Ok people, the internet and I do not have a new music video review for you. Instead, please consider the following list of MTV Music Video Awards winners from 1999 and tell me it isn't suspect.
| Video Of The Year | Lauryn Hill, “Doo Wop (That Thing)” |
| Male Video | Will Smith, “Miami” |
| Female Video | Lauryn Hill, “Doo Wop (That Thing)” |
| Group Video | TLC, “No Scrubs” |
| Rap Video | Jay-Z feat. Ja Rule & Amil-Lion, “Can I Get A …” |
| Dance Video | Ricky Martin, “Livin' La Vida Loca” |
| Rock Video | Korn, “Freak on a Leash” |
| Hip-Hop Video | Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” |
| New Artist | Eminem, “My Name Is” |
| Video from a Film | Madonna, “Beautiful Stranger, ”Austin Powers 2 |
| R&B Video | Lauryn Hill, “Doo Wop (That Thing)” |
| Direction | Fatboy Slim, “Praise You” |
| Choreography | Fatboy Slim, “Praise You” |
| Art Direction | Lauryn Hill, “Doo Wop (That Thing)” |
| Editing | Korn, “Freak on a Leash” |
| Cinematography | Marilyn Manson, “The Dope Show,” |
| Special Effects | Garbage, “Special” |
| Breakthrough Video | Fatboy Slim, “Praise You” |
| Viewers' Choice | Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way (source: Infoplease.com) |
I think It is remarkable that out of 19 categories, Lauryn Hill walked away with 4 Moon Men, and Fatboy Slim took 3. Were the post-Fugees and overly accessible 'techno' that appealing to our collective musical pallete? (Ugh, FUCK Moby) Additionally, I have no idea how Will Smith's Miami got Best Male Video (and why are there gender specific categories?). Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It was great in 1998, but past success should not be used as a basis for future accolades.
And weren't boy bands huge until at least 2001? How then did the Backstreet Boys get Viewer's Choice but nothing else? I call shenanigans all over this list. Nonplussed, I dug deeper and pulled up the 1998 list. While it skews toward rock/alt, Madonna's Ray of Light just totally kills it - 5 Moon Men! How is Madonna spastically moving in front of a green screen worthy of awards for great choreography, direction, or editing? Could it be sales?
Let's look into that, according to the BillBoard Hot 100 and The Village Voice, the top single of 1999 was either Cher's Believe or TLC's No Scrubs. I don't see Lauryn Hill or Fatboy Slim anywhere. This suggests that the VMAs are based on something other than spins or sales. Fair enough, this is the Video Music Awards. But wait...
BOMBSHELL - Britney Spears' first single...Baby One More Time was released in Q4 1998, the album was released January 12th 1999, and the 1999 VMAs were in September. It does not add up. How is it that from 1998-2000, Spears won exactly zero Moon Men? Seriously, how many of you called TRL to request that video?
Personally, I am a little surprised that TLC's No Scrubs didn't clean up. That video was what 1999 was all about - hip hop explicitly defining the vernacular and the end of the shiny suit. TLC was pretty huge in the 90s: Creep, Waterfalls, etc., and No Scrubs was a major hit. Even Jay-Z and rat-faced Ja Rule's Can I get A... or Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca would have been better choices than Doo Wop or Praise You.
Of course, the VMAs are indicative of nothing. They do not represent music sales, viewer requests, or any other quantifiable measure. Like all awards shows, they are a foil for shameless PR, red carpet pageantry, live performances, and mirror-facing self-congratulatory masturbation. It looks like MTV has recently (at least in 2008) extended the voting process to the public. Still, who are they fooling? You can't divorce a song from its music video. Nobody wants to watch a music video, no matter how awesome it is, if the accompanying song does not appeal to them.
Granted, my argument may have a few holes, and this is all based on two hours of armchair research, but I just cannot buy the 1999 MTV VMA results.
Here is big my question for the MTV VMA judges/voting committee: If Nick and I shoot a UAL video and pony up some guap, can we have the 2009 awards for Best Group/Rap/Breakthrough Video? We need to know soon, so that we can get our entourage ready.
Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It was great in 1998
Really?
Will Smith's music was never good.
Britney Spears’ first single...Baby One More Time was released in Q4 2008
She had her first single after her kids?
And no, I never called TRL. Guess those Yale kids love some MTV.
oops - that's what I get for trying to update the post at work.
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Will Smith is still good and will always be good!!!!!! Honestly, Miami was a huge hit so I don't see a problem with Big Willie picking him up a Moon Man. See, maybe where I grew up people were just really into the same music as MTV, but that list looks like a pretty accurate representation of what was hot back then. Granted Britney and the Boys didn't get more awards and were probably more popular than many other artists on the list, but MTV was never defined as being only about what's most popular. They are nowadays, but I think it was different back then. MTV was all about building a specific identity that was mainstream and counter-cultural all at the same time. They acted like they were bucking the system while they actually were the system. At least that's my interpretation. And to go with that, they had to pick videos that represented their "MTV" personality. Lauryn Hill and Fatboy Slim are two great examples of "we're not the system... but actually we are the system" sort of musicians. So in that vein, I think it makes sense. Also, I think you forget how un-cool Britney and the Backstreet Boys were back then. They were like teenybopper acts at that time. Nowadays they have drug addictions and issues and scandals just like the rock stars of old, but back then they were "wholesome." It would be like the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Taylor Swift cleaning up at the VMAs nowadays. Yeah, in 10 years Miley will be a recovering crack addict with 20 tattoos and 3 ex=husbands, but she's still a kids act right now. Yeah, the Jonas Bros will release the multi-plantinum "I Fucked Your Wife" in 2015, but they're still the music of choice for middle schoolers right now. That's the way Britney and company were back then. And lastly, the history of music has always been divided between "hip history" and "popular history." If MTV was about popular history, Josh Groban would be winning awards now. And Kenny G would have cleaned up back in the day.
I call shenanigans on your argument about teenyboppers and Spears being unpopular in 1999. Teenyboppers are exactly the people that call TRL and request videos and support the MTV. Britney and the Boys did not take long to blow up and they saturated MTV pretty quickly. The later scandals are critical for maintaining that popularity and relevance - but it is built upon our first impressions.
Take Amy Winehouse for example. She may be a mess now - but go back to 2006 and early 2007 when she premiered to the greater American consciousness. Her music established her talent, and won her fans, adoration, and critical acclaim - not the later scandals. All that stuff just keeps her fresh in our minds.
MTV had been pushing alt/rock out of the lineup for a year or two by the time '99 rolled around. Remember the year before? Puffy's Rock/Rap remix of It's All About The Benjamins was in heavy rotation.
Hey Neal and Nick, this is Bill, the guy who sent you a message and email about starting a podcast. I may have pulled it off. I am not sure if the thing is going to get noticed by iTunes or places because of my location in China but it seems to be a real podcast and not just uploaded uploaded files. Your mails gave me renewed energy and focus and I send you a shout out from my post. Maybe it'll get you one extra listener. I will check your show out for ideas and if I have any issues or questions I hope I am free to send them your way.
Give it a look and let me know what you think. It is my first effort ever at a podcast. Thanks... Bill at:
http://uraniumcafe-the.com/
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I thought that Lauryn Hill album was pretty great, post-Fugees or not.
of the post-Fugees albums, Wyclef Jean's The Carnival was my favorite. The disc had a lot of crappy skits, but Guantanamera and the bubblegoose song were sweet.
neal, i call shenanigans on your argument! teenyboppers may be the lifeblood of MTV, but that doesn't mean MTV projects a teenybopper image. see, people are always trying to "up" their social status with their entertainment. 10 year olds want to watch PG-13 movies, and 16 year olds want to watch R movies. teenyboppers want to be into college-age adult pop music. so if MTV can project the illusion that they are the destination for early adult pop (all the while tailoring the entertainment towards the teenybopper demographic in all but image), then they will capture the teenybopper audience. there's no better evidence for this than MTV's spring break, a college-age ritual pumped onto the TVs of tweens and teens all over the USA. but college kids aren't sitting around and watching MTV spring break - their younger brothers and sisters are watching it. at least, that's the way i see it.
bill, thx! can't wait to listen to the podcast when i get a few mins to sit down and put some headphones on. glad we could help out in any way.
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