The Silencers — Peter Gunn, Remote Control and Illegal

JUL 01 1980 · 12:00

The Silencers — Peter Gunn, Remote Control and Illegal (1980) Director: Joe Wittofski Era: MTV Launch Era / New Wave Vanguard (1980–1981) - Pre-MTV indie music video produced for CBS/Precision Records; one of the first 40 videos ever broadcast on MTV at network premiere on August 1, 1981. Exceptional. This video is a primary historical document of MTV's inaugural broadcast and the broader democratization of music video as a medium. Its independent Pittsburgh provenance, Houston Film Festival recognition, spy-noir aesthetic sophistication, and verified position as the 40th video aired on MTV make it irreplaceable for any comprehensive archive of early-1980s American music video history. Tier 1 preservation priority. Context: The Silencers' 'Peter Gunn, Remote Control and Illegal' video occupies a singular position in American music video history as one of the first 40 clips ever broadcast on MTV (August 1, 1981), placing it at the literal ground zero of the music video revolution. Produced in 1980 by an independent Pittsburgh band on a regional CBS subsidiary label, it predates the glossy, budget-heavy videos that would come to define MTV's mid-1980s aesthetic — instead representing the raw, club-born new wave energy of early American post-punk. The band's signature spy-thriller costuming (trench coats, sharkskin suits, skinny ties, and shades) visually coded a Cold War-era G-Men aesthetic onto new wave's angular sound, anticipating the fashion-as-identity ethos that MTV would later mainstream. The medley format, drawing on Henry Mancini's 'Peter Gunn Theme,' also signals the band's sophisticated cross-genre literacy, blending rock, funk, R&B, reggae, and new wave. Director notes: The video was produced independently in the Pittsburgh region circa 1980 as part of a promotional effort tied to the band's debut LP 'Rock 'N' Roll Enforcers' (CBS/Precision Records, 1980), produced by Bob Clearmountain. Directed by Joe Wittofski with producers Guido D'Elia and John Sutton. It won first prize for independent video at the Houston Film Festival (December 1980). The video aired as the 40th video ever broadcast on MTV on the channel's premiere day, August 1, 1981, and subsequently received heavy rotation, being voted the #3 most popular video of 1981. MTV has featured the video on multiple anniversary broadcasts, including the 25th anniversary show in 2006. The three-part medley structure — encompassing the Peter Gunn Theme (a Henry Mancini classic), Remote Control, and Illegal — is unique for the era, functioning as a cinematic mini-showcase rather than a single-song promo clip.