Remember “Pop Up Video”? “The Audacity” creator Jonathan Glatzer shares memories of working on the VH1 mainstay
Remember “Pop Up Video”? “The Audacity” creator Jonathan Glatzer shares memories of working on the VH1 mainstay
Sarah RodmanTue, April 7, 2026 at 6:19 PM UTC
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VH1's 'Pop Up Video'Credit: vh1
Long before working on blue chip series like Succession and Better Call Saul — and skewering the denizens of the Silicon Valley bubble for AMC's upcoming satire The Audacity — Jonathan Glatzer contemplated very different bubbles.
It was his job as a staff writer on the beloved, and deeply silly, VH1 series Pop Up Video to fill the little info bubbles that popped up inside popular videos, sharing fun factoids about the artist, the song, or just general trivia.
Among Glatzer’s handiwork were the videos for AC/DC’s "You Shook Me All Night Long," Madonna's "Like a Virgin," and "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads.
In the Madonna clip, shot in Venice, he was able to offer tidbits like Madonna’s star sign: "She’s a Leo" the screen reads as the famous lion from the video strolls by; and she really was dancing on a gondola.
For "Burning Down the House," he contributed such thoughtful insight as the origin of the band's name (inspired by a glossary printed in TV Guide), the genesis of the song's title (taken from a crowd chant he heard at a P-Funk concert), and cheeky details such as the video being shot in October 1983 "during Fire Prevention Week."
Working on that particular clip gave Glatzer the opportunity to interview frontman David Byrne.
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"That's how you did it," Glatzer recalls to Entertainment Weekly of the kitschy series, whose brain-tickling bubble and pop sounds predated ASMR and was, at one time, the most popular show on VH1. "You interviewed the director of the video. And in the case of 'Burning Down the House,' it was David Byrne who directed it."
That interview came with a memorable perk. "He was about to go on tour with his [solo] band and sometimes artists play an unannounced show at a smaller, less known place and he actually invited me to that," he says. "It was in the middle of New Jersey someplace in this tiny little bar. I think there were more people on stage then in the club. It was great. I will never forget it."
While the line from Pop-Up Video to Emmy-winning writer-producer may not seem like an obvious trajectory, Glatzer sees a natural progression from his snarky roots to his later successes.
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"There's only so much room inside of one of those little pop-up bubbles," he reflects. "You want a bigger stage than that. You want a longer monologue than that."
The Audacity premieres April 12 on AMC.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
