Robin Lane and The Chartbusters-I Don't Wanna Know-clipe original - Robin Lane and The Chartbusters-I Don't Wanna Know-clipe original

JUL 01 1980 · 12:00

Robin Lane and The Chartbusters-I Don't Wanna Know-clipe original, Robin Lane and The Chartbusters-I Don't Wanna Know-clipe original (1980) Era: MTV Inception Era (1980–1981) - Pre-MTV clip produced concurrent with the band's debut Warner Bros. LP, circulating on early video channels and entering rotation at MTV's August 1, 1981 launch High. This clip is a rare surviving visual document of Robin Lane & The Chartbusters during their peak Warner Bros. period. Its single-take, performance-based format makes it an invaluable primary source for Boston new wave historiography and early music video studies. The band's direct connection to MTV's inaugural broadcast, via 'When Things Go Wrong', confers exceptional institutional significance. The raw lo-fi aesthetic and minimal production values offer a counterpoint to the increasingly theatrical clips that would define MTV's visual language within two years. Context: Robin Lane & The Chartbusters were a Boston-based new wave band formed in 1978, fronted by Robin Lane (born 1947, Los Angeles), whose father was Ken Lane, pianist and songwriter for Dean Martin. Lane had previously sung backing vocals on Neil Young's 1969 album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and was briefly married to future Police guitarist Andy Summers. After relocating to Cambridge, Massachusetts in the late 1970s and immersing herself in the city's punk scene, she formed the Chartbusters with ex-Modern Lovers guitarists Asa Brebner and Leroy Radcliffe. The band signed with Warner Bros. after A&R legend Jerry Wexler witnessed a live show. Their self-titled 1980 debut earned a four-star Rolling Stone rating. 'I Don't Wanna Know', described in liner notes as Sid Vicious-inspired, appeared on that debut LP. The band's MTV presence was historically significant: their 'When Things Go Wrong' video was the 11th clip broadcast on MTV's launch day, August 1, 1981. Director notes: The clip for 'I Don't Wanna Know' has no confirmed director attribution in any publicly available source, database, or liner note. The companion video 'When Things Go Wrong', the 11th clip played on MTV's debut broadcast day, August 1, 1981, also has no confirmed director credit. Both videos were produced in the 1980–1981 window to support the band's self-titled Warner Bros. debut. The 'I Don't Wanna Know' video is described in liner notes as Sid Vicious-inspired in its sonic character, suggesting a raw, confrontational intent that aligns with the clip's apparent low-budget, single-take visual approach. No production company or cinematographer credit has surfaced.