Liquid Television

Liquid Television

The 1991–1994 logo
Created by Japhet Asher[1]
Composer(s) Mark Mothersbaugh
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 27 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Japhet Asher
Prudence Fenton
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) MTV Animation
Original series:
(Colossal) Pictures
BIG Pictures
Noyes & Laybourne Enterprises
BBC Enterprises
Revival series:
Titmouse, Inc.
Distributor Paramount Television
Release
Original network MTV
BBC Two
Original release Original series:
June 2, 1991 (1991-06-02) –
March 6, 1994 (1994-03-06)
Revival series:
May 15, 2014 (2014-05-15) – June 12, 2014 (2014-06-12)
Chronology
Followed by Cartoon Sushi
Beavis and Butt-Head
Æon Flux
External links
LiquidTelevision.com

Liquid Television is an animation showcase that appeared on MTV.[2] The first season of Liquid Television also aired on BBC Two in co-production with MTV. Ultimately, MTV commissioned three seasons of the show, which was produced by Colossal Pictures. It has served as the launching point for several high-profile original cartoons, including Beavis and Butt-head and Æon Flux. The show was eventually succeeded by Cartoon Sushi. The bulk of Liquid Television's material was created by independent animators and artists specially for the show, and some previously produced segments were compiled from festivals such as Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. Mark Mothersbaugh composed the show's theme music. It was broadcast in New Zealand on TV3 and in Australia on SBS.

There were also a large number of animation pieces adapted from the work of Art Spiegelman's comic compilation, RAW. RAW featured underground cartoonists such as Mark Beyer, Richard Sala, and Peter Bagge. In particular, Dog-Boy by Charles Burns was based on the artist's series from RAW.[3]

Due to the extensive use of licensed music throughout the series (episodes often began with a contemporary music video being "liquified"), full episodes of Liquid Television have not been seen in any form since its original run. Selected segments from the series, including the first appearances of Æon Flux, were released on two VHS tapes in the late 1990s as The Best of Liquid Television parts one and two. These tapes are long out-of-print. A collection volume, titled Wet Shorts (The Best of Liquid Television), comprising the two VHS tapes, was released on DVD in 1997, but this, too, is out-of-print.

On October 13, 2011, MTVX, MTV's cross media group, announced the return of Liquid Television.[4] It is now a network that is available on the internet and social media. The first content to debut on the network was "F**KING BEST SONG EVERRR" by Wallpaper, available on the website. Full-length episodes featuring the online content and all-new material were released in 2013.

Series credits

  1. Japhet Asher – Executive Producer/Creative Director
  2. Prudence Fenton – Executive Producer/Story Editor
  3. Mark Mothersbaugh – Composer, Theme Music
  4. XAOS Inc. – Title Sequences, Liquid Lips, Liquid Eyes, End Credits Bed
  5. A BIG Pictures & Noyes & Laybourne Collaboration
  6. Produced by (Colossal) Pictures for MTV & BBC-TV

Episodes

Recurring segments

Winter Steele

Winter Steele was a puppet television series created by Cintra Wilson that aired as a segment of Liquid Television during its first two seasons, 1991-1993. Wilson wrote the series, created the puppets, did the voice of the main character and even did some live action body double work.

Winter Steele is depicted as a female biker who is in hot pursuit of her childhood friend, lover and sometime nemesis David "Crow" Dickerson, himself a biker. The two met as children in a repressive orphanage and bonded. Separated, the two vowed to find each other, with Winter criss-crossing the land on a motorcycle. In this course Winter breaks many laws - robbing a crossdresser at gunpoint, credit card fraud, etc. As it transpires, Crow is also despreately looking for Winter, he has gotten a career as a stunt performer a la Evel Knievel and a cape he uses in his act bears the inscription "Winter, where are you?" At one point Winter even meets up with Crow's mother, who abandoned her son to an orphanage. Asked if she regretted sending Crow there, she tersely replies "Hell no!"

Winter eventually learns of Crow's career as a daredevil, but despairs of reaching him when she can't get his attention at a show. Defeated, Winter attempts suicide by immolation, wrecking her motorcycle, tearing off her clothes and setting them on fire. She is stopped when a private detective hired by Crow recognizes her. But before he can bring her to Crow, he sees Winter's burnt belongings and assumes she has committed suicide. He attempts suicide himself by ramming his chopper into a brick wall, but though seriously injured he is not killed. Winter finally catches up with Crow at the intensive care unit at the hospital, but is taken away by the police on various charges before she can stay long. After the police have taken her away, we see Crow raise a thumb towards Winter.

Shows on LiquidTelevision.com

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rushkoff, Douglas (1994). Media virus!: hidden agendas in popular culture. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 150. ISBN 9780345382764.
  2. ↑ Svetkey, Benjamin (June 14, 1991). "What is Liquid Television". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  3. ↑ Lipton, Lauren (June 9, 1991). "High-Tech MTV `Liquid Television' shows what visual wizards can do with animation and pop culture". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  4. ↑ "mtv revives liquid-television". Cartoon Brew.
  5. ↑ "Wigging Out". Vanity Fair. November 1992. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Liquid Television". Entertainment Weekly. May 31, 1991. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
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