Lots of screaming, interrupting, provocative questions that don’t go anywhere, and general sound and fury is pretty much the standard stuff of reality TV as we know it today. Back in the late 80’s, however, The Morton Downey Jr. Show was pretty raw stuff, flipping the let’s-all-understand-each-other talk show format of Oprah and Donohue over into a howling, barking arena of belligerent frothing. Lots of noise, lots of yelling, nobody’s mind is changed by the end of the show, but sometimes pretty entertaining with the right guests.

This is the rock’n'roll episode – Joey Ramone!!!!!! – featuring Scott Ian, Ace Frehley, the Cycle Sluts from Hell, Circus of Power, Megaforce Records, and some vein-popping old-guard rock critics ostensibly put there to be mocked and dismissed. I honestly don’t even know what the hell this episode is about, other than “Rock’n'Roll,” because topics quickly descend into shouting matches as soon as they come up. But it’s choice craptastic television, and even better for the fiercely flaunted east coast ripped-jeans-and-fluffy-hair metal fashion sense of 1989. Above is the first clip, see the sidebar for the rest of the episode.