Alcatrazz - God Blessed Video (1985)

What this video is

Released in spring 1985, 'God Blessed Video' arrived at peak MTV gatekeeping power, when heavy metal acts with Capitol Records backing still struggled to break through against more photogenic New Wave competitors. The video's meta-satirical conceit — an angel and devil arguing over the soul of music video culture — positioned Alcatrazz as self-aware critics of the very medium they needed. MTV's effective blackout…

Why it matters

A rare self-referential heavy metal music video explicitly critiquing MTV's commercialism from within the format, predating similar media-aware gestures in rock video by several years. Written by Steve Vai and Graham Bonnet during Vai's sole album tenure with the band, the track showcases Vai's…

The director

UCLA MFA graduate (English Literature, Theater, and Cinematography) who directed and shot approximately twenty music videos in the early-to-mid 1980s before transitioning to feature screenwriting. Best known as co-writer of RoboCop (1987), for which he…