title:  David Bowie Using MTV Interview To Blast MTV’s Racism Is A Beautiful Reminder Of Icon’s Impact
text: While the enormous sense of loss the world experienced upon learning of legendary pop icon David Bowie s passing from cancer at 69 has been understandably hard to accept, the impact that the legendary pop icon had on society cannot be overstated. During his ever-changing, boundary-pushing career, Bowie continuously used his celebrity and visibility to shed light on social issues that were being ignored.As we mourn the loss of Bowie, it s worth taking a moment to recall just one time that the singer called out injustice in the most rock n  roll way imaginable.In 1983, Bowie was shocked to learn that many of his African-American musical peers were being purposely ignored by MTV because  black music  was making white Americans uncomfortable. Never one to let people s discomfort dictate how he behaved, Bowie blasted the music network for its cowardice.Using an interview with MTV as an ironic platform for critiquing the network, Bowie grilled MTV VJ Mark Goodman about the network s shameless whitewashing. The exchange has become a legendary example of Bowie s sheer lack of patience for bullshit.There are many reasons to love David Bowie. Here's one. 1982: challenging MTV on their refusal to play black music: pic.twitter.com/0ku30wccVG  Charlene White (@CharleneWhite) January 11, 2016Like many television networks, MTV had decided to censor black performers so as to not offend the predominately white audience from  middle America.  Unlike the other networks, however, MTV was marketed on the premise of being edgy and revolutionary. Bowie revealed what a sham that image was. Is there anything less rock n  roll than being cowered by white, middle class mom s from Iowa who were afraid to see Prince or Rick James on television?Bowie (along with James, who explicitly called the network racist in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine) had brought up an issue that could no longer be ignored. It also may have saved MTV from itself. Just months after the public backlash, MTV exploded with the release of Michael Jackson s  Billie Jean,  followed by  Thriller.  The music videos would become among the most iconic ever released and, to many, would later come to define what a  music video is.Bowie passed away on January 10, 2016, but it s clear that his music, and his legacy, will live on for much, much longer. To honor him, we should not just listen to the incredible wealth of music he left us, but also never be afraid to stand up to inequality and injustice, wherever we find it.Feature image via Wikipedia