{"id":30880,"date":"2026-06-28T23:46:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T23:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/?p=30880"},"modified":"2026-07-01T00:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T00:24:17","slug":"tim-pope-mtv-the-cure-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/2026\/06\/28\/tim-pope-mtv-the-cure-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim Pope – MTV, The Cure, and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is an interview with Tim Pope, film director and author of the book: I Shoot Rock Stars (foreword by Robert Smith<\/strong>). <\/em>

Book description: A wildly entertaining insider account of the anarchic early MTV era from the director behind iconic videos for The Cure, Queen, David Bowie, Wham!, Neil Young, and others. Pope captures the moment music videos transformed pop culture into a visual medium\u2014with outrageous on-set stories, creative excess, and firsthand portraits of artists at their creative peak.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. MTV is often described as a cultural turning point. From your perspective, what made the birth of MTV such a radical shift for music and visual culture?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the birth of MTV was undoubtedly a huge turning point – in that audiences could suddenly see our work 24\/7 – my own career was already well underway in the UK. One of my first major videos was for Soft Cell’s \u2018Bedsitter\u2019, the follow-up to their worldwide hit \u2018Tainted Love\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, I didn’t actually see MTV until 1983, when I first came to the United States to work with Neil Young. I remember switching it on and being astonished to see six of my videos play one after another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1982, I had begun working with Robert Smith and The Cure, and I can’t honestly say MTV changed the way I made videos. In fact, we were often quite defiant when the channel suggested we alter aspects of our work to make it more \u2018MTV-able\u2019. We preferred to follow our own instincts rather than fit a formula, and to hell with the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, there’s no question MTV gave many of the artists I worked with, including The Cure, an extraordinary level of exposure. It transformed music videos from promotional films into a global cultural force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Your memoir highlights a period when music videos were still experimental and unregulated. What freedoms\u2014and pressures, came with working in that chaotic early environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brilliant thing was that nobody had a clue what a music video was supposed to be. There wasn’t a handbook, there weren’t record company marketing departments breathing down your neck, and there certainly wasn’t anyone talking about algorithms or ‘content’. We were all making it up as we went along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That meant we could pretty much try anything. If I wanted Smithy to be inside a wardrobe which gets chucked off a clifftop, to build a giant spider\u2019s mouth to suck him in, or plaster giant dancing fluorescent socks all over the screen, nobody would stop me – as long as it could be done on the budget. The artists were up for it, too. They were just as keen to push things as I was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressure was that we had to deliver. Budgets were initially laughably small, and time was always against us. You’d have a mad idea on Monday and be filming it by Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, it was a glorious time because there were no rules to break – we were inventing them. Sometimes,  we’d fall flat on our faces, but when it worked, you knew you’d made something that people hadn’t seen before. That’s what made those early years a rollercoaster, but a hell of a fun ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 3. You worked with some of the biggest names in music, including David Bowie, Queen, and Neil Young. What was it like entering the creative world of artists who were already at their peak?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story of my book is really about a kid growing up in the north London suburbs, spending his hard-earned money on the latest records by the artists he idolised. So, to end up working with many of them was pretty great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Bowie was the big one. Working with him had always been my dream, and by 1986, I was doing exactly that. Iggy Pop introduced us in New York and, within seconds of meeting Bowie, I very nearly blew it by being far too mouthy. (You’ll have to read the book for the full story of our first, rather hilarious exchange.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d seen Queen play Hyde Park in 1976 and then found myself directing them ten years later. At one point, I dressed dear Freddie in an outfit that some people \u2013 including members of the band \u2013 thought made him look like a giant Mediterranean prawn. (Again, the full story’s in the book.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neil Young was different. I wasn’t really familiar with his music when we first worked together, which is probably why I wasn’t remotely intimidated. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate just how extraordinary he is, and we’re still working together today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, I think what comes across in the book is that I was blissfully fearless. I never really treated these people as untouchable legends. I treated them as collaborators, wasn’t afraid to throw out ridiculous ideas, and I suspect that’s exactly why so many of them wanted to work with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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