BIOGRAPHY
Matt Pinfield is a well-respected TV and radio host and music historian – and celebrates 36 years in professional radio and 28 years on television. He was the host of numerous MTV programs including the influential alternative show 120 Minutes. He has hosted shows and appeared on many networks and channels including MTV, VH1, MTV2, VH1 CLASSIC, MTV CLASSIC, HDNET, MUCH MUSIC, USA, AXSTV, NICKELODEON, IFC, FX, FOX, CNN, CNN INTERNATIONAL, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, and ABC.
Where it all began
Matt Pinfield found his love of music and radio early in life, gravitating towards the tunes like a moth to flame. This brought him to his first hosting gig early in his career, taking a position as an on-air host and music director at WRSU-FM, the official radio station of Rutgers University.
In 1984, he became a radio DJ on the Jersey shore alternative rock radio station WHTG-FM 106.3, and was the main DJ at a New Brunswick, New Jersey club called The Melody Bar. During his tenure, the Melody Bar became a respected alternative music club in the New York City area.
During his 10 years at WHTG, Pinfield was the recipient of the Gavin Award (1992 and 1993) for National Commercial Alternative Music Director of the Year.
In 1992, Pinfield was introduced to audiences with an appearance in an episode of the first season of MTV’s The Real World.
Radio/Video
In 1995, Pinfield transitioned from radio to television, landing a gig as the host of MTV’s 120 Minutes. The show’s popularity and Pinfield’s inviting demeanor resulted in a trajectory that changed Pinfield’s life forever. Within a year, he hosted a variety of MTV shows including MattRock, Pinfield Suite, Pinfield Presents, Rocks Off, Say What?, MTV Live, and over 100 MTV specials. His music knowledge was showcased on TRL’s Stump Matt. In 1999, Pinfield joined Universal Television to host and co-write a live television show about music, farmclub.com, in 2000 on the USA Network.
In 2001, Pinfield experienced another shift, becoming Vice President of A & R and Artist Development for Columbia Records, and was responsible for the signing and overseeing the production of albums by acts including Coheed & Cambria and Crossfade.
In 2005, Pinfield was asked by The Rolling Stones to host their international radio interview for Premiere networks. The special featured all four band members together for the first time in an interview setting in over 35 years.
Pinfield continued his work in radio, as well, hosting programs and DJing for Cumulous Media, SiriusXM Lithium, WRXP 101.9FM, KFOG 104.5, and a bevy of podcast shows, including 2 Hours with Matt Pinfield, A Lonely Place with Matt Pinfield, and a brief return to MTV for a revival of 120 Minutes.
Pinfield penned a memoir in 2016 titled All Of These Things I’ve Done: My Insane, Improbable Rock Life, published by Simon & Schuster, which sat at number 3 for 3 weeks on Amazon’s Non-Fiction/Hardcover sales chart. It remains with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and 5 out of 5 on Audible. The book was named after the hit song written about Pinfield by Brandon Flowers of The Killers.
“Music is the great thing that always drives me. The power of song is everything. It’s universal and keeps evolving. There’s a creative force with music — it keeps changing. New music keeps getting written because people want to have that outlet of expression. There is always going to be somebody who wants to pick up an instrument and write a song. That’s why I am so grateful that I’ve been able to have this incredible soundtrack throughout my life that I can share with other people.”
– Matt Pinfield
In Pop Culture
In 2008, Pinfield was honored at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, and invited to speak at the hall about his career in rock music. In 2018, they honored him again by putting up a large sign on display that reads “120 Minutes With Matt Pinfield” in their permanent Rock On TV section.
Pinfield has been a character on Celebrity Deathmatch and has had his likeness animated for the Nickelodeon kids show The Naked Brothers Band, where he also appeared in live action episodes as an evil version of himself. Matt also appeared as himself in IFC’s Portlandia, and Denis Leary’s FX show Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. In 2015, MTV networks produced a series of 10 animated cartoons that aired regularly on VH1 and MTV Classic called Rock Stories With Matt Pinfield using different animators from around the world to visualize Matt’s storytelling in his own voice.
In 2021, Pinfield performed in Sumerian Films’ television drama Paradise City alongside an all-star cast with actors from The Sopranos, Sons Of Anarchy, and Entourage. He recently hosted multiple episodes of the AXSTV series A Year In Music.
Charity Work
Pinfield has had a hand in charity work for Sober and Mental Health Organizations including MusiCares, Road Recovery, and Charity Bomb. In 2019, he started a live streaming show to benefit MusiCares for the Pandemic, In A Lonely Place with Matt Pinfield, featuring conversations with artists as diverse as Foster The People and Yungblud.
New & Approved (and beyond…)
In January 2021, Meruelo Media announced that Pinfield would be joining hosts of 95.5 KLOS in Southern California for a weekly music and interview program called New & Approved, continuing to this day. Pinfield remains a huge part of the music industry, with hosting duties in some of Hollywood’s most legendary clubs and continuing to find success, evolving with the world around him to find and share the best music and drawing listeners in with his straightforward interview style, his insight, and his familiar voice, imparting knowledge of rock music history to many generations over the last few decades.
All These Things That I've Done
My Insane, Improbable Rock Life
“The most trusted opinion in rock music” (Billy Corgan, The Smashing Pumpkins), Matt Pinfield offers the ultimate music fan’s memoir, an “entertaining and insightful” (Clive Davis) chronicle of the songs and artists that inspired his improbable career alongside some of the all-time greats, from The Beatles to KISS to U2 to The Killers.