Zoo-TV Miniseries?

[nirniva]

I had no idea this existed until a few hours ago, but...back in the '90s, MTV apparently ran a miniseries based on Zoo TV. And it sounds like it was freaking amazing.

MTV Opens Cage for Wild Zoo-TV

With segments on surveillance, the body/machine interface, and the nature of alternative culture, Zoo-TV pushes the edge of commercial - even comprehensible - television. The show evolved from concepts in the 1993 U2 tour of the same name, using the same video-guerrilla team Emergency Broadcast Network that gave the concerts postmodern flash to produce the show.
[...]

Surprisingly, though the band contributes the score (outtakes from their Zooropa album) and half the financing, Zoo-TV has little else to do with U2, the mega-band/commodity.
[...]

Zoo-TV is a surreal '90s satire of everything from biotechnology to interactive media to television itself. Offbeat, documentary interviews with the Stussy creator and Lori Fena from the Electronic Frontier Foundation are fused with video samples by EBN. Fake ads promote a home surveillance kit for kids and an electronic nanny that lovingly "monitors" kids glued to the TV. The motley mix forms a hyperreal critique of pop culture.
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Infuriatingly, I can't find any video of this at all. Anyone remember seeing this show?

EDIT: Just found another link, to an IMDb page for the show:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307890/
The forums for this page also include another review of Zoo-TV:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307890/board/thread/96371944

 

[Rachel D.]

Flanagan mentions in his book that Paul McGuinness was in talks with MTV to make a ZooTV channel, but it never went anywhere. I've never heard about a miniseries, though.

 

[BVS]

Like Rachel said, I don't think it ever went to air...

 

[Y2K]

It had to have aired.... why would anyone have written about it, describing it as though it exists?

 

[An Cat Gav]

I think it did air in the US, and the Emergency Broadcast Network were heavily involved, but it wasn't a success, other than that I don't know.

 

[Registered Dude]

IMDB review:

"...I was captivated by a brilliant piece of video that explained to viewers how big business rolls out high priced trends to keep middle class young Americans in check and in their pocket. It was the first and last time I ever saw Zoo TV.

In a moment of nostalgia, I attempted to find anything I could relating to Zoo TV online through various shopping, streaming video and fan websites. Much to my dismay, the only thing I was able to find was items and footage relating to the U2 tour of the same name.

I can't tell you much about Zoo TV, except to say that if you get an opportunity to watch an episode, take it. It is most certainly thought provoking and interesting...definitely worth a look. I only wish I had the opportunity to see more of it so that this review could have been more detailed."

 

[nirniva]

It had to have aired.... why would anyone have written about it, describing it as though it exists?

Everything we know is wrong?

 

[Screwtape2]

This sounds fascinating. I wonder if any of this footage could get released (obviously in edited and shortened form) on a Zooropa remastered album? Even if not it still great to know there were some album outtakes good enough to be released on the public.

 

[powerhour24]

I remember being surprised to read about this a while back when digging more into the production of ZooTV... still curious what it was like.

 

[nirniva]

This sounds fascinating. I wonder if any of this footage could get released (obviously in edited and shortened form) on a Zooropa remastered album? Even if not it still great to know there were some album outtakes good enough to be released on the public.

Yeah...at the very least, I expect some stuff from this show's soundtrack to show up on the Zooropa bonus disc.

 

[BVS]

It had to have aired.... why would anyone have written about it, describing it as though it exists?

Because there was a lot of talk about from Bono in interviews and from MTV but I can almost guarantee not a single full episode ever saw the airwaves... or I would have had it on tape because I couldn't wait to see it and then all talk disappeared.

 

[Clawgrabber]

i distinctly recall a very short commercial promo on MTV saying "this sunday on MTV" but then never seeing it again. i'm sure it aired.... once.

you know MTV. that's how they roll

 

[nirniva]

For what it's worth, I was able to dig up another article: 'Zoo TV': U2's Principles Minus Band's Principals - Los Angeles Times

I kind of wish we could just find a trailer or something so we could know if this show actually existed or if it was just an elaborate prank pulled by the band, MTV, and several major newspapers.

 

[DoctorMacPhisto]

*Hopes for release of this and other ZooTV bonuses with the Achtung Baby Remaster*

 

[Maxwellhouse]

I can promise you it never aired. There was mention about it in an interview with Bono in Details magazine sometime near the end of ZOO T.V. Nothing came of it because of expense and difficulty of execution. It was, however, a brilliant idea.

 

[dwanderer]

Hi, mostly a lurker here but just wanted to chime in and confirm that this did indeed air on MTV. I think I watched about 3 episodes and I believe I still have them on tape somewhere. If I can dig them up, I'll convert and upload them to YouTube. I'll let you guys know but it might take me a while to get to it.

 

[Registered Dude]

Hi, mostly a lurker here but just wanted to chime in and confirm that this did indeed air on MTV. I think I watched about 3 episodes and I believe I still have them on tape somewhere. If I can dig them up, I'll convert and upload them to YouTube. I'll let you guys know but it might take me a while to get to it.

"The three episodes will be delivered to MTV, which is co-funding the project with PolyGram and U2, next month. Though MTV has made no official commitment to air the shows, it's expected that they will be shown in the fall, around the time U2's next album is scheduled for release. If it's a success, more shows could be ordered in time to air during U2's world tour, which is currently slated to start in the U.S. next April."

judging from the LA Times piece, it looks like they only made three..

if you can find this.. you'll be the greatest lurker that ever skulked!

 

[nirniva]

"The three episodes will be delivered to MTV, which is co-funding the project with PolyGram and U2, next month. Though MTV has made no official commitment to air the shows, it's expected that they will be shown in the fall, around the time U2's next album is scheduled for release. If it's a success, more shows could be ordered in time to air during U2's world tour, which is currently slated to start in the U.S. next April."

judging from the LA Times piece, it looks like they only made three..

if you can find this.. you'll be the greatest lurker that ever skulked!

Well, other than the guy who had two posts and found the link to the site that was selling NLOTH early.
But, still, you would be waaaaaaaaaaay up there on the Lurker Awesomeness Scale. Godspeed, my friend.

 

[Muldfeld]

IMDB review:

"...I was captivated by a brilliant piece of video that explained to viewers how big business rolls out high priced trends to keep middle class young Americans in check and in their pocket..."

That sounds really cool. U2 was so cool.

 

[cobl04]

That sounds really cool. U2 was so cool.

do you sing along at U2 concerts?

 

[BVS]

 

[bono_212]

*slow clap*

 

[theedgeu2]

Ummm here's something that might be of interest.

MTV Opens Cage for Wild Zoo-TV

 

[LemonMelon]

if you can find this.. you'll be the greatest lurker that ever skulked!

But if you can't...remember Moon Mercy.

 

[nirniva]

But if you can't...remember Moon Mercy.

Oh, man, the leak threads were crazy.
In a good way.
Mostly.

 

[tsweeney]

I remember Bono mentioning the band wanting to turn Zoo TV into a TV station and mentioning pilot shows. He was talking about it during the Popmart press conference at K-Mart in '97.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

do you sing along at U2 concerts?

He can't, everyone's jumping up and down.

 

[nielsgov]

I'd love to see his face when Bono let's the crowd sing ISHFWILF.

 

[zitherglow]

This DID in fact air. I saw 3 episodes of it. It did not have any U2 content except for some ambient music used in the intro (which i believe they did with eno). This was played over some strange footage of an embryonic baby(very much like the Massive Attack video for Teardrop... I think the baby gives the peace sign at one point). It aired extremely late on MTV I think on Sunday nights. This was more of a show focused on the themes of ZOOTV than anything U2 related. One episode was about how everyone would have their own TV station in the future. It was prescient given the fact that everyone either has their own website/facebook/youtube at this point. I've been trying to hunt this down for the past couple of years, so if you have this, I'd love a copy or to be able to view it on youtube.

 

[whatdoyouwant]

I registered on this forum just to ask about this very miniseries.

I can also confirm that yes, all three episodes aired. I have been searching YouTube for years hoping someone would upload them.

They aired right around the opening of the Pop Mart Tour, in April and May of 97. I had VCRs going like crazy to capture those and all the ABC is POP promotions going on at the time.

All my tapes are now long gone, so I no longer have it.

But I watched them when they aired, and watched them several times on tape, so yes, they really existed.

Even a website, zoo.tv with an animated in-utero fetus (the one that gives the peace sign in the show) was active for a while.

The contents of the shows were really fantastic, including somewhat of an "expose" on how the audiences at Lollapallooza shows were duped into participating in corporate marketing schemes.

I also vaguely remember some kind of annoying red-head girl as the show host, and a fake commercial for a TV babysitter that monitors your child while they watch TV.

dwanderer ... I would be so excited to see these on the tube.