Put on your fishnets and grab the Aqua-Net: “New Wave,” a new docuseries about the history of the influential rock movement of the ’70s and ’80s, is set to premiere on MGM+ starting Nov. 23. The series includes interviews with the era’s iconic musicians including John Taylor from Duran Duran, Billy Idol and Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo. The four-part series will drop a new episode each week on Mondays at 9 p.m. in the U.S. plus Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Richard Blade, the DJ who has kept the danceable sound alive for four decades, tirelessly hosting concerts and band appearances, serves as consulting producer. Among the many pivotal musicians interviewed in the series are Stewart Copeland of the Police, Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, Curt Smith of Tears for Fears, Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson of the B-52s, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds and Kathy Valentine of the Go-Gos. New Wave defined a generation and reshaped the musical landscape in part by embracing women, the queer community and new technology while in the process creating a legacy that is still influencing us today.” Director Douglas Tirola explains why he thinks the era was so musically significant: “Music discovered in our teenage years has a unique power to shape our identities.
For me, that music was New Wave. Between 1977 and 1987, music defined who you were and where you belonged. But New Wave created a space for those who didn’t fit into traditional groups.
It embraced individuality, challenged conventions and welcomed outsiders. Its artists combined the rebellious spirit of punk with an openness that transformed music, fashion and popular culture. And what better way to tell that story than through music you can dance to?,” Tirola said.
The production company is This Machine Filmworks for Sony Pictures Television. Executive producers are David Blackman (PolyGram Entertainment), Mark Blatty (This Machine Filmworks), Susan Bedusa (4th Row Films), R.J. Cutler (This Machine Filmworks), Elise Pearlstein (This Machine Filmworks), Madeline Post (PolyGram Entertainment), Tess Ranahan, Trevor Smith (This Machine Filmworks), Douglas Tirola (4th Row Films) and Margaret Yen (This Machine Filmworks).
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