The Video Bar Reunion
Date
Friday
June 16, 2023
Time
Location
Screening starts at 7pm.
VJ Ron Stanley spins era-specific music videos all night, including the full-length version of Nine Inch Nails performing at The Video Bar in 1990 early in the evening. Hosted by Helen Stark and Bart Weiss. It's a reunion of friends, family, and Video Bar regulars. Step into the time machine. Everyone is invited.
"While MTV was a big thing in the early 80’s, there were lots of great music videos that just weren’t being played on the network, and the people who were just watching at home were really missing out. So we started On the Air, on Lower Greenville Avenue, and later, The Video Bar in Deep Ellum, as places where you could watch all the great underground videos, hang out with your new friends (who loved the same music you loved, and also DANCE while watching the screens.)
We had live shows at The Video Bar, as well. People came to see outrageous performances by emerging artists like Nine Inch Nails, MC 900 Ft Jesus, Severed Heads, and Course of Empire.
We mixed and created our own videos, scratched records and added multimedia samples, and every night we had a blast.
If you were there, this is a chance to relive it, and reconnect with your (now older) friends. If you were too young, this is a chance to see what you missed. The Kessler in North Oak Cliff is absolutely the perfect place for this Video Bar reunion.
And you have from now until June 16 to figure out what to wear.
See you SOON!
Same as it ever was!"
And you have from now until June 16 to figure out what to wear.
See you SOON!
Same as it ever was!"
-- Bart Weiss
"The Video Bar (also known as On The Air in the very beginning) was more than just a bar where you could drink, dance, and watch subversive music videos. It was a place where young, fertile creative minds could gather and compare notes about this relatively new artform that existed as a logical extension to radio, television and film. Fashion photographers and advertising creatives were expanding their myriad talents into the world of popular music, and the medium of music video was, in turn, dramatically changing popular culture as a whole.
Many of the regulars at The Video Bar have since gone on to enjoy productive careers as internationally acclaimed filmmakers, directors, art directors, wardrobe stylists, and musical tastemakers. The Kessler is proud to dedicate this evening -- Friday, June 16 -- to those who engaged and nurtured the film production community in Dallas. It will be, once again, an opportunity to revisit the trajectory of our craft, to compare notes on our individual experiences, and to dance and watch the music videos that inspired us in the very beginning of this movement."
-- Jeffrey Liles
