Unofficial MTV Rewind site streams thousands of classic music videos

FlexasaurusRex — the online handle of a self‑described “conceptual creator” who says he is Louis, a 43‑year‑old former gems and minerals dealer from Eugene, Ore. — launched MTV Rewind on Jan. 3, an unofficial website and app that aims to recreate MTV’s classic era by streaming nonstop channels of music videos.

Arranged by era and genre, the site includes channels named for legacy programming such as “Headbangers Ball,” “Yo! MTV Raps,” “Club MTV” and a recreated “120 Minutes,” and even intersperses period commercials like the California Raisins and Super Soaker. Flex said the site began with about 3,000 clips pulled from YouTube on its first day and has grown to roughly 40,000; after he posted a link on Reddit it received over 500,000 hits in the first few hours and has drawn about 1.2 million page views as of this week.

Les Garland, one of MTV’s founders, sent a complimentary note, and the original MTV V.J. Mark Goodman praised the site’s “element of surprise” while noting the absence of vintage V.J. intros — something Flex said he is open to adding. Paramount, which owns MTV, did not respond to a request for comment.

The site is free and currently carries no ads, though Flex asks for donations of $5 to $50 to cover server costs and to “support my Albanian coffee addiction”; he said he has been living in Albania and doing web design.

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Culture, Mtv Rewind, Flexasaurusrex, Mtv, Youtube, Eugene Oregon