Joey Ramone co-hosts an alternative music video show, even though he doesn't express much love for bands like Husker Du and Nirvana, and is joined by Lemmy from Motorhead. Together, they can't resist mocking live musical guest Morrissey (Lemmy pretends he's excited about Morrissey, but when the host says he's sure he's sincere, Lemmy bluntly looks at the camera and says he's not!). The duo also complains - on MTV - about neither being invited to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, Suzanne Vega ("She's got a cold probably" says Lemmy), and for some reason Joey calls Husker Du "a Ramones ripoff" (he apparently thinks anyone who plays fast is ripping them off?). The referenced videos and live Morrissey performance have been cut, so only the host segments remain, as broadcast in September 1992. The BetaGems channel also has "Lemmy shows you his Halloween treat bag 1988," "Joey Ramone 4-16-92 interview UNRELEASED," "The Ramones 7-15-89 late night television performance," "The Ramones 6-10-95 Movie Medley TV award show performance," and "Ramones 4-9-92 Toad's Place CT UNRELEASED."
BetaGems are culled from an archive of over 1000 beta video tapes recorded from the early 1980s into the 1990s. Most feature live music performances broadcast on television in San Diego CA, though there are also rarely seen commercials, comedy clips, and other material that doesn't seem to be anywhere else on KZfaq or online.
Most of the tapes were recorded on a Sony SL-HFT7 Super Beta Theater Hi-Fi Stereo - the same model was refurbished and is being used for these digital transfers and uploads. In rare occasions where a BetaGems clip does appear elsewhere, we're only uploading if our own beta master is better quality or contains material not seen previously. Much footage comes from public television and public access broadcasts that the taper, who worked for a local cable TV production company in the 1980s, monitored nightly for several years. Some of the programming is strictly regional, mostly from the San Diego area.