I'm pretty sure the title is inspired by Z Channel, one of the original pay TV networks, which finally died and went off the air right when the B-52s were writing this album. If you were into Z instead of HBO or SelecTV, you were hip—Z picked an eclectic mix of "great films" instead of chasing blockbusters or filling time with cheap T&A, they invented the idea of "director's cuts", they used letterbox instead of pan&scan—and, late at night, they showed B-movies curated for their camp value instead of budget pricing. If you want to hear someone rant about how great they were, look for interviews with Robert Altman or Quentin Tarantino.
Of course Z wasn't all that cool anymore in their last few years. And, when they went off the air, you didn't get static—you got SportsChannel. Even though the title, and maybe the inspiration to write the song in the first place, came from Z Channel, the lyrics aren't really about it at all.
I'm pretty sure the title is inspired by Z Channel, one of the original pay TV networks, which finally died and went off the air right when the B-52s were writing this album. If you were into Z instead of HBO or SelecTV, you were hip—Z picked an eclectic mix of "great films" instead of chasing blockbusters or filling time with cheap T&A, they invented the idea of "director's cuts", they used letterbox instead of pan&scan—and, late at night, they showed B-movies curated for their camp value instead of budget pricing. If you want to hear someone rant about how great they were, look for interviews with Robert Altman or Quentin Tarantino.
Of course Z wasn't all that cool anymore in their last few years. And, when they went off the air, you didn't get static—you got SportsChannel. Even though the title, and maybe the inspiration to write the song in the first place, came from Z Channel, the lyrics aren't really about it at all.
@falcotron Great comment! After watching Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, I wondered if the B-52's knew about the Z. or watched it.
@falcotron Great comment! After watching Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, I wondered if the B-52's knew about the Z. or watched it.