120 Minutes: The Rise & Fall of MTV's Premiere Alternative Rock Show!
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- The rise and fall of MTV's 120 Minutes!
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I had previously done a video on mtv’s headbanger’s ball and i was honestly taken aback by the number of people who watched the video and the positive response. After that video came out, I had a lot of people asking for me to do a video on another mtv show 120 minutes so here we are. Today lets talk about the rise and fall of 120 minutes, a show that’s been described as the Pitchfork of it’s time..
If you guys saw my headbangers ball video then you would know the mid 80s were a weird time for mtv. They had been playing a lot of heavy metal and i’m using the word metal as a catch all term for hard rock and glam metal because that’s how it was reported by the media at the time. It was by 1985 mtv started playing less metal because their management thought metal was a fad and their focus groups, at least they claimed, thought the channel played too much metal. I just want to interject and say that imo i am assuming the Parents Music Resource center may have had something to do with the network’s decision because it was apparent from lower level people who worked at the network the brass were more interested in pleasing advertisers than viewers.
MTV soon shifted to more pop and dance oriented artists and their ratings took a hit. By early 1986, on the eve of the network’s fifth anniversary, mtv’s relevance was being questioned. Something needed to change to make the network cool and hip again The network tried to change things up in late 1985 with the show metal mania, which served as a precursor to headbangers ball which premiered 2 years later. The show had big ratings, but a disagreement between host Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider and MTV over the fact that he was doing the gig for free led him to leaving the show..
In April of 1986 the LA Times would publish an article with the headline MTV FIGHTS BACK WITH ‘120 MINUTES’ . The article would read
Given up on MTV and its deja vu parade of look-alike videos? You’re not alone. The cable channel’s ratings have fallen lately. But in the last few weeks, MTV has instituted two programs, “The New Video Hour” and “120 Minutes,” that seem designed to pull back viewers and to answer complaints from record companies about lack of air-time for lesser-known acts.
The better show is “120 Minutes,” which concentrates on videos by new and/or relatively uncommercial artists.
While people may think of big budget music videos when the topic of mtv’s golden years comes up, the network also ventured into weird territory as they showcased lesser known acts who made videos on a shoe string budget. There would be a show called the cutting edge that debuted in 1983 on mtv and served as a precursor to 120 minutes. It was also referred to as irs records presents the cutting edge.
MTV would team up with irs records who produced the show & it was a great marketing tool for the label. They showcased a lot of their own artists and other groups not shown on mtv’s regular rotation. In fact IRS co-founder miles copeland the third would describe himself to billboard magazine as the only record company executive ever to have had his own show on MTV"
The cutting edge was instrumental in introducing Madonna, yes madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers and REM to mainstream audiences. the show aired monthly on sunday nights and went through a variety of hosts including jools holland before peter zeremba of the band The Fleshtones became the permanent host. He made $1,000 an episode, something which was a lot of money for him at the time. The show had a lot of creative freedom with the program’s director revealing in the book i want my mtv “it was bands that otherwise who might not appear on mtv. This was one place where you could see henry rollins read poetry, We filmed morissey in his bathroom at a hotel and gave him a stack of envelopes , each with a single word inside it. He would open the envelope and talk to a little camera. The word might be beauty so he’d talk a bit about beauty. “
The show would also feature Interviews with musicians and live performances The show was also notable in featuring underground or regional music scenes including in LA, North Carolina and Texas. In 1986 The LA Times would write a piece about MTV on the eve of it’s 5th - Hudba
Here's the Headbangers Ball video I reference. Let me know which other MTV shows you want me to cover. czcams.com/video/vwMMCs-zsx4/video.html&pp=ygUQaGVhZGJhbmdlcnMgYmFsbA%3D%3D
I would love to know more about the U.K. version of this show.
How about the Hollywood Tropicana? The mud wrestling mecca was a must for 80's bands. That would be a good video! And the Idiot Box that was on MTV.
*Me thinks MTV just didn't want to make more 120 Minutes to save on money because the Grrl Riot scene was going on in 1998. Followed up by the NYC indie scene.* There was more than enough new music to fill up... 120 minutes on Sunday nights. I feel it's MTV kicking out its Gen X viewers for the new shiny Millennial viewers.
This one hurts. I loved 120 Minutes. I found sooooo many bands from that show.
It was the original Pandora!!! So much good music on that show.
EDIT - there are full episodes on CZcams if you want to watch again
I going down that rabbit hole right now. Thank you!!!!! @@kyleb8596
I lived for it as a teen....
Me too. I discovered so many bands through 120 minutes.
Word!
If you lived in a small to medium sized town in the mid to late 80's without a local college station, 120 Minutes was like a lifeline saving you from the onslaught of vacuuous pop and hair metal.
couldn't have said it any better, spot on!
Absolutely right
I remember being a little girl, unable to sleep, battling ineradicable insomnia after my sweet, beautiful older sister Ingrid Died suddenly, unexpectedly, and tragically. I was up and stumbled upon an episode of 120 minutes. I NEVER FORGOT THIS. Fiona Apple was being interviewed. I hadn't heard of her. She was there to promote her debut album, Tidal. I remember Fiona leaning back as she sat, her legs akimbo, her articulations brimming with self-awareness and HIGH-Intelligence. From then on, I became devoted to her music, which has carried me through every year, particularly, the Painful parts, of my Life. I am grateful for 120 minutes for blessing my Life with that one moment.
So sorry to hear about your sister.
" ineradicable" .... Hmm.. you sure bout that ?
@@pbcfisher3206 I have been struggling with fairly severe insomnia for much of my Life. Through innumerable attempts at treatment, medications, etc, my insomnia (or more probable, the myriad traumas occupying valuable real estate within the confines of my heart and mind) always prevailed. After all these years, yes, it does feel ineradicable.
120 Minutes was must see or must record every Sunday at midnight when I was in middle school, high school and college in the late 80’s to late 90’s. That’s where I got most of my music. When bands guest hosted was the best.
Growing up as a kid and teen in late 80s and early 90s this was the show that got me out of the mainstream music and introduced me to so many lesser known bands
Nicely done. It's also worth noting that MTV2 had a similar Sunday night show in the 2000s called "Subterranean". It was a weekly show that would feature new music videos and interviews from bands all across the indie/alternative music landscape. For the first couple of years, it was also hosted by Jim Sheer and then it continued on with either guest hosts or no hosts at all. Some of the highlights include interviewing members of Radiohead, Interpol, The Rapture, Rilo Kiley, Cat Power, and others.
120 minutes was one of the best shows on MTV! GREAT video!
Matt Pinfield and Henry Rollins are the best hosts of 120 Minutes.
I remember Rollins being sarcastic when introducing a music video of an artist that he didn't like. 😅
He was kind of a jerk at that time as well
Henry Rollins being a jerk on tv? No way ha ha. Yeah he def could be that way from time to time. He was also doing stand up back then as well
Was he a funny jerk cause I won't lie, Rollins can be funny. @@JamesCraigWhoop
Then you get the a-holes like Kid Rock, Fred Durst and others.
In December of 1989, “120 Minutes “ interdouced us to Trent Reznor and it was his first appearance on TV .
I used to watch 120 Minutes at a late stage when it was on its sister channel MTV2. Then it's sequel show "Subterranean" replaced it and that's where I discovered The Dresden Dolls, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Regina Spektor, Bloc Party, The Go! Team, etc.
I was a metal guy and 120 Minutes was my window into alternative and college radio.
Now I'm waiting for you to complete the trilogy and do a video on Alternative Nation. Good stuff as always
thanks
Kennedy was MTV's idea of a cool young Republican. She loved Reagan, had a GOP elephant tattoo on her thigh, and once joked about presenting Rush Limbaugh with a "hummer" backstage at an awards show. No surprise that she moved on to Fox News.
What I would give to go back to those days of MTV or just life in general in that time frame
Me too! It was a great time to be alive! Especially being a teenager in the 90's like I was! I remember sneaking out of my bedroom when 120 Minutes would come on and watch it in the basement while my mom and stepfather slept and I would record music videos (especially premieres) would come on my VHS tapes. I had BOXES of old 90's MTV VHS tapes that I sadly lost somewhere along the way of moving so many times over the years. Man, what I wouldn't give to have all of those tapes back! I was an only child so my ways of entertaining myself was watching Mtv, listening to music, going to concerts and collecting my favorite band merch!
It’s hard to believe people used to sit down for two hours, and just watch videos. This show is how I discovered the Afghan Whigs, My Bloody Valentine & Spinanes. Now anything over 15 seconds is too long even for social media.
One of the most fascinating music related videos I've seen. This is due to the fact that I love Alternative and most of its subgenres.
Loved 120 Minutes, Cutting Edge and Alternative Nation ! College rock.
Also Headbangers Ball and Yo! Raps.
Gen X Stuff. I was a kid and teen, young adult during the 80s and 90s.
Never forget seeing Joy Divisions Love will tear us apart on 120 minutes in the 80’s. It was fantastic and every time I hear it, it makes me think of that night.
I loved 120 mins . Was best show on MTV Sunday nights if I remember right
I miss old school MTV! I loved Headbangers ball and 120 minutes.
Me too!!!!
I was living in NJ at the shore at the time, Matt was on WHTG it was a great station & we would all see everyone at the shows in Asbury Park. When he got onto MTV we were home town proud 120 Minutes fully helped the alternative music scene
120 minutes was so good, discovered so many bands through that, it’s like the antithesis of what MTV is now
Hip hop and rap were the downfall of MTV (and popular music in general).
@@MettleHurlant nah, “yo mtv raps” and “headbangers ball” and/or “120 minutes” were able to coexist just fine….TRL becoming the only outlet for videos, turning MTV into a constant top 10 voting contest….and reality programs filling in the rest of the schedule meanwhile are both what killed it…. Even funny shows like “Tom green” and “jackass”pushed the channel away from music……so I kind of agree with you on the popular music thing because TRL kind of embodied that… But I disagree….I don’t think hip-hop ever had a negative effect…. Like I said, there was programming for metal, alternative, and hip-hop, all able to coexist on the 24 hour music network before it was only TRL videos and reality programming…..
Every Sunday night at midnight!!!
Man i loved staying up late watching 120mins and Headbangers ball!!
Matt Pinfield drove me up a frikin wall. He always had to insert himself into every interview. Every time an artist or band would say where they’re from without fail he would say “Ahhh , my old stomping ground.” Like, mfer, how many cities have you lived in? All of them?! I wanted so badly for my band to make it just so I could be interviewed by him and answer “I grew up in orbit.” Just to see if he’d reply “Ahhhh, the vacuum of space. My old stomping ground.”
I believe Pitchfork is a music review magazine that started back in the day. I think it only came out 4 times a year. They would also feature lesser known bands on the rise
As one that began watch 120Minutes in 1990, the show was not meant to last, just till the end of the Millennium. The show was great show for the underground alternative music. When Nirvana unleash alternative music to the masses, those videos really made alternative music a community. The tag along was perfect when 1991 happen! Towards the end of the decade the music landscape of 1999 was head back to Pop, like in MTV and Pop Radio. They had enough of it. By the end of 2000, it was back like it had been in 1989. Just an experiment, an accident on their parts. I still watch 120Minutes here in youtube. Great memories of my 20s. Funny thing is that the GEN Z, like my 16 year old son and his friends are 1990s Alternative Music listeners!!!
120 Minutes sounds like my kind of show... but in Canada, we had the Canadian MTV equivalent "Muchmusic"... and I am not sure what the equivalent segment would be during the time
I started watching "The Alternative" on VH1 Classic when I was in high school, that's how I got into acts like Matthew Sweet and Letters To Cleo. I wasn't old enough to appreciate 120 Minutes in the 90s outside of catching clips of it when my older sister was watching, so I'm glad VH1 held the torch for latecomers like me, even if they would mislabel the videos sometimes haha. It seems like the next logical step in doing something akin to what MTV was doing with videos in the 90s is hosting a streaming show with VJs doing interviews between videos or even making playlists with existing videos and putting original content between them.
Loved this show! What a treat. Back when MTV was exciting!
I wasn’t alive yet when these shows were originally airing, but I love watching Headbanger’s Ball and 120 minutes on CZcams now. Great video as usual!
Thanks
Same here Holliee. I love watching old 120 Minutes episodes with Dave.
Thank you so much for this and Headbangers Ball! That's nostalgia for me, including what VH1 & Fuse TV, The Box and some local cable access shows were like (JBTV). I'm actually trying to recreate the vibe of the shows on Twitch for the Punk-o-Matic game series (OfficialPunkoMaticTV).
I remember in the late 90s when TRL acts such as N Sync and Britney Spears were all over MTV and it seemed like it was almost nothing but pop music when music videos would get played. It seemed like 120 Minutes was the last show still putting out good quality alternative videos(even though they were mainstream at that time). Also, Matt Pinfield hosted another show besides Mattrock and 120 Minutes. It was called MTV Rocks Off where he would sit down with various people such as a member of a band, a record executive, and a music fan and talk about various rock bands. the videos were mainstream but the discussions were quite amazing. One episode I remember in particular was where he had Bruce Dickinson on with two other people and they were talking a bit about Barenaked Ladies. I thought that show had a bit of potential looking back
I remember this. I think they had Snoop Dogg and some other folks taking about RHCP. It was mid-1998 right after Frusciante rejoined and everyone accept Snoop was down on them at this point. Then Californication the following spring.
Matt Pinfield was the perfect choice to be the host of 120 Minutes.
The most knowledgeable VJ ever.
During the 80s Matt was a DJ at Rutgers' WRSU in New Brunswick and quite the driving force for the Hub City music scene as well as a DJ for the iconic Melody Bar. Probably the most knowledgeable person about music I have ever met. I enjoyed just shooting the breeze with him talking about music at Patti's, one of the bars be both hung out in.
If you weren't into grunge during the 90's, which I certainly wasn't, then the alternative genre was one of the few places to hear good new music. Living in the Baltimore/DC area, 99.1 WHFS was the station to listen to, and 120 Minutes was where you could actually see these acts. Loved this show, and enjoy watching re-runs to this day.
Amen! I was at the 1st HFS-stival and still listen to WTMD, it’s spiritual successor.
I wasn’t into grunge during the 90s, and the alternative genre didn’t really do anything for me either. Most of the interesting stuff in the genre, so-called, peaked in the late 80s. I swore MTV was trying to waterboard guys like me by playing the same hypnotic R.E.M. songs over and over. I suppose it was different strokes for different folks, but MTV lost me when they stopped playing metal and helped astroturf all of the pop and alt. rock that became inescapable by 1995.
@@hellsunicornwell, everyone has their own tastes, but there was a lot more to alternative music in the 90's than R.E.M. that's for sure. And as for MTV, the 90's was when they truly lost their way, and slowly started becoming a channel for "reality" programming and walking away from music almost entirely by the end of the decade
@@jim2lane There were a few bands that I found to be fairly entertaining, Everclear and The Cranberries had a few songs I was into, and I always had a soft spot for Nine Inch Nails, but for me it was too soft and stripped down. I like stuff that either has the impact factor or progresses beyond what radio would permit, and MTV had a very brief love affair with death metal and virtually none for bands like Dream Theater and Pain Of Salvation, which were my bread and butter.
We’re both in agreement that MTV died in the 90s, and I hated the dumb Reality TV crap they helped to pioneer.
I remember when HFS suddenly went Latin, that was quite the switch.
Loved 120 Minutes, used to watch it in the late 90s through 2000s. It got frustrating because it would constantly get preempted by reruns of lame MTV original TV series (Undressed, for example).
Undressed was the bane of my existence back then. It was so cheesy, it hurt. I never met nor heard of a single Soul that proclaimed any enjoyment or appreciation for that show.
Matt Pinfield was an encyclopedia of Alt,indie, and underground rock music.
It was a great sampler. REM already had rotation hits like Stand, but songs like Get Up only on the ALT shows. They Might Be Giants, the Madchester bands like Happy Mondays, Charlatans UK, Inspiral Carpets and other bands with really weird names. A lot of it was junk but occasionally had songs that jumped out
I don't know what show it was, but I saw They Might Be Giants' "Don't Let's Start" on MTV at my grandmother's house in 1987 or 88, and immediately fell in love with them. I'm still a fan to this day and play them often.
I got into James and Catherine Wheel from it...
My parents were hardcore Christians (ironically i am too now lol) and they didn't allow me to watch MTV so even though i grew up in this golden age of the channel i unfortunately missed out on a ton of it
I know that older people such as myself have a tendency to go down our stupid nostalgic rabbit holes, but I would argue that the late 80s and early 90s were an amazing time to be growing up as a music fan with different paths of discovery for underground music. While I lived in a rural place without cable, there were great weekly radio shows coming from a college town in Wyoming (of all places) where I heard all the killer metal and "modern rock" (as it was called) bands of the era. We're talking Anthrax, Metallica, Black Flag, fIREHOSE, Sonic Youth and pretty much any other notable act you can think of.
But I will say today's youth have an amazing, accessible library of music available at their fingertips since the internet has made almost all music ever recorded accessible. Some outcast kid in North Dakota can discover anything they desire and have a musical connection. I think that's awesome. I'm not sure there's so much of an underground anymore as "just not as discovered". The most important thing is that we can still find great music that is meaningful to us.
120 minutes is how this 90s high schooler in Idaho found good music. Integral to my youth
My friend still has an old.videotape of the episode hosted by Ween. Taping MTV was quite common back in the olden days
I used to have multiple boxes of VHS tapes of 90's MTV but sadly I lost it over the years from moving so many times. Man, I would give ANYTHING to have those tapes back! I was an only child so I spent A LOT of my time sitting in my room, killing time watching and recording everything on MTV. Music videos, band specials, band interviews, the VMA's, concerts, unpluggeds. When I think about how much MTV used to be on the pulse of new music/trends and I think about how bad it is now (it doesn't even play music anymore! I don't even understand why they still call it MTV. MTV stands for "Music Television". All it is now is shows about being a teenager and pregnant and reality tv last I watched anyways. Which it's been a long long time since I've even attempted to watch MTV. I can't stomach their programing anymore and haven't for many years now.)
@@hwoods-kg1jf he only has it because he found it in a box when he helped his parents clean out their house when they moved. He also found this really cool Skinny Puppy shirt with an alien fetus on it
I was a late-teen and loved 120 minutes! I wish it was still a thing
I missed this alot cause it was on Sunday night really late, and had school. Feel like I missed a bunch of bands that I discovered later in life cause of that
Ill never forget the first time hearing and seeing Paranoid Android. Matt came on and described how it was a 3-part song... I was mesmerized by the track. Made me a lifelong fan. Thanks Matt Pinfield!!!
The website for 120 minutes sounds interesting. Growing up in Canada, I aws not exposed to 120 minutes, but we had the alternative shows like Going Coastal and Much Music's answer to Headbangers' Ball, Much Loud. I genuinely wish Loud had a website like 120 minutes because I'd love to go back and revisit some of those old playlists.
Fellow Canadian here too!
Didnt Much Music become Fuse? Fuse had Uranium which was the best metal show I've ever seen on television.
@@nwerd7584I cut cable a while back but I thought much music was still around. There’s actually. A documentary out about muchmusic I’m going to see in a few weeks
@@rnrtruestories Oh that sounds interesting.
after looking in to it wiki says this
"Fuse is an American pay television channel owned by Fuse Media, LLC, that launched in 1994.
It was originally known as MuchMusic USA, a localized version of the Canadian cable channel Much, and was dedicated to music-based programming"
So it was the version we got here in the US when digital cable took over.
Sort of@@nwerd7584. Much Music sold it's US affiliate to another company which turned it into Much Music USA around 2003; they stopped playing anything MM related during the week and instead did a bunch of super crappy prepackaged blocks of videos that didn't feature ANY Canadian acts that were heavily featured on Much Music and were mainly no-name indie acts and on a blue moon occasion, a "big name act" like Thursdays or White Stripes or Strokes. But in general, a bunch of no-name hipster acts and NEVER anything old. Along with a bunch of crappy pre-recorded pre-CZcams try-hard viral video segments that were crappy as hell.
Within a year Much Music USA cut the last remaining trace of the real Much Music (IE the weekend feeds) and started rolling out original programming and UK crap they licensed (like several rip-offs of Jackass). The only good show of this period (Whitest Kids You Know) jumped ship to IFC after the first season and by that time the network rebranded to Fuse and pretty much abandoned all music for sitcom reruns and origina programming.
Sadly, Much Music went the way of MTV after losing it's US distribution. No longer shows music videos, fired most of their hosts (including Bradford Howe and Ed the Sock) and now is a dumping ground for MTV/Comedy Central shows in Canada.
I bought so much music and discovered so many great bands watching MTV's 120 Minutes
I loved 120 minutes back in the 90s! Thanks for this.
Speaking of Kennedy, I'd always wondered how you go from Alternative Nation to Alternative Facts (Fox). It would be interesting to know where the hosts went after MTV (or why, Kennedy)
You’re welcome! Some people said she’s a libertarian.
Everything you see on TV is scripted, with varying degrees of truth.
Kennedy was always open about being conservative/libertarian. IIRC she openly bragged about voting for Bob Dole in 1996 and one of the chief reasons she left the network a year later was due to her wanting to get more involved in politics as MTV was still relatively apolitical in the 90s.
After her gig at mtv she went to UCLA and majored in philosophy. She had a few different jobs at radio stations until landing a job with fox. Her FBN show recently got canceled although she remains with fox doing shows like outnumbered and the five from time to time.
Kennedy rocks!
It seemed like on the early to mid 90s, there wasn't much difference between Headbanger's Ball and 120 Minutes. Same problem though: the weird shit was always in the last 10 minutes
120 minutes was such a great show! I found so many bands from it. MTV was really good at first and had some great music shows. But as usual, MTV ruins everything it touches. MTV should write a book on how to destroy a music station.
Rock N Roll, have you thought about making a video on the short-lived MTV show, Super Rock?
Obviously, the show failed when it replaced Headbangers Ball.
I briefly mentioned it in the headbangers ball video I did
120 Minutes was my favorite show on MTV. I watched it like it was church.
I also remember how They Might Be Giants and Dave Kendall always seemed to bunt heads, making fun of each other, there was some tension in the air, Dave calling them sell-outs - unless it was all just a joke? "I'm Dave Kendall. I'm John Kendall. And I'm MC Search."
Before Nirvana, Information Society lit up 120 Minutes so hard that they spilled over to the regular rotation and even got national airplay. We were gobbling up the cassettes at the time.
FYI you can find playlists on youtube with tons of early 1990’s full episodes of 120 minutes -- commercials and all. Pretty awesome
120 was the first place I heard STP and Bush. That's about all I can remember about it.
I loved 120 minutes one of my all-time favorite music video shows! I discovered so many great bands from it.
I used to love 120 minutes! I was about 10-14 years old and used to watch it on Vh1 classic back in the early 2000s.
Matt Pinfield was my music loving uncle from TV and I loved watching 120 minutes for new bands for my teen ears that wasn't on the prime time stuff.
Man just like Headbangers ball I discovered so many awesome bands like Easterhouse, and Faith No More and for the record I thought Matt Pinfleld was awesome as host thanks for this one as a misfit kid of the early 90's early 80's this show was my home
I also liked Matt Pinfield! He was very knowledgeable about music and I just liked his vibe/personality. He also always had great questions for the bands he interviewed!
@@hwoods-kg1jf same here I loved his vibe and his personality he always seemed like a cool cat
That show was so important to me in the mid nineties . I discovered so much new music through it.
I echo the sentiments in this chat. Grew up in a quasi-isolated part of the country that wasn't the best place to learn pop culture norms or find new/interesting music. 120 minutes was my portal to the type of music that I grew to love for the rest of my life. Indie music has always been the cutting edge of pop culture ... It saddens me that it's so underappreciated these days, because nobody has access to it the way we did when we were younger thanks to shows like 120 minutes. Sure, people have access to everything much more readily these days, but there's not a lot of people or organizations out there championing the true artists.
As time went.on,.I started changing my core-metal tastes to more chill music. 120 Minutes and Alternative Nation (especially with the magnificent Kennedy hosting) was a nice segway.
This and headbangers ball were the best
I was more of an Alternative Nation kid and only watched 120 Minutes every once in a while. I would do things very differently if I had a do over
I watched both Headbanger’s ball and 120 minutes. Some of favorite bands could be played on both shows. It’s like how I subscribed to both Fangoria and Starlog, and some of my favorire movies and tv shows could be covered in both.
120 minutes shaped my musical tastes, 1998 and 1999 were formative years for me.
I miss content like that.
This was one of the best shows on MTV next to headbangers ball yo mtv raps week in rock
Found so many great bands watching this show. But I loved all of them. MTV raps. Headbangers ball. But 120 mins was the best by far.
Pinfield was the best VJ period
He's definitely in my top 3 favorite MTV VJ's. The other two of course, being Martha Quinn and Riki Rachtman
I remember when Radiohead was on among many others. Such a great show. I watched religiously.
120 was keeping me in the loop in the day and lead to great bands , somehow I found Deftones, Taproot and more through this and it put me to sleep a few years.
Matt Pinfield was also the host of the Farmclub.
that was the show he was on after he left 120 minutes.
I know it’s not Rock, but you have to finish the trifecta - Yo’ MTV Raps.
Bro!!! You found the WINNER of the Contest!!! I hope u saw my reply to your comment from the other day. Also i hope you saw the form i filled out on your website. I think it would make a good idea for an episode!! Let me know!! 🤘
Yes I found the winner with a short newspaper interview with her.
@@rnrtruestories bro awesome! Please let me know you saw my form on your site about MICHAEL DAMIAN
The problem with 120 minutes where i live it came on so late, way after 12:00, maybe even 2:00 am
I watched 120 Minutes almost as much as I watched the Headbangers Ball. It was very good.
Still watch the Tori Amos 120 minutes performances (94 &96) every once in a while. They are so good.
Did anyone else get ‘Rock Over London’ on the radio on Sunday nights!
WXRT Chicago played it, but I assume it was syndicated.
120 min concerts are cool to find on YT. Their was another Alt music show called"Mhz" (yes, that Mhz) on PBS in the 90's that feature a lot of underground and indi artist. I don't know if it was a regional show or a 120 min clone from PBS, it was great for insomniac college students.
I had a few of those 106.3 stickers. Huge station in my area (Asbury Park) back in the day
MTV also had the nightly "Modern Rock" from 1988 to 1990, a precursor to "Alternative Nation".
Also, rhe fall of '87 marked the debut of the "Buzz Bin" video rotation tier (later known as Buzz Clips and Buzzworthy), which mostly spotlighted alternative acts, giving them extensive airplay and often eventual heavy rotation. Indeed it was when acts like REM and the Cure had their first big hits.
Headbanger's Ball played a lot of hair bands that were in heavy rotation in its pre-Nirvana days.
Matt Pinfield was great as you could tell he 1) had specific tastes, 2) knew what he was talking about, and 3) still gave artists respect. He made the show personable for me
I loved 120 minutes! I even remember the very 1st video played on Mtv...The Buggles - Video killed the Radio Star.
I remember the first time I ever heard Alice in Chains was when I saw the Man in the box video on 120 Minutes.
Great show! I have fond memories of the Largeant and Pinfield Eras. Monday mornings were always a little rough in middle or high school. Can you do one of Jackie Farry/SuperRock to complete the trilogy? She’s had quite an interesting life.
i think Pitchfork was like a hipster music VICE adjacent brand like 10 years ago.
But I thought people actually liked 120 minutes unlike pitchfork
@@rnrtruestories lmao
I swear to you that The Cutting Edge went off the air in 1989. I have seen that on line in "print" that they ended in 1987 but this is not true! They changed the name of the show to :The Cutting Ege Happy Hour" in '87. I still have video tapes from '88 and 89 of the show !
Your volume was turned down too low. Turn it up. We can turn it down.
Thx
Enjoyed 120 minutes and headbangers ball. Also i watched lots fuse tv
120 mins reruns are on MTV Classic at 12:00 on Sundays
It's not real reruns. It's a two hour block using the name but has no host or studio segments and is just randomly thrown together alt-rock videos.
@@jessebaker2769 You are right. But in the time that it is on you can feel greatness of it all
I dont get all the Matt Pinfield hate in the comments. Always came across as a genuine guy and was an encyclopedia of music. Hard to agree he was pretentious too as I remember an episode where Jimmy Pop from the bloodhound gang came on as Pat Minfield (get it? 😄) with a skin wig and did a pretty great Pinfield impression. Matt seemed to love it.
I remember seeing Cro-Mags & Bad Brains on 120 mins
those bands were also featured on Headbangers Ball
I loved 120 Minutes! Recorded it every Sunday at midnight on my DVR. Pinfield was great!
Edit: I went down a major rabbit hole a couple years ago, reading all the playlists and watching those archived episodes mentioned in this clip. Good stuff!
Thanks! Love you man
Thanks
i LOVED 120 minutes and Headbangers Ball
120 Minutes was my jam in the late 80's, early 90's. It pretty much lost it's identity since then as the rest of MTV did...
CoLd Army was here...
Matthew rules, love that guy!
Whew I haven’t watched MTV in over 2 decades
120 Minutes was brill with Kevin Seal.
But I always ended up switching to TBS/WTBS Night Tracks until Night Flight popped on on the USA network with the latter show being the superior one in terms of showcasing underground alternative bands that Mtv would never air.
Also, Night Flight showed music based films that are must-see like, Ladies and Gentlemen The Fabulous Stains (Diane Lane), Suburbia, Smithereens, and many B Horror and campy films by John Waters.
J men forever and dynaman.
I lived for Nightflight on USA network when I was in jr high. So much cool shit on that show! My favorite was the punkrock bands like FEAr&DK's that would appear on a show called New Wave Theatre that was occasionally featured on NightFlight!!! goodtimez😁