This, of course, was when MTV still showed music videos, but if you wanted to see the good stuff, you had to wait for Alternative Nation with Kennedy to come on. And if you wanted to see the REALLY good stuff, you had to watch 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield.
The show enjoyed a long run (1986-2003), but couldn't find a home once the Internet shortened everyone's attention spans and teens only wanted to watch shitty reality shows. Plus, by that time, nearly all the visionary music video directors had moved on to feature films, and with the Napster craze, the music industry had little and less money to promote their product. And the first major casualty was the music video.
However, MTV has come to its senses and reinstated 120 Minutes, complete with host Matt Pinfield, which returns this Saturday, July 30 @ 1am EST/10pm PST on MTV...TWO?!?!! WTF?
Okay, make sure you have MTV2 now. Most cable providers probably carry it, and if yours doesn't, send them an email to tell them how much they suck. And if you're one of the hipsters like me who doesn't have cable...well, you're F-ed. Can someone tape this for me? I'll give you a blank VHS.
Of course, it wouldn't be adulthood without change. Here's what Matt Pinfield has to say about the new show:
"There will be differences: I am no longer sitting on those road cases, because my legs are too short and I can't touch the ground," Pinfield laughed. "I think that the way that people digest music and information now has changed quite a bit ... so the difference will be, we will still and I'm very proud to show full videos -- at least 12 a show -- but there will be a lot more guests and a lot more action and a lot more things will be happening a lot faster."
With the influx of 90's inspired bands - Yuck, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Joy Formidable, Wye Oak - there will be plenty to show, plus they're going to show old videos. And let's face it, that's all we really want to see - stuff from our childhood.
In honor of the show's triumphant and glorious return, here are a couple links of note:
120 Minutes tumblr, maintained by Phillip Fibiger, an "aggregation of music videos (mostly youtube) that appeared on 120 Minutes during its heyday."
The 120 Minutes Archive, by Tyler C, with a listing of nearly every video that played on the show back in the day.
From that site, here are the videos played 15 years ago, on the July 28, 1996 episode:
Everclear - "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore"
Screaming Trees - "All I Know"
eels - "novocaine for the soul"
Happy Mondays - "Step On"
Butthole Surfers - "Pepper"
Reacharound - "Big Chair"
Sister Machine Gun - "Hole in the Ground"
Rocket From The Crypt - "On a Rope"
Dog Eat Dog - "ISMS"
Butthole Surfers - "Jingle of a Dog's Collar" (live 120 Minutes)
Better Than Ezra - "King of New Orleans"
Republica - "Ready to Go"
Lifter - "Headshot"
Local H - "Bound for the Floor"
Hole - "Gold Dust Woman"
Filter - "Jurassitol"
Patti Smith - "Summer Cannibals"
Imperial Teen - "You're The One"
Fiona Apple - "Shadowboxer"
Great songs, all.
I leave you with this, the best part of my week and the most exciting 24 seconds of the 90s (except for that one night, when Amber Hobbs' parents were away...)
Whatever.
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