My Happy Place In A 3 Minute Video Clip From 1989
Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 12:01AM Ah, the MTV Video Music Awards 1989. The zenith of that awards show and the music we love. Motley Crue presented the award for "Best Metal Music Video."
Note 1989 was the first year for the category. Vince Neil looked so good back then!
The nominees for the first ever Best Metal Music Video: Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Guns n' Roses, Metallica.
Guns n' Roses won for their "Sweet Child O' Mine" video. Duff McKagan and Steven Adler showed up to accept the award. Happiness ensues!
The awards show also featured the final live performance of guitarist Steve Clark with Def Leppard. He died in early 1991. My beloved George Michael won the Video Vanguard Award.
Madonna presents George Michael his big award. The footage is so old, Madonna and her backup dancers are smoking on stage as part of a planned "bit" - I'm sure that wouldn't be allowed these days!
The thing about this particular awards show was that it was so fun... and memorable. Like, everyone was talking about the show at school the next day. We all taped it (for real, on VHS!) and watched it back again and again. I am not exaggerating when I say I still think back to this particular awards show pretty regularly. It was just that good. The next year was hard to beat, too. The 1990 VMAs featured Madonna doing the best live performance of "Vogue" ever - and Motley Crue did "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" and Aerosmith did "Love In An Elevator." Just freaking great stuff.
Here's Madonna at the 1989 VMAs with an equally awesome performance:
Reader Comments (4)
Also amazing to see Joe with his Kentucky Waterfall in full bloom (no offense, Bkallday!). And it always bums me out to see the Riffmaster General. Amazing presence. Cool vibe just oozed off of him (even when he was wearing a Seinfeld-ish pirate shirt in the posted video!!). Wish Clark had known how much he meant to his friends, family, fans and had found a way out of the hell he was in. RIP. And much respect to DL for continuing to honor his legacy and contributions to the band.
Slight correction: the only thing live about Lep's performance at that show was Joe's singing. As per DLTH: "They opted not to perform the obvious song and instead went for a playback version of 'Tear It Down' and Joe singing live. This version was the only recording released from the initial sessions for the 'Adrenalize' album featuring Steve Clark's guitar work - later scrapped and re-recorded with only Phil Collen." Watching the video, and knowing these shows, it was easy to see.
As per the same source: "Steve's last actual 'live' performance in the UK was the 22nd April 1988 Hysteria tour show in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He turned 28 the day after." Not sure if they played live in the US or elsewhere after that UK date.
Still a cool (and sorta' sad) time capsule. Thanks again, Allyson.
I actually donned one of those in ‘88-‘89, haha!!
Look how Metal ruled that show compared to the sad “UNROCK” travesty of today’s music by comparison.
I’m no fan of Foo Fighters but it was a damned shame they couldn’t perform on The Grammys recently due to the shock of the untimely passing of Taylor Hawkins.
AC/DC was nominated for Best Hard Rock Album and if it was back in the day, they would have performed, let alone the category would have aired during the prime time broadcast.
When you see this line-up from the ‘89 VMAs, one would like to think they (and the category) would have been showcased during The Grammys!
Someone’s gotta ROCK IT again! … Where, oh, where are you? … Oh, that’s right … Sweden!
Same here, Stu. I remember lovingly recording things like this (when I wasn't a jaded old-ish person who spits in the general direction of awards shows), or Headbanger's Ball. I guess one benefit of the interwebs is that it is all (well, most of it) there now, ready when we are. Progress, I guess, but with a price.