proving ground for artists who uncouple from the bands that made them or simply want to blow off some creative steam. Hosted by Tom Juarez, we take a journey through the solo songs of Mick Jagger, Phil Collins, Stevie Nicks, and finally Morrissey (see below for our additional offerings from The Smiths this week) all while giving credit to the original bands that made them.

In this original episode from October 30th, 1987 Night Flight presents two independent shorts as a part of our "Short Film Showcase" segment. The first up is the criminal-comedy “The Lemon Man,” by Super 8 auteur Michael Legge, followed by the mysterious experimental animation called “Xidu,” by Australian filmmaker Michelle Mahrer.

The Doors Are Open is a 1968 black-and-white documentary first aired in the United Kingdom on 4 October 1968 and shown regularly on Night Flight. Combing footage of the Doors playing live at London's Roundhouse venue, interviews with the band members and contemporary news snippets of world current affairs. Watch Night Flight's original broadcast tonight!

Hosted by Judy Tenuta, Night Flight's 6th Anniversary special from 1987 relives some of the best segments from Night Flight's history including moments from Mr. Bill, J-Men, Neil Young's Rust Never Sleeps, Tunnel Vision, and more. Make sure to stick around for a classic Tenuta accordion set to close out the evening!

Night Flight takes you to the dazzling animation of contemporary music videos, from Herbie Hancock's computer-assisted imagery to the kaleidoscopic videos of Adrian Belew and the Tom Tom Club.

“Their music was devil’s music: high decibel, tortured, frenzied songs about Death, Destruction and Black Magic.” Welcome to Night Flight’s 1984 Take Off to Heavy Metal History with a look at metal forgers Black Sabbath. We go back to the 1970s for classic Sabbath, trace the development of Ozzy Osbourne and Ronny James Dio from their days as Black Sabbath’s lead singers to their solo careers in the mid 80s as “Rock’s Top MadMen.” We’ve heard from many of you that your first exposure to BS was late at night on Night Flight, so consider this your return trip home to some 35 years ago. If you are a Black Sabbath original line-up purist and Dio isn't your thing, may we suggest the Black Sabbath Video Profile for another excellent episode?

Night Flight’s full episode from June 30th, 1984 kicks off hot and heavy with a bold “Take Off” to Sex. “Music videos use phallic and vaginal symbols,” Pat Prescott tells us as she introduces videos from INXS, Berlin, Mary Jane Girls and of course, Prince. Then we get into a Heavy Metal Half Hour with Ratt, Divinyls and Def Leppard. Dig into more music videos from Rush, The Go Go’s, Nick Lowe, and a strange short film called The Speed of Light, starring Sally Norvell (later cast by Wim Wenders as “Nurse Bibs” in Paris, Texas).

Tonight’s original episode comes from 1983, i.e. the early days of discovery on NF that often featured uncut performance footage. Here, we see Toyah’s 1981 show at London’s Rainbow Theatre with the irrepressible performer at the top of her game. Listen up for excellent tunes like "War Boys," "Neon Womb" and more. 

Night Flight is proud to present the 10 winners of our first Night Flight Music Video Film Festival, selected by Night Flight founder Stuart S. Shapiro. We are thrilled to see that music video creativity of independent directors and artists from unsigned acts is so vibrant and prolific. Congrats to director Tony Grayson, whose video "Wicked Wild" by The Metalliques was the Grand Prize winner chosen by the audience at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn on December 13th, 2023.

Comedienne Renee Taylor's parody of the Fellini films of the 1960s.

Welcome aboard Night Flight's New Sounds circa 1988. Tonight, we'll climb into the cockpit with Paul Kelly and the Messengers, Gentlemen Without Weapons, The Christians, and some high-tech irony in "Disco Dancer" from the Spud boys of Akron, Ohio: DEVO.

“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!

"This sassy rocker's radioactive red hair, junk shop chic, up-beat personality and pitch perfect vocals make her one of the hottest performers of the '80s," Pat Prescott tells us. Tune in tonight for our 1985 profile of Cyndi Lauper, featuring music videos and history in true Night Flight style.

Blue Oyster Cult stops by the Night Flight studio in this fantastic early NF special from 1983. Band members Allen Lanier and Joe Bouchard (we know, we know, their names are spelled wrong!) sit down for a lengthy and informative conversation about the band with tracks including the somewhat controversial and oft-banned “Joan Crawford” and “Veteran of the Psychic Wars,” a dark, brooding track featured on the Heavy Metal soundtrack.

Tonight we "Take Off" to Violence in Music Videos in this 1984 original episode of Night Flight; perfect for triggering your local PMRC chapter. “The following program contains controversial material…” Pat Prescott warns before contrasting the "psychological violence" of the Ramones against the "comic book violence" of Iggy Pop in this '80s time capsule that also features music videos from Golden Earring, and a piercing scream from the infernal beyond courtesy of Alcatrazz.

Directed by Peter Litvin. Discover Hollywood's dark side.

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.

Tonight we salute the overworked and underpaid women who made it all possible, our Mothers! We bring you two hours of original Night Flight in the form of a 1991 Mother’s Day Weekend Special. This episode joins our “As Aired,” section, which means the commercials are Intact. (And WOW are there a lot of late night call in commercials!). Anyone who watched Night Flight in the 90s know that the syndication episodes took on an almost manic, break-neck editing speed. Look out for a myriad of strange 90s animation, oddball short films and video mashups, with the episodes top billing goes to the special feature: Mothers of Punk, looking at the music of Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde, X’s Exene Cervenka, and Nina Hagen. Sit back and tune in for Night Flight, the show that tucks you in at night (just like your momma!)

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.”

Tonight’s Video Profile looks at Minneapolis writers, performers, and legendary super producers: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Bassist Terry Lewis met Keyboard player Jimmy Harris when they were handpicked by Prince for one of Minneapolis's great spinoff bands: The Time. "C...O...O...L"! Night Flight takes us through a tour of classics the pair wrote and produced from Janet Jackson, Human League, Herb Albert, Force MD's "Tender Love," (Above) and Robert Palmer's cover of the duo's Cherrelle classic "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On."

Night Flight rocks regional tonight as we travel to Asbury Park and beyond to explore the sounds of The Garden State. Featuring music from, of course, the Boss, blues revivalist Southside Johnny, Hackensack’s Joe Lynn Turner, Clarence Clemons and more!