most wanted

There was once a show on MTV that featured live performances of popular singers and bands. It was hosted by a man called Ray.

All I remember is I watched Take That on this show one night in 1995. Not surprisingly, Take That was my favorite band at the time - I still feel some kind of attachment to the original members. My friend had called me on the phone that night - not on my cell phone, naturally, because they weren't around yet - and told me the band was on MTV, live! And I watched them as they sang "Pray" and "Babe" and "Back for Good", and as Robbie showed his bum to the camera when he was asked if he would pose naked for money - he did it for £10!

This is all I remember. And today, after 15 years, the Internet allows me to find the missing pieces. I google "Take That MTV Ray" and find the host's name was Ray Cokes, the show's name was MTV's Most Wanted and the channel's name was actually MTV Europe. (Don't judge my memory, I'm telling you it's been 15 years!) And I thank Youtube here for making it possible to watch the show again after all this time.

I believe my generation had fun with all those pop icons and with the little pleasures we could afford - like sending a letter to a TV show, making tapes with the help of DJs, collecting pictures from magazines, exchanging song lyrics with friends... I believe we are decent human beings after all, because we've observed as things have changed in time, and we've had the chance to internalize them.

And I hope my little niece, who will be 6 months old tomorrow, does not lose herself in the midst of technology. I hope she learns to savour progress, and she turns out to be a decent person too.