"Rockabilly is a strange brew," Pat Prescott announces, "part Rhythm & Blues, Country & Western, Gospel and even Pop. It's a style that takes us back..." Continuing with our recent theme of looking at the history of rock and roll, this week we've got Night Flight's 1984 Take Off To Rockabilly. With Jerry Lee Lewis, Stray Cats, Robert Gordon, The Blasters and X, this episode is pure americana music history, Night Flight style.

Welcome to tonight’s "special investigation" into Satanic Metal circa 1988 (peak Satanic Panic!). Ever since the days of Paradise Lost, Faust and Hot Stuff Comic Books, the devil has been folk antihero numero uno and when Rock & Roll finally came along, he had his soundtrack (according to outraged fundamentalists).  Kicking off with Ozzy's "Miracle Man," join us as we descend into a realm of dark hymns from Damien, Iron Maiden, and much more…

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.

Traffic's Jim Capaldi sat down with Night Flight for a 1983 Video Profile to promote his new solo record, Fierce Heart. He talks about meeting Steve Winwood in a record shop, coming from a musical family, and his love for Little Richard. Capaldi reminisces about the "16-century cottage" years and a jam session with Bonzo: "I stood in the room and it was another world." Indeed.

“If we combine the modern new wave elements with the old, beautiful melodies, that might be an intriguing mixture,” says Taco discussing his hit cover of “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in this exclusive Night Flight interview. Later on in this brand new Night Flight Short Cut, Falco talks about translating rap music influences into his German-language hits.

Night Flight highlights the funniest women in showbiz in this special on female comedians, featuring material and interview clips from Tracy Ullman and Sandra Bernhardt.

This special ‘90s syndication episode feature host Tom Juarez introducing multiple classic Night Flight segments. PAL Tape 6 is an in-depth review of the Motown Sound.

Tonight we’ve got a comprehensive survey of the music and visuals of Australian band INXS. (“The band from down under who've come out on top!” - Pat Prescott.) In 1983, Farriss brothers and co. came out of Sydney to become part of America’s “Aussie Invasion.” This episode tracks the band’s rise to the top with excellent visuals (like Director Richard Lowenstein's clip above), concert footage and a one-off interview with the the Farriss brothers brainstorming a future music video. Watch with us tonight.

"More than music, more than television: it's FM-TV!" Tonight, let us take you on an incredible journey through 1980s entertainment ephemera. FM-TV was Night Flight creator Stuart Shapiro's short-lived prime time cable companion series aimed at a slightly different demographic. Fresh from the archives, this relic from 1983 features a dance sequence in between every segment. Alright!

A special on legendary rock band Bauhaus, dubbed the "originators of Goth Rock," featuring interviews with members, videos from later spin-off band Love and Rockets, as well as the solo career of frontman Peter Murphy.

Welcome to Night Flight goes to the movies, a. Tonight we look at the growing emergence of black leading men in a variety of film genres including Carl Weather's "Action Jackson" and Spike Lee's "School Daze" including interviews. This episode also previews "The Return of Ruben Blades," now come full circle and streaming on Night Flight Plus.

“Hello all you Night Owls, and welcome to Night Flight!” Tonight’s original episode finds us exploring the animal kingdom through a menagerie of short films, music video compilations and lost docu-comedies. Featuring experimental shorts like “Grinning Evil Death” an early 3D CGI project about an oversized cockroach, a video profile of Knoxville, TN’s The Judybats, and “Hush Hoggies Hush,” a film about Tom Johnson's remarkable talent of teaching his pigs to pray before they eat. (A Night Flight classic) Inquire within for one of the most eclectic hours to come out of the vault recently. “Remember,” Pat Prescott tells us, “we’re on until the cows come home.”

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

A series of short images, often related to televisions.

Welcome to Night Flight’s video profile of the clown princes of Glam Slam Metal Rock: Poison. Pat Prescott explains how the Brett Michaels fronted outfit went from an LA club scene staple to platinum recording artist. Featuring interviews with drummer Rikki Rockett, guitarist CC DeVille, and all the POISON music you need!

This review of the early 80s Aussie rock scene on video features the likes of Jo Jo Zep, Men At Work, Divinyls, Midnight Oil, Inxs and New Zealand's Tim Finn (of Split Enz fame) and more. Night Flight's innovative "Take Off" series dispensed with playlists, bland VJ set-ups and the usual tired video countdown format and instead cleverly programmed music videos and performance clips by theme. The series regularly featured hits from Eighties pop icons juxtaposed against obscurities from not-ready-for-MTV cult favorites. Original Air Date: 11-11-83

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.

We were saddened to hear about Leslie West of Mountain passing away in late December of 2020. His Night Flight interview is an underrated gem of the library. A down to earth and spirited guest, West talks about his success in frank terms while musing about eating bagels behind the stage at Woodstock, watching Cream play on acid and more.

Tonight, we’re opening Night Flight’s closely guarded vaults and dedicating a full hour to Video Classics. “The diamonds, emeralds, pearls, gold, frankincense and myrrh of video history” host Tom Juarez explains in one of his interstitial antics. Catch the episode in our 1990’s Syndication Episodes row!

In 1979, Sara Dallin and Siobhan Fahey were students at the London College of Fashion and Keren Woodward worked at the BBC. The flatmates decided to get together and with the help of their downstairs neighbors former Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Steve Jones and their friends Fun Boy Three, they formed a band and called it Banarama. "Banarama’s trademark is a happy go lucky lite approach," Pat Prescott calls it. Dive into a selection of the band's classic cuts and state of the art (for the time) videos.

Night Flight’s 1987 episode of New Sounds is teeming with deep cuts and lost treasures. Mondo Boffo with Scorpio (!), Prince proteges Wendy and Lisa's excellent tune "Waterfall," Squeeze's Dali-esque video painting and more.

A criminal duo commits bizarre, lemon-based crimes.

"You're watching Night Flight: where music, movies, cartoons and comedy collide with the unexpected!" - Pat Prescott Tonight’s a mystery box of uncut Night Flight. First up? A long-lost “adult” cartoon from Bob Godfrey, famed UK animator and ideas man on the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." The main act for this episode is a New Edition Video Profile, which covers their myriad off-shoots and solo projects, including Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison,” a heavy dose of post-modern R'n'B and New Jack Swing. 

A man lives in a computer program.

A dance-off at a school.

Episode 270. An original episode of Radio 1990 from 1984 featuring Cyndi Lauper, Blondie and Modern English.

Back in 1985, Night Flight produced a candid backstage interview with Tom Petty while he was on tour promoting Southern Accents. After hearing the sad news on Monday, we went to the archives to get the full segment for you.

“Here’s a look at the second British Invasion of America…” says Pat Prescott ahead of this brand new arrival from the vault featuring music videos from Adam Ant, Heaven 17, and Eurythmics. The first British music invasion was of course lead by The Beatles in 1964, so we start the show tonight with a rare performance from a 1982 documentary called The Compleat Beatles.

Tonight we Take Off to Cameos with “guest shot” appearances from Rodney Dangerfield, Milton Berle, Father Guido Sarducci, and more. Originally airing in 1984, tonight’s original episode features an eclectic music selection featuring the likes of Sons of Heroes, Tracey Ullman, Ratt, Ebn Ozn; all defined by their high-profile cameos.

Keep those cards and letters coming in, because this is what you've been asking for. Featuring Nina Hagen's "New York New York," Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al," a full version of Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms," clips from Genesis and of course, Prince. You can't ask for a better snapshot of the musical times than this special edition of Night Flight viewers choice.

Welcome to Night Flight's new filmmaker series, featuring short films from America's most talented writers, directors and producers. Tonight, two films from the Glasshouse production team Tom Stern and Alex Winter, Squeal of Death and Aisles of Doom.

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.

A radical hybrid of spy, sci-fi, Western, and even horror genres, Craig Baldwin's Mock Up On Mu cobbles together a feature-length "collage-narrative" based on (mostly) true stories of California's post-War sub-cultures of rocket pioneers, alternative religions, and Beat lifestyles.

An abstract alien abduction.

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. 

A series of gruesome and gory horror shorts, including Alex Winter and Tom Stern's wacky "Aisles of Doom," and the hilarious zombie parody "Dawn of the Night of the Dead: The Musical."

Sex in music video form featuring censored and uncensored videos from David Bowie, Mary Jane Girls, Miquel Brown, Duran Duran, and more...

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).

This 1986 interview with Dolly Parton delves into her latest business venture: Dollywood, the singer's Tennessee theme park. She discusses her larger-than-life branding and how she operates in a male-dominated industry.

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.

Tonight we present another edition of Politics in Music Video with John Lennon, Nena, U2, Men at Work and the Fixx. As we dig through the massive vault of Night Flight tapes, we see more and more that politics were a recurring theme for our 1980s writers. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise if you read Night Flight creator Stuart S. Shapiro’s recent book "Identifi Yourself" where he reminisces about his time as “one of the go-to concert organizers from D.C. to Boston for the anti-war movement.” Night Flight was born from the inextricable connection between art and politics.

Night Flight's "Take Off" to Guitar Rock is a syndication special with host Tom Juarez from 1994. This video mix includes Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, John Lee Hooker and more. Roots guitar music was probably the last thing on a young person's late night TV mind in the grunge era, but Night Flight could always be relied on to celebrate culture and not follow trends. Right?

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.