Customer Reviews

The Tomorrow Show - Punk & New Wave

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The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder: Punk & New Wave is now available on DVD. The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder began it's extended run in 1973 and ended in 1982. The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder: Punk & New Wave edition two disc DVD features eight episodes of the show. The episodes feature the full shows and performances. This DVD collection is a piece of history and is valuable not only for it's musical content but to absorb the views and opinions shared by Tom and his guests.

The two set DVD opens up with the October 11, 1977 episode of The Tomorrow Show. In this episode Tom is joined by Joan Jett, Paul Weller, Bill Graham, Kim Fowley and Robert Hilburn. Tom, dragging on a cigarette, discusses this new thing called "punk music," and what they perceive to be new wave. He is quite serious in his statements about the music form and even tells one of his male make-up wearing guests that he looks ridiculous. It's a great discussion about what was then an emerging form of music.

This set is wonderful for fans of historical television and for punk/new wave fans. I'll include the program list for those who are interested since it's not with the Amazon description

Disc 1:
October 11, 1977 - Joan Jett, Paul Weller, Bill Graham, Kim Fowley and Robert Hilburn in a roundtable discussion on the emergence of punk

February 3, 1981 - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
songs:
"New Lace Sleeves"
"Watch Your Step"
February 12, 1981 - Iggy Pop
songs:
"Dog Food"
"Five Foot One"
"TV Eye"
May 20, 1981 - The Plasmatics
songs:
"Head Banger"
"Master Plan"

Disc 2:
May 11, 1978 - Patti Smith
June 25, 1980 - John Lydon
May 27, 1981 - The Jam
songs:
"Pretty Green"
"Funeral Pyre"
September 1, 1981 - The Ramones
songs:
"We Want The Airwaves"
"I Wanna Be Sedated"
"The KKK Took My Baby Away"

As a host, Tom Snyder was hopelessly square and clueless when it came to interacting with these people but God love him he really tried to understand where they were coming from and what made Punk Rock music work. Looking back now, the roster of acts he had on - Iggy Pop, the Plasmatics and the Ramones - would never have been on any other national talk show (except maybe The Mike Douglas Show and even then).

On February 12, 1981, Snyder had Iggy Pop on his show. Iggy tears it up with three songs, "Dog Food", "Five Foot One" and "TV Eye," flailing around in his trademark fashion. He actually sits down with Snyder (something that rarely happens on talk shows now) sporting a missing tooth and a bloody nose, cracking jokes and speaking quite intelligently about his music.

Arguably the highlight of the entire set is the June 25, 1980 episode with a post-Sex Pistols John Lydon now with Public Image Limited. Lydon does not disappoint, being his usual sarcastic, snarky self, much to Snyder's chagrin. As anyone who's seen Lydon in action, he's a tough interview even under the best of circumstances.

The two-disc set ends, rather fittingly, with the most enduring punk band, The Ramones who appeared on September 1, 1981. The crowd was packed with their enthusiastic fans as they rip through "We Want the Airwaves", "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "The KKK Took My Baby Away." They are as tight as ever and sound great.

These episodes are fascinating snap shots of another time, like when it was fashionable to smoke on camera. Snyder always seems to have a cigarette in his hand and even gives John Lydon a smoke in an attempt to gain his trust. It is something you would never see today.

Would like to propose marriage to Shout! Factory as one of the coolest reissue houses ever. Punk + New Wave + one of the best late night talk show hosts ever, the sorely missed, due as much to his multihued helmet hair, Northern Midwest delivery and Jim Henson's Creature Shop worthy eyebrows, as his guests (If you caught any of Harlan Ellison's appearances on TS's shows, you know what I mean), T.S., Tom Snyder with you on the colorcast this evening.

Yes, the Clash and the still respectable-at-the-time U2 are MIA, but let's focus on the positive. The Ramones, even w/o Tom there, are absolutely brilliant, tight, and not rushing things (guess Dee Dee had some heroin and Marky threw back a few before taping). The Plasmatics are great and I have to find their albums now. Elvis Costello is his usual eloquent, "could listen to the man read the phone book" self (Tom admits how enjoyable interviewing Mr. MacManus was). Best of all, NO RONA BARRETT, which led to the show's demise.

Is it perfect? Well no. The roundtable episode was kind of useless. Not enough airtime given to Joan Jett and Paul Weller. Iggy was creepier than usual, missing a tooth. The PiL episode weren't nearly as bad as legend led me to think (Keith was quite open when John shut up). And two of my favorite songs (The Jam's "Funeral Pyre" and Iggy's "TV Eye") are edited versions played out over the end credits.

Still, it's amazing that these episodes exist. I hope more episodes come out as Tom was surprisingly cutting edge for such a square middleager from the Midwest. Made the rest of us look good. We miss you, Tom! Please come back and bring Harlan with you!

Signed,
epsteinsmutha

I was thoroughly entertained watching not just the punk interviews, but the rest of the interviews(to the dvd's credit, they kept the shows intact). There are some nuggets buried in the annals of tv, and this show is one. Watching this reminds me how talented Tom Snyder was at riffing with guests of all stripes. It has a late night, unpolished feel that clashes favorably with the over-rehersed, celeb banality of today. More Tomorrow Show dvds please. If Dick Cavett can have multiple releases, Tom Snyder certainly should.

I watched some of these episodes as they were airing back in the era of punk and new wave, so part of my enjoyment of viewing this disc(s) was simple nostalgia. But even if I had never seen these clips before, I would have loved this package. The whole thing is worth it, if not just for the opening segment, where Tom Snyder, smoking and being Tom Snyder, gives a little rundown on what "all this punk music is about." Then he brings on a panel befitting of a VHI Surreal World household unit: an uptight Bill Graham, an exuberant Kim Fowley, and a college professor-like rock critic. They all sit there and discuss the merits and drawbacks of punk music, and it is a riot. The band clips are great (Ramones, Jam, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, etc) and Snyder is just Snyder. You realize (if you didn't already know) what an awful band the Plasmatics really were, but you love watching Wendy O. yukking it up with Tom. The Elvis Costello and Ramones interviews are priceless. The disc makes it easy for you to skip the non music-related segements of the shows, which I found very handy.

I'm writing a review of this DVD and I don't even own it yet. If you were like me, a kid hitting adolescence just around the time of the exciting New Wave/Punk Rock movement, you had only a few places to view your heroes, (MTV was just around the corner,) Midnight Special, American Bandstand and of course, the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder. I remember these shows like they were aired yesterday because they had so much impact on me. Wendy O. and the Plasmatics laying waste to the studio and a cop car. My heroes,the Ramones, rocked and were hilarious during their interview segment. Johnny (Rotten) Lydon spewing spit and venom all over Snyder (He terrorized Dick Clark on his show around this time,) and all the rest. If this music meant anything to you as it still does me, you must own this important musical document. Now if someone would just release the "New Wave" episode of The Midnight Special that The Cars hosted, and the short-lived but musically hip skit comedy show "Fridays" on DVD, I could move to that desert island I've always dreamed of.

The musical performances on this collection are adequate and are, indeed, of historical value to fans, but tend to be eclipsed by the interview segments, especially a very charming and articulate Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, and all three members of The Jam. The "songs only" and "punks only" features are handy...
but upon loading the DVD menu comes the discovery that this is not just a compilation of music-act appearances on the "Tomorrow" show. This DVD includes (nearly) the entire episodes on which these groups appeared.
Do NOT deny yourself the pleasure of watching vintage "Tomorrow" as veteran broadcaster Tom Snyder takes you back to a more innocent time when popular music was stagnant, ball players attacked fans in their seats, television was coming under fire for its lack of moral standards, inflation was rampant, and a conservative fundamentalist christian hawk was in the White House.
Watch a 10-year-old RickY Schroeder splatter the set with charisma and defend his sexual orientation. Watch Tom Snyder try to get a word in edgeways with a southern belle poet who seems to be channeling Little Richard ("she's me! whoooo!"). Watch Iggy Pop dance through the studio doors that would, only months later, become so familiar to fans of "Late Night with David Letterman." Listen to director Frank Capra's story of the reaction his film "Mr. Smith Goes To Washingon" received at its Washington, DC, debut screening and why Joseph Kennedy wanted the film banned in Britain.

This collection is quite the time capsule. Enjoy.

The tomorrow show on DVD is and excellent primer for the Tomorrow Show. The fact that you get the whole show not just the appearance by the punk guest is a bonus. Viewing the obscure guests, the clothes, and of course the musical icons makes this DVD a must for anyone interested in how the 70's and early 80's pop culture appeared while it was happening.

I hope the plan is for more of these packages of the Tomorrow Show.

Iggy's performance is great, highlighted by 5 Foot One, but what's really cool is listening to his interview with Tom Snyder. His front tooth is all rotted out, and he's a little discombobulated after performing Dogfood, but he's a great interview. Hilarious, insightful, and smart.

Iggy's interview is a welcome treat after watching the painful interview with John Lydon who is typical John Lydon. Standoffish, horrible rotting yellow teeth, surly, terse, and difficult. No music from PIL, though, just interview.

The Plasmatics put on an entertaining show. At one point the guitarist goes through the audience and completely falls on top of a senior gentleman who probably didn't realize which show he had gotten tickets for. Another old lady has her fingers in her ears. Plasmatics blow up a car. Wendy O comes across as very sweet and somewhat shy during her interview with Snyder, the antithesis of her character on stage and in Reform School Girls (****).

Ramones are always good. They're not interviewed by Snyder, though. He was on vacation that week.

The punk roundtable from '77 with Joan Jett, Paul Weller, Graham, etc. is interesting to listen to and to see where music went from there. Kim Fowley (the producer, manager, etc) looks like a complete jacka$$ but adds considerable entertainment to the whole discussion.

Overall, the sound quality on this DVD isn't spectacular. Bass is thin, and vox often overshadow the instruments, but the performances more than make up for this. It's a total nostalgia trip to watch the episodes in their entirity and is often hilarious. Funny how some of the same topics in the media today (violence in sports, the economy, Ricky Schroeder) were the same stories they were talking about back in the early 80's.

Tom does not understand this stuff but he sure is not affraid of it. The old Tomorrow Show was a wonderful show and this shows off he and the producers at their most daring.