1992 MTV Video Music Awards

1992 MTV Video Music Awards
Date	Wednesday, September 9, 1992
Location	Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles
Country	United States
Hosted by	Dana Carvey
Television/Radio coverage
Network	MTV

The 1992 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 9, 1992, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1991, to June 15, 1992. The show was hosted by Dana Carvey at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

The night's biggest winners were Van Halen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as each group earned three moonmen that night. Particularly, Van Halen's video for "Right Now" took home the main award of the night, Video of the Year, and received seven nominations, making it the most nominated video of the night. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, meanwhile, won the award for Viewer's Choice and received a total of nine nominations for two of their videos, becoming the most nominated act of the night. Six of the Peppers' nominations were for "Give It Away," and the remaining three went to "Under the Bridge."

The show was notable for a feud between Axl Rose and members of Nirvana as well as Courtney Love. It began backstage before the awards show, when Love jokingly offered to make Rose the godfather of Frances Bean Cobain. Rose threatened Cobain if he didn't quiet his wife, and barbs were exchanged between Love and Rose's then-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour.^[1][2] Bassists Krist Novoselic and Duff McKagan almost came to blows over the incident, just before Nirvana were to take the stage.^[3][4] The spat went public onstage immediately after Nirvana's performance of "Lithium", as drummer Dave Grohl taunted Rose. Cobain then raised the dispute in post-show interviews at the VMA.^[1][2]

Along with Nirvana and Guns N' Roses, the night's performers included the likes of Bryan Adams, En Vogue, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Eric Clapton, among others. Also, there was a special performance by U2 via satellite, with host Dana Carvey playing the drums for them from the Pauley Pavilion. English band The Cure was slated to perform, too, but they had to cancel their appearance, citing illness and exhaustion from the band.^[5]

Nominations

Winners are in bold text.

Video of the Year

Van Halen – "Right Now"

• Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"
• Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge"

Best Male Video

Eric Clapton – "Tears in Heaven (Performance)"

• John Mellencamp – "Get a Leg Up"
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – "Into the Great Wide Open"
• Bruce Springsteen – "Human Touch"
• "Weird Al" Yankovic – "Smells Like Nirvana"

Best Female Video

Annie Lennox – "Why"

• Tori Amos – "Silent All These Years"
• Madonna – "Holiday (Truth or Dare version)"
• Vanessa L. Williams – "Save the Best for Last"

Best Group Video

U2 – "Even Better Than the Real Thing"

• En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge"
• Van Halen – "Right Now"

Best New Artist in a Video

Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

• Tori Amos – "Silent All These Years"
• Arrested Development – "Tennessee"
• Cracker – "Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)"

Best Metal/Hard Rock Video

Metallica – "Enter Sandman"

• Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"
• Ugly Kid Joe – "Everything About You"
• Van Halen – "Right Now"

Best Rap Video

Arrested Development – "Tennessee"

• Black Sheep – "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)"
• Kris Kross – "Jump"
• Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations"
• Sir Mix-a-Lot – "Baby Got Back"

Best Dance Video

Prince and the New Power Generation – "Cream"

• En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"
• Madonna – "Holiday (Truth or Dare version)"
• Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations"

Best Alternative Video

Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

• Pearl Jam – "Alive"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away"
• The Soup Dragons – "Divine Thing"

Best Video from a Film

Queen – "Bohemian Rhapsody" (from Wayne's World)

• Eric Clapton – "Tears in Heaven" (from Rush)
• The Commitments – "Try a Little Tenderness" (from The Commitments)
• Hammer – "Addams Groove" (from The Addams Family)

Breakthrough Video

Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away"

• Tori Amos – "Silent All These Years"
• David Byrne – "She's Mad"
• Van Halen – "Right Now"

Best Direction in a Video

Van Halen – "Right Now" (Director: Mark Fenske)

• En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (Director: Matthew Rolston)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (Director: Stéphane Sednaoui)
• Sir Mix-a-Lot – "Baby Got Back" (Director: Adam Bernstein)

Best Choreography in a Video

En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (Choreographers: Frank Gatson, Travis Payne and LaVelle Smith Jnr)

• Hammer – "2 Legit 2 Quit" (Choreographer: Hammer)
• Madonna – "Holiday (Truth or Dare version)" (Choreographer: Vincent Paterson)
• Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations" (Choreographers: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch)

Best Special Effects in a Video

U2 – "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Special Effects: Simon Taylor)

• David Byrne – "She's Mad" (Special Effects: Carlos Arguello and Michele Ferrone)
• Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked" (Special Effects: Ian Pearson)
• Michael Jackson – "Black or White (Short Version)" (Special Effects: Jamie Dixon)

Best Art Direction in a Video

Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (Art Directors: Nick Goodman and Robertino Mazati)

• Guns N' Roses – "November Rain" (Art Director: Nigel Phelps)
• Sir Mix-a-Lot – "Baby Got Back" (Art Director: Dan Hubp)
• Rod Stewart – "Broken Arrow" (Art Director: José Montaño)

Best Editing in a Video

Van Halen – "Right Now" (Editor: Mitchell Sinoway)

• En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (Editor: Robert Duffy)
• Metallica – "Enter Sandman" (Editor: Jay Torres)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (Editors: Veronique Labels and Olivier Gajan)
• U2 – "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Editor: Jerry Chater)

Best Cinematography in a Video

Guns N' Roses – "November Rain" (Directors of Photography: Mike Southon and Daniel Pearl)

• Tori Amos – "Silent All These Years" (Director of Photography: George Tiffin)
• Eric Clapton – "Tears in Heaven (Performance)" (Director of Photography: David Johnson)
• En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (Director of Photography: Paul Lauter)
• Genesis – "I Can't Dance" (Director of Photography: Daniel Pearl)
• Michael Jackson – "In the Closet" (Director of Photography: Rolf Kestermann)
• Madonna – "Holiday (Truth or Dare version)" (Director of Photography: Toby Phillips)
• Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations" (Director of Photography: Dave Phillips)
• Metallica – "Enter Sandman" (Director of Photography: Martin Coppen)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (Director of Photography: Marco Mazzei)
• Vanessa L. Williams – "Running Back to You" (Director of Photography: Ralph Ziman)

Viewer's Choice

Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge"

• Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"
• Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
• Van Halen – "Right Now"

International Viewer's Choice Awards

MTV Asia

Christina – "Jing Mai Klua"

• Artists R.A.P. (Roslan Aziz Productions) – "Ikhlas Tapi Jauh"
• Chang Yu-sheng – "Take Me to the Moon"
• The Dawn – "Iisang Bangka Tayo"
• Lo Ta-yu – "Story of the Train"
• Marsha – "Taak-Hak"

MTV Australia

Diesel – "Man Alive"

• Boom Crash Opera – "Holy Water"
• The Clouds – "Hieronymous"
• Frente! – "Ordinary Angels"

MTV Brasil

Nenhum de Nós – "Ao Meu Redor"

• Guilherme Arantes – "Taça de Veneno"
• Biquini Cavadão – "Zé Ninguém"
• Capital Inicial – "O Passageiro"
• Djavan – "Se..."
• Engenheiros do Hawaii – "O Exército de um Homem Só"
• Gilberto Gil – "Madalena"
• Marina – "Criança"
• Marisa Monte – "Diariamente"
• Os Paralamas do Sucesso – "Trac Trac"
• RPM – "Gita"
• Sepultura – "Desperate Cry"
• Supla – "Só Pensa na Fama"
• Titãs – "Saia de Mim"
• Caetano Veloso – "Fora da Ordem"

MTV Europe

The Cure – "Friday I'm in Love"

• Genesis – "I Can't Dance"
• The KLF (featuring Tammy Wynette) – "Justified & Ancient"
• Annie Lennox – "Why"
• Shakespears Sister – "Stay"

MTV Internacional

El General – "Muévelo"

• Caifanes – "Nubes"
• Gipsy Kings – "Baila Me"
• Mecano – "El 7 de Septiembre"
• El Último de la Fila – "Cuando el Mar Te Tenga"

Video Vanguard Award

Guns N' Roses

Performances

Kurt Cobain (front) and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana performing at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.

• The Black Crowes – "Remedy"
• Bobby Brown – "Humpin' Around"
• U2 and Dana Carvey – "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (live via satellite from Detroit)
• Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"
• Nirvana – "Rape Me" (intro) / "Lithium"
• Elton John – "The One"
• Pearl Jam – "Jeremy"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge" (intro) / "Give It Away"
• Michael Jackson – "Black or White" (from his Dangerous Tour in London)
• Bryan Adams – "Do I Have to Say the Words?"
• En Vogue – "Free Your Mind"
• Eric Clapton – "Tears in Heaven"
• Guns N' Roses and Elton John – "November Rain"

Appearances

Pre-show

• Cindy Crawford – introduced the winners of the professional categories
• John Norris – presented Best Dance Video

Main show

• Eddie Murphy – presented Best Male Video
• Dana Carvey (as Johnny Carson) and Phil Hartman (as Ed McMahon) – appeared in Viewer's Choice Award vignettes
• John Corbett and Shannen Doherty – presented Best Direction in a Video
• David Spade, Andrew Dice Clay, Doug Bradley (as "Pinhead") and Ringo Starr – appeared in a series of vignettes at the 'talent check-in' table
• Ice-T and Metallica (Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett) – presented Best Rap Video
• Denis Leary – appeared in pre-recorded segments about what was 'coming up' on the show
• Halle Berry and Jean-Claude Van Damme – presented Best Video from a Film
• Marky Mark and Vanessa L. Williams – presented Breakthrough Video
• Roger Taylor and Brian May – presented the Video Vanguard Award
• Luke Perry and Howard Stern (as "Fartman") – presented Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
• VJs Angela Chow (Asia), Richard Wilkins (Australia), Cuca Lazarotto (Brasil), Ray Cokes (Europe) and Daisy Fuentes (Internacional) – announced their respective region's Viewer's Choice winner
• Denis Leary and Cindy Crawford – presented Viewer's Choice
• Kris Kross and Magic Johnson – presented Best Female Video
• Dana Carvey – presented Best Alternative Video
• Boyz II Men and Wilson Phillips – presented Best New Artist in a Video
• Peter Gabriel and Annie Lennox – presented Best Group Video
• Mick Jagger – presented Video of the Year

References

1. Hartmann, Graham 'Gruhamed'. "AXL ROSE VS. NIRVANA – NASTIEST ROCK FEUDS". Loudwire. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
2. Hyden, Steven (19 October 2010). "Part 2: 1991: "What's so civil about war anyway?"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
3. McKagan, Duff (11 February 2010). "All Apologies". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
4. Novoselic, Krist (18 November 2008). "What Really Happened at the 1992 MTV Music Video Awards". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
5. TCDB (12 November 2015). "THE CURE cancel MTV Video Music Awards performance - 1992" – via YouTube.

External links

• Official MTV site