Missing MTV's Unplugged Series
Although it still exists (sorta), what it was in its heyday was nothing short of brilliant
I read an article in Digital Music News about Eric Clapton’s 1992 MTV Unplugged appearance, which will be shown in theaters in the US and UK later this month (before heading to Paramount+ for streaming in February), and I became quite nostalgic.
Admittedly not the world’s biggest Clapton fan, but I remember his performance very well, and it swayed me a bit more in his favor than ever before. There’s always been something about listening to acoustic music, which for me feels like its truest, most genuine form, that draws me closer to the songs and the artist.
Upon finishing the article, I started longing for the days when my favorite music was also on global display adorning the MTV Unplugged stage.
The program, which was the brainchild of Jim Burns and Robert Small, debuted on November 26, 1989, with performances by Squeeze, Syd Straw, and Elliot Easton (of The Cars). In that first season, heavyweights such as Elton John, Aerosmith, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and others, brought early credibility to the cable giant’s newest series.
Fast forward to 1991, with the winds of cultural change just slightly beginning to swirl, the MTV Unplugged series would take things up a notch. In addition to all-time greats such as Paul McCartney and Sting releasing performances, the show’s creators had their collective finger on the pulse of the hard-charging alternative movement heading their way.
Thinking outside the box on April 10th, 1991, the Unplugged folks aired its first-ever acoustic rap show. With performances by A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Mc Lyte, a five-piece backing band called, Pop’s Cool Love, and the highlight (in my humble opinion), LL Cool J, MTV Unplugged embraced the future of what popular music was becoming.
Hip-hop, or Rap as it was still largely referred to then, wasn’t the global powerhouse it is today, but it was gaining speed. Rap was slowly integrating itself with the still underground alternative and/or college music movement, and this show would go a long way in solidifying that.
In 1992, due in part to the success and excitement that followed the acoustic rap special in 1991, and after a few popstar performances by the likes of Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox, and the aforementioned, Eric Clapton, MTV Unplugged started going all in on the new, burgeoning alternative music scene.
On March 16th, 1992, Pearl Jam, one of the biggest and most successful bands to have emerged from Seattle’s grunge scene at the time (and since) recorded what would become one of the most popular episodes of the entire Unplugged series. Be it the heartwrenching vocal performance of “Black” by lead singer Eddie Vedder, or the maniacal, yet still acoustic version of “Porch” where Vedder balances himself on a stool and writes “Pro-Choice” with a black marker on his arm, this show is still talked about with glowing praise 33 years later.
While the show never strayed too far from its classic rock or pop roots from 1992 on, as shows starring artists such as Queensryche, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Bob Dylan, etc. prove this, MTV Unplugged was now firmly in the Gen X/alternative rock game.
Former underground bands such as Midnight Oil, Soul Asylum, Stone Temple Pilots, 10,000 Maniacs, Hole, Live, The Cranberries, Alanis Morrissette, and others became the norm on the series.
There were two performances after 1992 that, for most Gen Xers and fans of the upstart grunge and alternative movement, stood out above the others.
On November 18th, 1993, less than six months before the untimely death of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana recorded what quite possibly ranks as one of the band’s greatest concerts ever. When a band is known for its loud, aggressive, and in-your-face style of music, saying an acoustic set, on a small, candle-lit sound stage ranks as one of its greatest performances ever, is not only a testament to the band but a feather in the cap of the idea and execution of the entire Unplugged series.
The set was flush with covers and lesser-known originals and yet stands the test of time as its reach and influence continue to grow more than three decades since it took place. One needs to look no further than the song that ended the set, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”. The track, a traditional American folk song, was covered in the way that blues musician Lead Belly recorded his version in 1944.
The performance captured Cobain as one of the most vulnerable and seemingly tortured versions of himself that was ever caught on tape. From the sound of his voice which fluctuated from a whisper to a growl, to a blood-curdling scream, and the sad and distant look in his eyes, this song checks every box on the emotional song list. I think it’s one of the most beautifully haunting vocal performances I’ve ever seen or heard.
By 1996, another goliath of the Seattle scene, Alice In Chains, laid claim to a place within the musical landscape as one of the biggest and most important bands of the era. Unfortunately, lead singer, Layne Staley was in the throws of a horrible heroin addiction which all but ended the band.
On April 10 of that year, however, the band took its turn on the Unplugged stage (its first show as a band in three years) and delivered an outstanding performance. Layne was clearly compromised as he looked frail and sick. He did little in the way of interacting with the crowd or his bandmates but his voice was as mesmerizing as ever. Not unlike Nirvana’s Unplugged appearance a few years earlier, there was an uncomfortable sadness attached to this show.
This would prove to be one of the last times Staley would perform with Alice In Chains (or anyone else for that matter) before succumbing to his addiction in 2002.
Generations come and go and the evolution of all things remains constant. I miss the way MTV Unplugged highlighted my favorite music. I guess I also miss the days when my favorite music defined popular culture.
Time passed, MTV stopped playing music, and my cool and trendy alternative music is now played on Classic Rock radio stations and discussed as nostalgia more often than I care to admit. Hell, I even wrote a book about it all, SLACKER - 1991, Teen Spirit Angst, and the Generation It Created (Inspired By You Books) to discuss its relevance and importance in great detail.
Why do we long for what once was? Is it due to the age we were at the time something appeared in our lives? I believe that plays a role, sure. It’s deeper than that though. There’s more to it. There’s something within all of us that tugs and pulls at our core…
When that happens, it might be a good idea to explore it and see what it’s trying to tell you. Even if it’s just a quick trip down memory lane. I mean, who doesn’t like a good, old-fashioned walk once in a while?
Hey Rob, great article. As a fellow member of Gen X, I was there when MTV was born and slowly watched it die. Growing up in the Midwest, it was our connection to the music scene. Like payphones and other uniquely 80s things, it's difficult to explain to a kid today what it was like to walk into school and have everyone talking about that Pearl Jam performance. They say you can never go back but I'm wearing a Headbanger's Ball shirt right now so, maybe we can visit... if only in our hearts and minds.
Great essay! I wish they’d create a streaming channel of 24 hours of Unplugged and VH1 Storytellers broken up with periodic episodes of Win Ben Stein’s Money.
The only other Unplugged I would add as a must see was Seal. I just picked up the r3crnt pressing of that on vinyl. Killer!