Starring Steven Smith Running time 60 minutes | Country of origin USA Original network fuse | |
Original release December 2004 – December 2008 | ||
Steven's Untitled Rock Show (SURS) is an American television program that aired on Fuse from December 2004 to December 2008, in which host Steven Smith interviewed rock bands and musicians while airing rock (mostly alternative rock) videos.
Contents
History
The show's title was meant to be a placeholder, with Fuse giving viewers the opportunity to give the show a permanent name. Hundreds of suggestions were submitted, with the channel putting its favorites up for a vote. The original "Untitled" title was by far the most popular, and Green Day announced that the show would retain its name on April 25, 2006 (its 76th episode, and the first one clocking in at its newly expanded one hour program time). 'Therapy Begins At Home' was the closest runner-up. Over the years, SURS was invited to many tours and festivals, most frequently The Bamboozle, The Warped Tour, and Taste of Chaos. SURS was also included as part of the Warped Tour exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The plug was abruptly pulled on the program before the production team could shoot a farewell episode. The show's final original episode aired on Christmas Eve of 2008, though the channel continued running unhosted episodes featuring music videos from the show's trademark genre for several months. On February 30, 2009, the network discontinued the series run entirely. The following summer, Steven was dispatched to the Vans Warped Tour for a weekly edition of "Steven's Untitled Warped Show".
Host
The program was hosted by Steven Smith, a devout disciple of rock music. In the past Steven had appeared on other Fuse programs including hosting Daily Download (for almost two years), F/List, and fuse Action News (which he also co-wrote and co-produced). Outside of fuse, Steven has worked for VH1 as a VJ and was even given a makeover on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (to the eventual amusement of some of the program’s guests).
Format
Steven's Untitled Rock Show was an hour-long dose of rock music that aired every weeknight at 4:00pm EST, 1:00pm PST.
The program aired music videos featuring mainly alternative artists (with the bulk of airtime going to indie, emo, and punk), but also included a “classic” music video from alternative’s past (the videos ranged from relatively recent acts like Sublime and Jawbreaker to older artists like The Smiths and Pixies).
In addition to the videos, Steven gave commentary on the music, and also interviewed bands, giving them the opportunity to discuss their thoughts on their own careers and the music industry itself. Occasionally artists even performed live in-studio (past performances included Envy On The Coast and Straylight Run).
Steven's Untitled Rock Show also went on location to shoot episodes at various concerts, festivals, and tours throughout the country. The Vans Warped Tour was a yearly fixture on the program, while it also featured Taste of Chaos, South by Southwest, and the Nintendo Fusion Tour.
Fan interaction
Steven's Untitled Rock Show long tried to get Fuse viewers involved with its programming. In addition to being given a chance to name the program, Steven read fan mail on-air and accept fan questions for interviews with bands on the show. Also, on Fridays they let the viewers vote on the videos shown and are calling it "Your Untitled Rock Show".
Destination Untitled
In an attempt to further allow Fuse viewers to get inside his head, Steven began to carry a camera on location when Steven's Untitled Rock Show traveled abroad. The web-exclusive program, Destination Untitled, captured Steven’s exploits and misadventures in preparing for, going to, and hanging out at concerts, festivals, and performances with the bands and their fans.