The Buddy System — Go Back to Hollywood (1986)

JUL 01 1986 · 12:00

The Buddy System — Go Back to Hollywood (1986) (1986) Era: Mid-Decade MTV New Wave (1986) - Independent college-rock era; regional bands gaining national exposure via MTV's Basement Tapes viewer-vote program and 120 Minutes alternative block High archival value as the sole music video produced by The Buddy System, a band whose obscurity contrasts meaningfully with the later prominence of key member Buddy Judge in the critically acclaimed power-pop supergroup The Grays. The clip is a well-preserved specimen of the Basement Tapes pipeline and of DIY indie video production in 1986, with documented MTV airplay history providing concrete evidence of its cultural circulation. Context: Filmed in 1986, 'Go Back to Hollywood' documents the grassroots pathway by which independent regional American bands achieved national visibility in the mid-1980s through MTV's audience-participation Basement Tapes segment — a mechanism that specifically democratized access to national airtime outside of major-label infrastructure. The Buddy System's Boston origin situates them within a vibrant regional college-rock ecosystem operating parallel to the mainstream. The video's subsequent rotation on 120 Minutes, MTV's dedicated alternative programming block, reflects the consolidating infrastructure for non-commercial rock in the pre-grunge era. The band's trajectory — from regional indie single to Posh Boy/Chameleon signing and 1988 LP — is a textbook case of MTV exposure converting underground credibility into modest label interest. Director notes: Confirmed as The Buddy System's only music video, filmed in 1986 to accompany the release of their 2nd single on Chameleon Records. The full-length version includes a lengthy 'band got lost' intro not present in the edited single version. The clip aired on MTV's Basement Tapes viewer-vote program (January 1-2, 1987 episode), won its month, and subsequently received 4 plays on MTV's 120 Minutes in its full-length form. No production company or director attribution has been located in any available archival, label, or fan documentation.