A Remembrance of an Era Past

So, when last week’s dispatch ended, I left you with a video of Elastica’s “Connection.” I’m sure that this left many of you confused. What is special about it? The answer is extremely simple, and the topic of this week’s dispatch: it was a video featured in MTV’s Buzz Bin.

If “Buzz Bin” brought back acid flashbacks of hair swoops and crunchy guitars, welcome to the team. If not, a brief explanation is in order. From 1987 to 2004, a special selection of videos were deemed by MTV to be “buzz worthy.” This means that the bands/artists were on the verge of becoming big or doing compelling work.

You know bands from the Buzz Bin like Nirvana (“Smells Like Teen Spirit”), Sonic Youth (“Kool Thing”), The Cure (“Fascination Street”), and Fiona Apple (“Shadowboxer”). There are also some you’ve forgotten like Tracie Bonham (“Mother Mother”), Filter (“Hey Man, Nice Shot”), and Sponge (“Molly”). In fact, this whole exercise started because of that last band.

For some unknowable reason, I have had that Sponge song stuck in my head. I imagine that a number of you have no idea of what I’m talking about, so this is the video for the song:

I want to make something 100% clear from the start: I do not like this song. The only cool part of it is the guitar bridge. The rest of the song has a very sort of generic post-grunge feeling to it. I could overlook this blandness if the video was good, but it is not. I do not get the concept in the slightest. The band is sitting in a room while a young lady leaves an airport, becomes an escort/model, and dreams about becoming feral before being found floating in a pool? I don’t understand how this represents the lyrics of the song, which are about a girl who attempted to kill herself after she confessed her love to her teacher. Her paradise can’t be munching on grass while wearing a shiny party dress. In any case, this led me to wonder: what were other things like in the Buzz Bin, now that we are 21 years on since its dissolution. Was it a true indicator of cool or was it MTV pulling a Poochie on us all?

In an effort to not make myself go insane, I used a random number generator to choose five years from the Buzz Bin era. I got 1989, 1994, 1999, 2002, and 2003. I then used a random number generator for 2003, 1989, and 1994 to pick two videos. For the remaining years, I made an executive decision. In 1999, I picked two that I wanted to revisit. And for 2002, I chose a rap video and an R&B video to deal with the lack of both due to the random selection. Each video will be graded on a 10-point scale. The song can earn a maximum of 5 points, and the accompanying video can earn a maximum of 5 points. That Sponge video gets a 3. The guitar sound on that song really makes it stick in my head even if the song itself is not that good. That will give it a 2. The video is nonsense and upsets me. This earns it a 1, making the total score a 3. Now, that we’re clear, let’s travel back to 1989.

1989: Love and Gurus

For 1989, the two videos that I randomly picked were Love and Rockets’s “So Alive” and Hoodoo Gurus’s “Come Anytime.”

Let’s look at the Love and Rockets video first:

This video is littered with 80s video tropes. Is there someone wearing sunglasses indoors? Bassist David J sure is. The lead singer, Daniel Ash, has hair that can withstand a Category 5 hurricane. It is a look that is in conversation with the lead singer of A Flock of Seagulls for sheer amount of product used to keep it in place. Are there women in the video? Yes. Are they fully visible? Don’t be silly. Women aren’t people in the 80s; they are only props to satisfy men’s desire. We only see women’s legs, clad in high heels and black stockings throughout the video. We don’t even get a Robert Palmer-type situation where they are playing instruments and looking cool. On this note, around the 2-minute mark, the director, who clearly came up with this concept while high on cocaine, had the women turn next to each other. It is wildly uncoordinated and so janky looking. It’s honestly kind of amazing. There is also a copious amount of slow motion, motion blurring, and shadows in this video.

So, with all of this in the video, you might think it would be good. Nope. This video is terrible. I have no indication of who these guys are as a band or what they are about. They just seem like three guys some A&R rep threw together and then told them to make the most generic music they can. The video is a grab bag of images that would make sense to someone on cocaine, but not to this sober person in 2025. There’s no through line or narrative arc. It is just overly active camera work, busy graphics, and arrhythmic dancing.

The song itself is four interminable minutes long. Ash’s voice does portray a longing and some semblance of sexual appeal. However, that is all neutered by the boring accompaniment. The music, objectively, is fine. It is well played and competent. That said, the sound is narcotizing rather than seductive, which is what the lyrics want me to feel. This song was a hit in the 1980s; it hit number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. I have no idea how.

Score: 3/10 (1 for the video, 2 for the song. It could be 2/10, but it is well played)

Next up is the Hoodoo Gurus with “Come Anytime”:

Honestly, this video is nothing to write home about. It’s the band, playing in the round on a set with a psychedelic color scheme. The drummer is wearing round sunglasses, satisfying the 80s sunglasses-in-music-videos requirement. The band did not talk about what to wear though. The lead singer looks like he is in a country band. The lead guitarist is dressed like a new age shaman from Sedona. The bassist looks like a rocker, with his leather jacket and general mien. The drummer is wearing a fun shirt, taking a break from yelling at the refs at his kids’ soccer games. There are a lot of dissolves and quick editing. It is totally workmanlike.

The song itself is about trying to convince a lady to come over to visit the protagonist, who is maybe an assassin. Why did that matter when they were writing the song? I can’t say; I don’t understand the Australian mind. Honestly, the song itself is legitimately good. It’s got energy. The harmonies are good. The band is tight, and the playing is strong. Most importantly, it’s actually catchy. They don’t blow you away with effects and studio wizardry, but they are concisely written and played well. I understand how you hear this song and see these guys, who are pretty photogenic, and want to put them in the MTV rotation.

Score: 8/10 (3 for the video, 5 for the song)

1994: More Separation

For the year of 1994, the number generator gave me The Offspring’s “Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)” and Morrissey’s “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get.”

The first up is Morrissey’s “The More You Ignore Me”:

This video feels like a trip into a place I don’t want to be: the mind of Steven Morrissey. Do I think that he is a young girl wearing a tiara in his head? No, I don’t. Do I think that his mind palace is a hallway covered in polka dots, pictures of himself from different points of time, and images of crazy-eyed old-timey fighters that are illuminated by swinging lights hanging from wires? I absolutely do. This is one of the purer examples of ego to me. Morrissey, by himself and surrounded by pictures of himself, singing about how he’s going to be on your mind all of the time. I know that Morrissey thinks quite highly of himself, and this video is just further proof of that. While I have little positive to say about this video, there was this cool image of Morrissey dressed in leather:

The song, aside from being a song about a massive creep, is catchy. It’s one of Morrissey’s better solo songs in all fairness. It’s got a rockabilly swagger to it while still feeling outside of any particular time or movement. While I can say many negative things about the man, Morrissey is phenomenal at using his voice to convey emotions. He knows how to string words together to imply insistence or to extend a note to subtly jab at the listener. If this song wasn’t about a stalker, it would be really cool.

Score: 6/10 (2 for the video, 4 for the song)

Now, onto The Offspring:

I don’t know if this video could be more punk if it tried. It’s kind of slapdash. The imagery barely makes sense, and there’s a bunch of archival footage of snake charmers and various sword fights. The footage of the band is filtered to death, but the video is lively. The images actually convey some sense of activity that aligns with the song itself. While I will raise offense to Dexter Holland having box braids as a white man, I will let that slide for the true hero of this video: The Keep ‘Em Separated guy. I forgot that guy was in the video, and he gets the win. I’ve watched this video several times and enjoyed it, which does mean something for this project.

I somehow did not realize that this is an anti-gang-violence song. So, they broke through with a song about not getting in gang fights because it will result in you either being dead or in jail. Aside from this important message, this song still rules. I haven’t listened to it since the 1990s or early 2000s, and it is still raucous, fast, and fun. The rhythm section is solid and the guitar is scuzzy. Holland’s nasally delivery is well suited for this exercise. The only knock is the kind-of-orientalist guitar line. But, if that’s the biggest problem you have, you’re still doing well.

Score: 9/10 (4 for the video, 5 for the song)

1999: Faith and Praise

1999 was a year that I chose the videos rather than the number generator. So, with all of my options, I chose Limp Bizkit’s “Faith” and Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You.” Let’s start with Limp Bizkit.

It’s a video they filmed while they were on the Family Values Tour. It shows their personalities well, and there are also some great crowd shots. In the end, it is nothing super interesting about it as a video.

Now, onto the song. I didn’t even think when I was a 15-year-old sad boy living in D.C. that Limp Bizkit would cover “Faith,” George Michael’s anthem and a song that no one would consider hard enough for a nu-metal band to cover. Not only did they cover it, they actually did a good job. They weren’t slavish to the original; they made it their own with the yelling, DJ Lethal’s scratching, and the heavy guitars and bass. Do I love it as much as I did when I was 15 and still listening to Limp Bizkit? No, I don’t. But, dammit, does it have energy. It makes you want to mosh, an activity that I would never consider in relationship to George Michael. I want to be clear: this does not mean I’m going to start streaming Limp Bizkit any time soon. However, I can recognize that this song does have a purpose, and it serves it well.

Score: 6/10 (2 for the video, 4 for the song)

Fatboy Slim was a known quantity in the states when this Spike Jonze-directed video landed directly on all of our heads:

I have very little to say about this one. This is an absolutely iconic video. Spike Jonze, predating the coming Jackass avalanche in 2000, drops this guerrilla dance performance on the unsuspecting—and undesiring—public, doing it with feeling and a decent amount of sincerity. I haven’t seen this video in ages, and it still rules. The problem I have with this video is the fact that I think this is a mid Fatboy Slim song. I’ve never been a huge “Praise You” fan. It serves its purpose of getting the dancefloor turned up, but I think that other tracks in his catalog accomplish this better. This is the only negative note I have here, and it’s honestly small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. I would still much rather watch this video than Orgy’s “Blue Monday” video, which was also in the Buzz Bin.

Score: 9/10 (5 for the video, 4 for the song)

2002: Oh, Love!

So, this was the other year that I chose the videos for. The two that I chose were Cam’ron’s “Oh Boy” and Amerie’s “Why Don’t We Fall in Love.”

The first video we’ll look at is Cam’ron’s “Oh Boy”:

Where to begin with this video . . . Why does Jim Jones have straight hair? Why is Dame Dash dancing with bottles of alcohol? Why is Dame Dash here at all? Did Cam’ron and Juelz Santana sign a contract to be dressed in Mitchell & Ness for this video? Why couldn’t they shoot Cam’ron rapping while he was actually driving the car? For dudes who portray themselves as having a lot of money, why does this video look so cheap? Why is there no one in the club at the end? This video sucks. It’s boring. It falls into every terrible rap trope of the 1990s and early 2000s: scantily clad women as objects, going to the club, excessive capitalism, oversized sportswear. Jim Jones is super annoying. He doesn’t need to be here, and he has a wack haircut. I can’t take a thug with straight hair seriously. I hate the fact that all of their clothes are like three sizes too big. I know this was the look then, and it was stupid then too.

All of this would not be so bad if the song was better. Just Blaze did put in the work. This beat is classic. Still slaps right now. I want Earl to rap over it. That said, both rappers did not put in the necessary effort to excel. Juelz probably walked into the booth, rambled out this mid-at-best verse and thought he absolutely crushed when he was done. Spoiler alert: he did not. Cam isn’t putting in his best work either, but he at least gave us a line for the ages: “Well fuck it, Van Damme ‘em/ Cam’ll blam blam ‘em.” Absolute poetry. Eat your heart out, Rita Dove.

Score: 2.5/10 (1 for the video, 1.5 for the song [1 for the beat, and .5 for that Cam line])

Up next is Amerie’s “Why Don’t We Fall In Love”:

This video is absolutely mid. Amerie is stunningly beautiful. She looks amazing throughout this video. No problem there. I also enjoyed all of the extremely Black couples that were shown throughout this video. It’s always nice to see Black love on screen. Also enjoyed seeing a Black dad. Here’s my problem with this video concept: why doesn’t she fall in love in the video? The basketball playing dude is clearly into her. Why couldn’t he leave the game and get with her?

Weak video aside, this song still slaps. It’s got the hip-hop-style beat that was prevalent in the R&B of the time. Amerie’s voice is great. She doesn’t have Whitney Houston range, but the song lets her sit in a comfortable spot. As well, it doesn’t overstay its welcome, finishing in less than three minutes. I haven’t listened to this song in a few years, and it still goes down quite smooth.

Score: 7/10 (3 for the video, 4 for the song)

2003: Loving You

For the final year of this survey, 2003, the random number generator gave me The Darkness’s “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” and Outkast’s “Hey Ya.” First up is The Darkness:

I don’t remember watching this video in 2003. I reason this is because I did not own a television then. (I didn’t have time to watch it anyway.) In any case, this was my first conscious experience watching this video, and I’m maybe going to shock you with this take: I loved watching this video. It’s just reveling in its sci-fi B-movie concept, and the band is just hamming it up as much as possible. The graphics are appropriately shitty and fun. Furthermore, they fought off a space alien with the power of rock and roll. How could I not be down? If I have one knock, it is that they really could have spent more time on the drummer’s styling. He looks like he walked in off the street.

Onto the song, it’s mid. It’s a pretty standard glam-referencing arena rock song with plenty of soloing and heavy riffs. There’s a place for this song to exist, and a group of people who find this song to be great. I am not one of those people. I find it to be uninspired.

Score: 7.5 (5 for the video, 2.5 for the song, exemplifying its midness)

So, the last video is Outkast’s “Hey Ya”:

I’m so glad that this is the last video in this whole thing. While I am happy to do some more criticism, I don’t have any to give. The video conceit with The Love Below being an inverted Beatles, doing an American invasion to the delight of all the adult ladies in London and the Black families watching them at home, is phenomenal. The video shows Andre 3000’s charisma and charm. Also, it is a stroke of genius to have him as every member in the band. As a side note: being Andre 3000 is the only way you can get away with having straight hair as a Black man in the 2000s.

The song, even though I have heard it to absolute death, is still good. My favorite Outkast song? Not by a long shot. (“B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” and “Elevators” are better.) But, I can listen to this song over and over again and not get tired of it. It’s probably one of the few songs in this exercise that I can say that about.

Score: 10/10

Final Thoughts

So, if you have gotten this far, thank you for reading all of this. To answer my initial question, the Buzz Bin could never be cool because of who is running it. MTV is a corporation whose aim is to ensure that record labels get their artists on screen and move units. They are going to watch the trends and push the artists who satisfy both the channel’s need of maintaining a cool cachet and the record label’s need to sell records.

This is exemplified by what is in the Buzz Bin. Much of the music is playing for the middle. While there was usually something more underground at the beginning, that music went away as the channel’s importance in the industry grew. Gone were The Church (“Under The Milky Way”) and Aztec Camera (“The Crying Scene”). They were replaced with Papa Roach (“Last Resort”) and Better Than Ezra (“Good”).

As I type these words, I have to remember that young A.C., the one who wanted to take in as much music as he possibly could at all times, still watched all of these videos, even if he didn’t like them, because they were music. If it wasn’t for the Buzz Bin (in conjunction with 120 Minutes and Amp), I don’t think that I would be typing these words right now. So, as many problems as I have with it, I have to thank MTV for cultivating a desire in me to listen to and find new, interesting music.

Again, thank you for reading this. Next week is the Spins again. Please take care of yourselves and each other, and if you see or know a journalist that believes in their craft, give them a hug.