How Beavis & Butt

Winger never stood a chance after being trashed on the show.

A good old-fashioned feud is nothing new in Hollywood, and there are countless examples of people being at odds with one another. Kim Catrall and Sarah Jessica Parker had on-set issues, reality stars have gone at it plenty of times, and even music stars have had some major issues.

During MTV's prime, Beavis and Butt-Head was a major hit for the network. The titular duo loved many bands, but they had a disdain for their dorky neighbor, who was a fan of Winger. That band caught enough flack on their own, but once they caught the wrath of MTV, things went downhill quickly.

Let's take a look at the beef between the band and the show, and how a cartoon helped take down a hair metal band.

Beavis and Butt-Head, the iconic animated duo created by Mike Judge, took the television world by storm with their raucous antics and unique format. From their inception in the early '90s, they quickly became cultural icons, leaving an indelible mark on comedy, pop culture, and even music.

Their hilarious adventures, often centered around their misadventures and misunderstood actions, resonated with viewers across all age groups. What made the show truly unique was its innovative format—interweaving animation with live-action music videos.

Now, let's talk about the music videos. Beavis and Butt-Head's commentary on the videos they watched was one of the show's defining elements. They hilariously critiqued the music, often offering their unique and clueless insights.

The show's titular characters rocked metal shirts, but one dorky character, Stewart, rocked a Winger shirt. The hair metal act had their moment in the sun, but the show's mocking nature, as well as some other factors, led to their downfall from the mainstream.

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So, how did the show affect the band? Frontman, Kip Winger, has been outspoken regarding the show's negative impact on the band's image.

Said Kip Winger, "For example, we’ll take White Zombie, Beavis and Butt-Head were like ‘Oh, White Zombie‘s cool’ and then White Zombie went triple platinum, like overnight. It was the biggest show in MTV history so a lot of people benefited from Beavis and Butt-Head but we were like the on the shirt of the geeky guy who represented it sucked."

The singer continued, talking about how he had spoken with creator, Mike Judge, and how the show wasn't the only force working against the band.

"There’s a lot of other bands that might have been better suited for that role. I did speak to Mike Judge [creator] through e-mail at one point and he was just kind of like ‘It just happened to stick’. I think it hurt a lot of the bands like us and you have to also add in the aspect of Metallica throwing darts at my poster," he said.

The unfortunate truth is that having an association with a dorky character did the band no favors. However, there is more to the story.

By the time the show was airing, hair metal was well on its way out, something that the Winger frontman himself acknowledged.

"As far as the ’80s goes, I don’t think that the ’80s would have survived much longer anyway. Eighties music had run its course and we came a little too late. I tell this story a lot. I moved out to New Mexico, we lost our record deal, our publishing — everything was gone," he continued.

Despite the history between the two sides, eventually, they made good.

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In 2014, it was reported that the show and the band were on good terms.

"When they did the Beavis and Butt-head remake I found Mike and told him I wanted to clear the air. I never tried to sue MTV or Mike, I never had a problem with the cartoon. I mean, it was David and Goliath, really. There was nothing you could do but take it like a man. It certainly didn’t help us, I’ll tell you that. But it was a funny show and Mike’s a funny guy," Kip Winger said.

The singer went on to say that, "Winger was a band that was popular for some of the wrong reasons, man. So we ended up on the show. I don’t believe there was any malicious intent. We exchanged some emails; Mike is a very nice guy, no hard feelings. I was hoping maybe he’d give me a voice-over role in the new cartoon though."

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One of MTV's most popular shows caused irreparable damage to Winger, but the band soldiered on, and continued making music for their fans. It's nice to see that all that negativity eventually passed.

I’m lucky enough to write about film and television for a living, with some fun trivia sprinkled in, too. If you’re watching it, I’m writing about it, and having a great time doing so. Patiently waiting for the X-Men to enter the MCU and help take down Galactus!