A Sirius Star — Alan Hunter: Rewinding hits of the ’80s — our soundtrack
- wwsmith6410
- Feb 3
- 6 min read
(First appeared in The Baldwin Times/Gulf Coast Media, 1-30-26)
Author’s note: Part 1 of 2.
“What ya tryin’ to do to my heart.What ya tryin’ to do to my heart.… you better run, you better hide.”— Pat Benatar, “You Better Run”
Dorinda would be thrilled.
One of the true pop culture icons of the 1980s — and one of her favorite music personalities — has talked about my Bear on his SiriusXM show. Talked about us.
His name is Alan Hunter. For my ’80s friends, you know him. For those who don’t, you should. (An aside, we’ll get back to the lyrics from the song referenced a little later — signing off with some ’80s trivia.)
Alan Hunter was one of the original MTV video jockeys — a VJ. I want my MTV.
Launched in August 1981, MTV would forever change the music industry. And Alan was right there aboard that rocket – riding with artists like Benatar, Petty and Prince. Journey, Van Halen and the Police. Songs turned into mini movies of sorts, such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl,” and Madonna’s “Material Girl.”
Today, Alan is a host on two of my favorite SiriusXM channels — Classic Rewind and 80s on 8. They were Dorinda’s favorites, too.
My mornings start these days with Classic Rewind, with Alan, as he spins songs and stories from the cassette era of classic rock. The beginning of the era of my life with my Bear.
Listening to him talk in between tunes is like having a conversation with an old friend, whether he’s reflecting on his days at MTV, talking about the only Gold record he was presented with or going to the gym once his morning show is over. He always signs off with these words: Peace and Progress.
Alan invites listeners to email him. I did. He listened.
Hearing Alan mention his love of Gulf Shores last September after a recent visit to the area, I sent him some sunset photos from the beach and a screenshot of one of my columns, “W + D: It seems I’m not alone.”
A few mornings later, I heard him mention my email. The column. Her name.
She would have been thrilled.
On a recent January night driving home from a beach sunset, I heard Alan talking about the upcoming countdown review for the week of 1982 — how MTV was still new and folks were just getting into the music AND the videos.
The ride home took me back to some of my first dates with Dorinda in 1983 and into 1984, watching MTV at her house in Center Star, Alabama. I didn’t have cable television. She did.
Then when we got our Honda Passport in 2019, it came with one year of SiriusXM — and we discovered 80s on 8, particularly identifying with Alan, rewinding our soundtrack. The few times I’d mention possibly canceling the satellite radio service, Dorinda would say, “But I won’t get to listen to 80s on 8 and Alan.” So, the service was never canceled.
I emailed Alan again, pitching this column idea and sending him a few questions to answer, maybe in between songs. A week or so later, Alan responded, with his answers. Maybe he responded to me because of our Gulf Shores connection and our home state of Alabama — he’s from Birmingham. Maybe it was the music.
Maybe it was our story.
I’ll let Alan tell his story in his own words, and then we’ll get to the trivia….
Question: I know you talk about coming down to the beach with your brothers. What do you love about the Gulf Shores area and how long have you been coming down here?
Alan: “I was born and raised in Birmingham so coming to the Gulf has been a regular thing, mostly during the summers when I was growing up — to Laguna Beach, Destin, Pensacola and further up the coast to Gulf Shores early on. After I moved away, I started coming to 30A, Seaside, Rosemary, Seagrove. But over the last few years I have started a little tradition of coming to Gulf Shores with my brothers. Usually just after a visit to Birmingham and my Sidewalk Film Festival, coming up on its 28th year, by the way.”
Q: I heard you mention recently on Classic Rewind that when you started at MTV, you kept your job as bartender. Could you have imagined how MTV would take off the way it did at the time, or did you think maybe it was just a temporary fad?
Alan: “I moved to New York City to become an actor. Went to acting school and then did what struggling actors do while waiting for that big gig — waited tables and bartended. I was bartending at the Magic Pan restaurant on 6th avenue and 57th street when I got a call to audition for this thing called the Music Channel. After three horrible auditions, they hired me. But this cable show was so unknown, nobody knew how it was gonna turn out. Especially me, so I kept the bartending job for a month or two just in case. So by day, I’d be in the MTV studios playing VJ, by night I was mixing daiquiris. When someone recognized me one night behind the bar, I figured it was time to quit. Had no idea how big MTV was gonna get at that point.”
Q: One more MTV question. Obviously working there, and now on SiriusXM, has provided you with the opportunity to interview some music greats. Do you have a favorite story or two about some of the folks you’ve been able to meet over the years? I’ve heard you reminisce about interviewing U2 and meeting Bono, unsure how to pronounce his name.
Alan: “Too many great interviews to name. Some of my earliest included introducing Bono and the Edge of U2 to MTV viewers. And yes, I pronounced his name Bono, as in Toe-no. Interfacing with celebs beyond music like Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon and Robin Williams was amazing as MTV was really the epicenter of all things entertainment, not just music. Interviewing Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Chrissie Hynde and David Crosby was huge. And one of my favorite times with the channel was going to Russia in 1987 along with Billy Joel and his historic play. As a huge Joel fan, that was probably my most satisfying interview, in the most extraordinary circumstances.”
Q: What drew you into working in the music industry? What did you grow up listening to in Alabama and who were your favorites? And who are some of your favorite artists today?
Alan: “I grew up around music my whole life. My father wanted to be a singer like Andy Williams, but had to follow a more pragmatic course to businessman. My mother taught piano lessons. My older brother is a musician, long a big deal in the Birmingham area. My musical listening upbringing was eclectic. From classical to opera. Herb Albert to James Taylor. Top 40 radio on WSGN with Tommy James and the Beatles. In the 70s introduced to Led Zeppelin, T-Rex and David Bowie. Loved Earth Wind and Fire, The Crusaders and Weather Report in college and embraced the New Wave in the 80s. There’s not much music through today that I don’t appreciate. Big fan of a lot of new rock (The Killers, The Strokes, Jack White, etc.) and pop as well — Chappelle Roan, Halsey, Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Post Malone.”
Q: It seems like you truly enjoy your work now at SiriusXM, bringing tunes from the past to folks, telling stories and interacting with listeners. What does that mean to you in connecting with your listeners, such as you did with Dorinda? What do you enjoy most about hosting your shows?
Alan: “Because I love music, I love hosting the 80s and Classic Rewind, by the way, the two most popular channels in the SiriusXM world — of all channels music, talk, news, comedy included. I have a sign on top of my computer monitor in my studio that says ‘People are listening’ just to remind me that, standing in my pajamas with my cup of coffee up on the mic, that I’m talking to real people who want to know what I have to say about the music, about life. I believe in the power of sharing stories through music and am so happy when listeners respond.”
Awesome stuff.
By the way, MTV is still around.
But its associated channels dedicated to music videos 24/7 ended Dec. 31, 2025, the year I lost my wife of nearly 40 years.
I’ll miss my MTV. But the music lives on. Alan Hunter makes sure of that.
I know Dorinda is thrilled …
Oh, closing with the trivia: Pat Benatar’s song, “You Better Run,” was the second video ever played on MTV, Aug. 1, 1981. It followed only “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles.
Pretty cool, huh?
Part 2 next week: Heartbreaker — Going solo to see Pat Benatar in Mobile.
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