Later this month, Nirvana will be presented with MTV’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the Video Music Awards. The ceremony streams live on CBS on Sept. 27, airing simultaneously on MTV and available for streaming on Paramount+.
There was no mention of which band member would step forward to receive the honor when the network made its announcement.
An Announcement on an Anniversary
The announcement came on Sept. 9, marking the 34th anniversary of Nirvana’s instrument-smashing performance at the awards show. At that gig, the band played Nevermind’s “Lithium”, with Kurt Cobain teasing the opening chords to the then-unreleased In Utero song “Rape Me” to get under the network censors’ skin.
Cobain’s “I’m not gonna crack” refrains at the end. The set ended in feedback as Cobain pushed his guitar into the amplifier and the band pulled Dave Grohl’s drums off the stage. Grohl then went to the front of the stage and said, “Hi Axl, hi Axl, where’s Axl?” was part of a show that also included Krist Novoselic throwing his bass into the air and having it land on his face, which knocked him over.
Award History and the Jackson Name
This prize honors performers whose work as music video pioneers has left a lasting mark on the field. Once simply called the Video Vanguard Award, MTV added Jackson’s name to it after he took home the trophy in 1988, in 1991.
Nirvana filmed seven music videos before Cobain’s 1994 death, including memorable clips for “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come as You Are,” “In Bloom,” and “Heart-Shaped Box.” Videos for “You Know You’re Right” and “Dumb” came out in 2002 and 2023, respectively.
The Teen Spirit Video
A respectable $33,000 was spent shooting “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a video directed by Samuel Bayer. Cobain drew on Rock and Roll High School and Over the Edge for his treatment, films about teens taking over a school.
“That [movie] pretty much defined my whole personality,” Cobain said in the book Come as You Are. “It was really cool. Total anarchy.”
Key Facts
- Award: Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
- Show date: Sept. 27, airing live on CBS, simulcast on MTV, streaming on Paramount+
- Announcement date: Sept. 9, the 34th anniversary of Nirvana’s performance
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video budget: $33,000
- Nirvana music videos before Cobain’s death: seven
- Later videos: “You Know You’re Right” (2002), “Dumb” (2023)
The honor celebrates the group’s standing as pioneers in the field of music videos. It arrives 34 years after they broke their instruments upon that very stage.
Source: rollingstone.com
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