Damien Fahey Interview

Jennifer Lopez and Damien Fahey on TRL
via dailytimes.com

CGG: How do you feel about the era of TRL coming to a close?

Damien Fahey: I feel a bit mixed. It’s sad to see such a cornerstone of pop culture disappear, but at the same time I think it was time. It really is. It ran its course, and it’s a good time to step out of the spotlight; and the way we did it, I don’t think you can really say anything negative about the show. It was what it was, and it was great.

CGG: Why do you think it was time for it to end?

DF: I think it’s just content-wise a lot of kids are getting music videos in different ways. If you go to mtv.com, there are 16,000 music videos you can watch. You can watch Sweet Child of Mine whenever you want; you can watch anything. I can download a video in three seconds on my cell phone. So I think just with all the content, it was tough to compete with.

CGG: What’s next for you with MTV?

DF: Well I just re-signed with MTV. I’ll be interviewing Britney Spears next week. She shot a documentary and I’m going to talk to her about that. It’s great.

CGG: Can you tell us a little bit about Do Something? How did you get involved with our organization?

DF: Geez, I just remember going to the Brick Awards about five years ago, and I really like the vibe and they asked me to be a larger part of it, and I agreed. And it’s just kind of snowballed since then.

CGG: So how do you become involved with Do Something now? What do you contribute?

DF: It depends. Right now I’m participating in the celebrity auction. I’ve given a lot of auction prizes like tickets to TRL, backstage passes. The biggest thing right now is an ad in Cosmopolitan magazine that I facilitated, and it’s about texting and finding local activities in your community that you can help out with. So I’ve contributed with that too.

CGG: What’s one piece of advice you can give to young people who want to make a change?

DF: Don’t think about it, just do it. That’s really it. If you want to do something, do something! Wow, that just came out that way! Just do something!