The twin flames of '80s music video: Leather & Lace. “Leather suggests being wild, animalistic, masculine" Pat Prescott says, "while lace says soft, feminine, and sensual… and both conjure up sexual images.” Tonight, Night Flight looks to the 1983 and finds ample examples of both in videos from Billy Idol, The Romantics, Franky Goes to Hollywood, Roxy Music, Waysted and the Jersey Shore’s Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.

“In 1985,” Visions host Al Bandiero says, “British rockers have held the #1 slot on the American charts for more than 8 months." With a mix of music videos, interview, and artist bios, this episode of Visions features 80s British musicians like Annie Lennox, Sade, New Order, and The Cure.

"Boy isn't heavy metal a lot of fun!" says Mr. Bill at the start of Night FLight's special "Take Off" to Heavy Metal Comedy, (before an untimely death by anvil.) And Mr. Bill is right: Heavy Metal is a reliably comedic genre, intentional or not. This episode kicks off with Alcatrazz's "God Blessed," a satire of MTV that doomed its chances of airplay on that channel, (but of course got play on Night Flight), Keel's "Right to Rock", Accept's kaleidoscopic video for "Midnight Mover," Japanese rockers Loudness and Ireland's Mama's Boys.

Ryuichi Sakamoto's passing in 2023 has left an enormous void in the world of music, film, and beyond. Here at NF HQ, we were comforted by bittersweet arrival of a tape from the archives that includes Sakamoto's Man Ray inspired video for “Risky,” which features the inimitable croon of Iggy Pop. This "New Sounds" episode also highlights songs from ex-Go-Go's band House of Schock, The Smithereens, Pop Will Eat Itself, and more. Stick around for a New Filmmakers Showcase featuring a musical saga about a small-time hustler called Honky Tonk Bud (Scott Laster, 1986) the urban folk legend.

"You can have my husband, but please don't mess with my man!" In tonight's Night Flight original episode from 1983, we treated to a vivid (and mostly unseen) performance from Chicago Blues legend Koko Taylor. Raucous and raw, the Memphis-born Taylor and her band take the audience through a medley of blue standards and hits, including the 1964 energizing anthem: "Wang Dang Doodle". Pure Night Flight! Stick around for the episode's B-Side, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard's version of Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty," where Townes himself makes an appearance in the music video.

This Night Flight original episode from our 1983 season is rife with deep cuts and nostalgic video gems from a lost era. The highlight is of course, Nameneko Punk Rock Kittens which features cats in punk outfits on cat-sized diorama sets (known as Perlorian cats in the US) created by photographer and artist Satoru Tsuda. These feline punkers join the ranks of other zoological video oddities like Dog Police and Fish Heads that were seared into the dazed minds of teenagers up way past their bedtime in the '80s.

"TV 2000's a different kind of video show: We've got everything!" The 1985 music series and Night Flight sister show hosted by John Kassir (voice of the Cryptkeeper) and Joe Gallo includes a top ten countdown, home movies, artist conversations with Night Flight & Radio 1990 resident interviewer Lisa Robinson, and some fantastic sweepstakes (sorry, entry is now closed!). Tonight's show, dubbed Episode 1 in the library, features videos from Duran Duran, Til Tuesday, Lisa Robinson on location with model Jerry Hall and a sizzling video Hot Pick of the Week. Commercials included!

TV 2000 is Night Flight's spin on the top ten countdown format from 1985, hosted by comedian John Kassir & Joie Gallo. In Episode 2 of TV 2000, Bryan Adams takes us to heaven, the Eurythmics ask: "Would I lie to you?" and Lisa Robinson goes on location with Boy George and Marilyn at the "hottest new club in New York," Palladium! Commercials are included.

This '90s syndication episode of Night Flight is dedicated exclusively to duets featuring a match made in art-pop heaven: Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, KLF and Tammy Wynette's idiosyncratic country/dance-pop hybrid of pedal steel guitar & drum machines "Justified & Ancient," UB40 & Chrissie Hynde, and finally, Cher hits on Butthead in "I Got You Babe," the mega-crossover event of music television history we all needed. It's a bonafide hit-parade and a perfect specimen of our unique "Take Off" format, indeed.

It’s an “International Bazaar” on Night Flight tonight! This new arrival from the archives, taken from our 1985 Anniversary Special, finds Cabaret Voltaire sharing the Peter Care-directed classic video “Sensoria,” (inspired by the film 1979 black-comedy Wise Blood), Scotland's loyal song Jesse Rae and German experimentalists Einstürzende Neubauten contrasting perfectly against the Italian pop of Righeria in “No Tengo Dinero.”

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).

Night Flight’s full episode from September 1984 starts off with a Lou Reed’s wild dancing in his video for “I Love You Suzanne,” and doesn’t stop until way past your bedtime. Night Flight’s Video Picks give you selections from Art of Noise, Billy Idol, Sheila E. and Elvis Costello. Cut away to some classic commercials, and we’re back with AC/DC, Hendrix and Judas Priest on Heavy Metal Heroes. Finally stick around for a full episode of Radio 1990 featuring Billy Squier, as he releases his video for "Rock Me Tonite", the clip that may or may not have torpedoed his career.

This almost 2 hour special episode of Night Flight includes a documentary on filming Pink Floyd's The Wall, "They went to the stars" an excursion through 1950s space adventures ("They Went to the Stars"), videos from The Residents, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Bob Marley and so so much more...

Welcome to an uncut 3-hour episode of Night Flight! You are now entering “As Aired” territory. Now streaming on Night Flight Plus, we’ve got a full 3-hour original episode from 1984 streaming in all its glory. That's right, start to finish you'll see an excellent representation of all the classic segments (including the commercials!). Look out for the essentials: New Wave Theatre, Heavy Metal Heroes, Radio 1990 (featuring Eurythmics) and much more. We'll stop there before giving too much away. Where would the trademark Night Flight discovery be in that? Tonight, it's all yours. Enjoy. Note: the dominance of workout-themed anthems in the commercial free video segment can correlated to the on-going ’84 Summer Olympics. That being said, they are truly a sight to behold.

Where else on television could you find 1950s cult video segments like 'Space Cadet' followed by a pure Lynchian unknown filmmakers showcase into Kaiju Midnight Movie trailers? Blue Oyster Cult interviews back to back with Depeche Mode videos or Black Sabbath’s iconic Beat Club performance following The Belle Stars? Where on television could you be challenged, excited and inspired all at once? Night Flight of course!

We begin this 3 hour As-Aired episode with an excellent selection of videos from Eurythmics, Jermaine Jackson, Prince, and Prince produced The Time. Night Flight's Rising Stars covers songs from classic acts Psychedelic Furs, Slade, and Night Flight's Discovery Segment features Milk 'N' Cookies' Ian North and Eva Everything. Hour 2 brings an incredible selection of new film and video art featuring experimental animation and video from Chel White (who we interviewed on the Night Flight blog in 2015). There's so many hidden gems in these full episodes, we don't want to give it away. Yes, the dog police are in town and Yes, a lizard goes surfing. We leave the rest up to you to DISCOVER!

Starting off with Michael Jackson's iconic Pepsi commercial, this full 3 hour special of Night Flight from 1984 truly has it all with a top ten video pick featuring Dead or Alive, The Cars and George Kranz and an excellent Radio 1990 clip with a Van Halen profile and interview. We finish with a cult classics section of UBU, Space Cadet, Santana and Stephen Stills' Manassas