Who were Blotto?  A new wave band from Albany, New York, they had a strong cult following among college students in the late 70s and early 80s.  Much like the Ramones, all the band members used pseudonyms and took Blotto as their last name.  Among the members were: Bowtie Blotto, Broadway Blotto, Cheese Blotto, Lee Harvey Blotto, Sergeant Blotto, Blanche Blotto, and Chevrolet Blotto.

I Wanna Be A Lifeguard was probably their best known song, as it was adopted as an anthem by the Jones Beach lifeguards.  Blotto and I Wanna Be A Lifeguard were championed by Dr. Demento and, like all good, quirky New York bands, they appeared on both The Joe Franklin Show and the Uncle Floyd Show.  Today, it’s clear to see that Blotto were ahead of their time.  The band’s mix of humor and music are tailor-made for the age of YouTube and social media.

As for the video, it was filmed by video production students at SUNY Albany.  It was also the 36th music video to be played on MTV, airing during the first day of MTV’s existence.  MTV didn’t have many music videos to choose from in 1981 and the majority of the videos that they did play on their first day came from Rod Stewart.  But MTV still found time for this quirky band from Albany and their song about being a lifeguard.