Loading…
Hosted by Benjamin Light and Marco Sparks · 🇺🇸 US · EN · 30 episodes
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
Welcome to eightone81, a podcast about the best music videos ever. Benjamin Light (aka James Taylor) and Marco Sparks explore the signature music videos from the launch of MTV to 9/11, looking back at an art form that no longer holds the sway it once did. We’ll talk about the artists, the music, the videos, the culture, and how things have changed since the heyday of the medium.
Benjamin Light and Marco Sparks hosts eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever, a music show with 30 episodes published.
We’re doing a big one, celebrating Halloween and the big 30, it’s “Thriller” by the King of Pop. Often the de facto Number 1 on Best of All Time lists. Does it hold up? Let’s dig in. The final book in our Trouble: Girl D
If you’ve heard of “Night Moves” by Marilyn Martin, congratulations. This weird vampire music video from the 80s feels like one time forgot. Vampires are due for a comeback, aren’t they? The final book in our Trouble: Gi
Nothing says spooky like gothic sets, absinthe, a giant severed hand prop, and Trent Reznor in a velvet trench coat. We’re talking “The Perfect Drug” by Nine Inch Nails. Boo! The final book in our Trouble: Girl Detective
Spooky Season on eightone81 continues with a weird video by a cool band: it’s “Push It” from Garbage. The guys talk about their love for these alt-rock legends, the weird lightbulb man, and how hot Shirley Manson is. We
eightone81 returns for spooky season! We’re celebrating our favorite time of year by checking out some of the best horror and horror-adjacent music videos of the MTV era. To start off, we’re dancing in the candlelight wi
The King of Pop finally makes a bow on the pod. This might actually be the best music video ever. It’s “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson for our 25th episode. Pre-order the new Trouble book now on Kindle! Out July 1st!
It’s the world’s most obvious Lewis Carroll reference, folks! JK, we’re doing the Alice in Wonderland-themed Mad Hatter party that is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Don’t Come Around Here No More.” Pre-order the new T
A song so catchy for a movie tie-in that it sort of makes us want to watch Mannequin. It’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship, featuring a guest appearance by Hollywood Montrose. (We also have an extended talk abo
This week on the pod, Bono lets The Edge take the mic for one of U2’s most original and experimental songs. It’s “Numb,” your favorite music video featuring belly dancers and feet.
Heroin chic is back in fashion as the bros discuss the sleazy masterpiece that is “Criminal” by Fiona Apple.
The Navy knew what they were doing letting this video be shot of a battleship full of seamen. It’s Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time,” and yes, you can see the tattoo on her ass cheek.
A music video so suggestive that MTV asked Laura Branigan to make some edits. We’re on an erotic journey with “Self Control.”
Every time it felt like this music video had peaked, it just kept taking it to the next level. A boys chorus where they all have glowing eyes! And then one of them starts flying! It’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonn
We’re taking the pod to a dark but ultimately reaffirming place this week, talking about the “Everybody Hurts” music video by R.E.M.
This week on the pod, we’re joined by special guest Morgan to discuss her music video pick: “Waterfalls” by TLC.
Double video pod! The guys are talking not one but two songs by the Boss off the Born in the U.S.A. album: “Dancing in the Dark,” and “I’m on Fire,” by Bruce Springsteen, with multiple interludes about Courtney Cox’s car
This week on the pod, another lip-syncing classic from the 80s: it’s Paul Simon with an assist from Chevy Chase for “You Can Call Me Al.”
Is this the best music video ever? “Freedom! ’90” is certainly a contender. The guys go deep on David Fincher’s supermodel masterpiece for the George Michael classic. This movie was very important to our adolescent devel
We’re really delving into the class struggle on this one with Pulp’s “Common People.” Plus, a diversion about the new Anya Taylor-Joy/Miles Teller streaming movie The Gorge. Spoiler alert: it stinks.
This week on the pod, is Paula Abdul fucking that cartoon cat? James and Marco are taking a look at the slick choreography in “Opposites Attract.” Also, we get sidetracked talking the new Captain America movie, which was
Detected from recent episode content. Sponsor presence is a real signal of listener purchasing power and show monetisation.
No public pitch examples yet for this show.
Generate your own personalised pitchBased on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:
Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.
Shows with the most semantically similar episode content. Pitch one, pitch all; producers cluster.
eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever has a verified contact on file. Create a free PitchCentric account to access it and generate a personalised pitch in seconds. Research at least 3 recent episodes first and lead with a specific angle that serves their music audience.
eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever is hosted by Benjamin Light and Marco Sparks. The show is categorised under music (commentary) and has published 30 episodes.
eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever has published 30 episodes.
eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever regularly covers music, commentary. It sits in the music category, with a commentary focus.
eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever is accessible for guests with genuine music expertise. A personalised, episode-aware pitch will still outperform a generic one every time.
eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever hasn't explicitly signalled guest openness in recent episodes. That doesn't rule out pitching. your hook just needs to be especially compelling and relevant to their recent content.
Episodes of eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever average 51 minutes. a focused format where a clear narrative arc and tight preparation matter most.
Our data rates eightone81 — Best Music Video Ever's guest bar at 80/100 (Premium tier). Established thought leaders with verified media credentials. Sign in to PitchCentric to see how your own Pod Score compares against this show.
Methodology. Booking Probability™ blends Listen Score, 30-day Virality, open-to-guests detection, and Apple ratings. Data refreshed every 60 minutes. Listen Score and Booking Probability are calculated by PitchCentric. Last enriched 12 days ago.