Remember this show? A lot of my misspent youth was taken up plopped in front of MTV in the 80s. I was watching when the Buggles hit the airwaves and proclaimed video had killed the radio star. I was there when Simon LeBon and Co. recruited hordes of teenage girly fans into the cult of the Duran. And I was there when Ken Ober and Colin Quinn embarrassed a lot of college contestants on MTV’s first non-musical program.
Some might say that Remote Control set a precedent for the suckage that MTV has become today. And by “some” I mean me. Sure the first few seasons of “Real World” were shiny and cool, but if you compare MTV today to what it started out as, there is a world of suck.
BUT, this is about Remote Control, and MTV suckage aside, Remote Control was a great concept - it still was music-oriented mostly, and a lot of fun to boot. Wikipedia has the best summary of the show’s premise:
The show’s premise was that Ober desperately wanted to be a game show host and set up his basement (at 72 Whooping Cough Lane) as a television studio. The opening theme song sketched the scenario out: “Kenny wasn’t like the other kids (Remote Control) / TV mattered, nothing else did (Remote Control) / Girls said yes, but he said no (Remote Control) / Now he’s got his own game show (Remote Control!)” Shows were sometimes interrupted by the disembodied voice of “Ken’s mother,” and the studio was indeed set up to resemble a basement, complete with a washer and dryer, cheesy bric-a-brac, and a giant PEZ dispenser that resembled Bob Eubanks.
The basement was a mainstay of the show throughout its run; however its cheesy decor was “rearranged” slightly every season. The contestants sat in leather recliners with seat belts (their purpose explained below), complete with retro kidney-shaped tables and scoreboards, facing host Ober and his retro-styled Zenith television. Behind Ober were autographed pictures of his idols, game show hosts such as Bob Barker, Monty Hall, and Tom Kennedy. Musician Steve Treccase set up his keyboard behind a cluttered bar, at which Quinn and the hostess usually sat for the duration of the show. More clutter could be found around and behind the audience, very frequently including props used in previous seasons. Finally, the contestants’ chairs were placed in front of breakaway walls, through which they were pulled if they were eliminated.
The questions were sometimes acted out as skits, often with recurring characters such as The Laughing Guy who would laugh the theme to TV shows and the contestants would have guess it, and Stud Boy (played by Adam Sandler no less) who would describe women he had, uh, “conquered” and the contestants would have to work out who he, uh, did.
Jeopardy, it ain’t.
But it was fast-paced, funny, loud, a little silly - ok a LOT silly - and the perfect gameshow for 80s kids. I believe all three seasons for it are out on DVD now, which would make an excellent present for your hipster parents who remember this crazy show 
June 13th, 2008 at 1:38 am
[...] … ould have guess it, and Stud Boy (played by Adam Sandler no less) who would describe women he had, uh, “c… Source: Wayback Wednesday - Remote Control [...]