I feel like I crashed a work party on Friday night and all the original MuchMusic VJs were there. There’s a new documentary about MuchMusic called 299 Queen Street West and the premiere celebrated Canadian entertainment in a unique way.
The audience cheered for people who work behind the scenes more than major stars because they loved their team. Hearing their reactions in person reinforced the camaraderie in the studio captured in the archive footage. I could tell it was a special place to work that welcomed new talent and adapted to major changes together.
It was funny to see VJs who were on the air before I was born alongside outdated technology. Fans faxed in requests and everyone laughed when they showed what a viewer email looked like on Windows 95. It also stood out how fans paid 90 cents to vote for their favourite singer over the phone, whereas now you’d spend that on in-app purchases.
I enjoyed learning about Electric Circus because I didn’t know it started out on Friday afternoons. I’ve seen many people out and about while I’m looking for work, but the idea of people going to a dance party during business hours gives new meaning to funemployment.
I never had a chance to sit in Speaker’s Corner, but I would have loved it. A highlight of the documentary was seeing the Barenaked Ladies sing in the booth and joke about getting exposure with a limited budget.
The evolution of MuchMusic also mirrors shifts in celebrity culture and social media. The first VJs went on live TV with minimal training. This DIY approach led to huge audience growth because the VJs were genuinely authentic and so were the celebrity guests.
Over time, the whole industry became incredibly polished, so it was great to watch raw interviews from the 80s and 90s where VJs and singers did silly things. It reminded me of how singers used to share random thoughts on Twitter, whereas now they primarily share promotional content and do major interviews without revealing anything of substance.
The documentary attributed the downfall of MuchMusic to the launch of YouTube and reality shows. Then VJ Monika Deol recalled a conversation with Moses Znaimer during the panel. She said that he had a vision to put cameras in her house and car! He may have been inspired by The Real World, although it wasn’t mentioned. Imagine if MuchMusic programming had a different timeline in an alternate reality!
My favourite note from director Sean Menard was that he wants you to focus on MuchMusic’s history in chronological order. Listening to voiceovers with new commentary lets you relive the best moments rather than jumping to clips of new interviews.
I really loved the documentary until the end. When you’re blessed with an amazing archive, it doesn’t make sense to include Kanye West after his antisemitic comments. As far as I know, everyone else in the documentary is less controversial and worth celebrating.
After they included the show Disband, I dug up a photo from a taping back in 2008. I was wearing my Boys Like Girls t-shirt that I got when they opened for Avril Lavigne. I won the Avril Lavigne concert tickets from MuchMusic!
I also went on a studio tour, but there are so many insights in this movie that I never learned as a student in the live audience. It offers a great perspective on what it takes to produce iconic TV shows that complements my memories of watching at home.
299 Queen Street West embodies the meaning of Hot On The Street perfectly. VJs, fans and celebrities literally interacted on the street discussing trending topics while staff managed the business of Hollywood inside. Meeting Paris Hilton recently after seeing her outside MuchMusic HQ was surreal. It was also fun to meet Rick Campanelli and Ed the Sock on the red carpet after all these years!
Stream the documentary when it’s released on Crave later this year and don’t make it a second screen experience. The beauty of MuchMusic is how they entertained me as an only child without the internet.
