Midtown Manhattan, MTV Headquarters.
August 2, 1981.
The reception area of the MTV offices was a whirlwind of youth culture energy, punk flyers were on the wall, interns with spiked hair buzzing between phones, and the ever present hum of TVs playing the newest promos on loop. It smelled like coffee, sweat, and vinyl.
Joseph Kennedy Sr. did not belong here, and that was exactly why people noticed him easily.
Clad in a crisp gray suit with his wrist watch glinting, he stepped through the lobby. His shoes shined sharply on the linoleum floor as he made his way to the front desk, holding a thin leather briefcase containing the Betamax master of Chris Cornell's music video of "Circle of Power".
The receptionist looked up. "Uh… can I help you?"
Joseph Kennedy Sr. smiled calmly. "Yes, young lady. I'm here for a meeting with Mr. Reardon and Ms. Halperin regarding content submissions for your network. I represent Sub Pop Incorporated."
A few calls and awkward stares later, he was asked to enter into a small conference room plastered with Polaroids of Blondie, The Cars, and a very prominent Duran Duran promo. Joseph Kennedy Sr. took a seat at the head of the table, placed the briefcase on the table, and waited.
Soon, Jeff Reardon, MTV's Content Coordinator, and Nancy Halperin, MTV's Junior Programming Executive, strolled in, still sipping coffee. They both looked like they had not slept much since launch day.
"Sub Pop, huh?" Jeff Reardon said while flipping through a file. "Never heard of you guys."
"You will," Joseph replied, calmly laying the Betamax tape on the table. "Our company is submitting this piece for your programming consideration."
Nancy Halperin picked up the tape and squinted at the label:
CHRIS CORNELL – "CIRCLE OF POWER" – LIVE CUT MONTAGE
DIR. MURNAU // MASTER COPY
"Chris Cornell… is he that 16 year old who opened for Ozzy in Detroit!?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Joseph Kennedy Sr. nodded. "The same. And he just finished blowing the roof off at Day on the Green in Oakland. Audience of sixty thousand. I'm told they screamed for an encore, and many did not even come for him."
Jeff Reardon chuckled. "He got that much pull already?"
Joseph Kennedy Sr. leaned forward. "The boy's got a growl like thunder and lungs like a freight train. This video captures his evolution from his first underground gig in Seattle to his most recent major stadium performance. No gimmicks. No gloss. Just raw talent and pure crowd energy. It's what you built this station for, isn't it?"
Nancy looked over the tape again. "Betamax, huh?"
"We believe in quality," Joseph replied.
Jeff Reardon nodded, intrigued now. "We'll have our editors screen it soon. If it fits our rotation, he might go into our New Faces spotlight."
"Mr. Reardon," Joseph said, standing up, "You'll do more than that. This isn't just another rocker trying to ride a trend. He is the trend before it's even a wave."
Nancy Halperin smiled. "You sure talk big for someone who just handed us a tape."
Joseph Kennedy Sr. tipped his hat. "We don't talk big. We prepare ahead."
He turned, briefcase tucked under one arm now, and walked out without a word more.
Later that day, as the Betamax was screened in the control room, Nancy Halperin muttered under her breath, watching Chris Cornell command a stadium on screen:
"Holy shit…! This kid's a monster."
MTV would soon place "Circle of Power" into their late-night rotation, right before "Headbanger's Ball" even had a name.
///////////////////////////////////NEXT SCENE///////////////////////////////////
MTV HEADQUARTERS. VIDEO REVIEW ROOM.
A few MTV staffers, young, energetic, and a little overworked, gathered around a playback monitor. The room is cluttered with Betamax and U-matic tapes stacked on desks, coffee cups, and posters of Blondie, The Buggles, and Pat Benatar.
Lisa, who looked like she's in her mid-20s, who was MTV's Video Coordinator, looked into the label and said ""Okay... next one's from some indie outfit called Sub Pop Inc. outta Washington. Kid's name is Chris Cornell. Song is called "Circle of Power."
Jerry, who looked a little mature, in his late 20s, and the MTV's Programming Associate, asked curiously, "Sub what? Sounds like an undersea sandwich shop."
Tom, the head of MTV's Music Programming, grinned, "Play it. We've been airing the same damn Rod Stewart clip eight times a day. Let's see what this kid's got."
Lisa loads the Betamax tape into the player. The screen flickers, then opens with raw live footage, Chris Cornell howling into the mic, sweat pouring, shirt half open, long hair flying as stage lights pulse in rhythm with the drums.
VIDEO AUDIO PLAYS: "Ol' big badass circle of power, it's comin' to get ya!"
The band rips through the track. Shots cut between intense close ups of Chris, wide shots of rowdy audiences from various gigs, and gritty camera angles that feel intimate and chaotic.
Jerry raised his eyebrow in surprise, "Whoa. This isn't bad. Kid's got presence."
Lisa agreed, "Yeah, it's raw as hell. But the energy? It punches harder than half the crap we've got from RCA."
Tom tapped his pen against the desk while listening and watching the music video. "Vocals are fire. He sounds older than sixteen. That's all him?"
Lisa answered, "Yeah. Voice, stagework, everything. Label says he's solo, just uses hired musicians."
Jerry chimed in, "Only downside is the tape quality. Not broadcast-ready. If we even try to loop this in primetime, we'll get pushback from ad guys."
Tom said, "Then we air it after midnight. Screw it. Let's be the channel that breaks the weird ones first. We've already got Split Enz and that 'Mexican Radio' band queued up."
Lisa smiled. "I'll call the Sub Pop contact. Let 'em know we'll test run it in the graveyard block. If it gets the buzz, we will rotate it during the daytime."
Jerry nodded, "MTV: Where the kids discover Seattle's next howler before their parents do."
Everyone chuckles. The tape rewinds. On screen, Chris screams the last line:
"The circle of power, it's all the same!"
Tom grinned as he looked at Chris Cornell on the television, "Alright, Chris Cornell. Welcome to MTV."