Top 40 Rock Moments from MTV

Everyone knows MTV basically aided musicians in getting their music out. But, of course, MTV did also have some issues and big history moments.

1. MTV's birth

-8/1/1981. The day that all fans were suddenly able to see their favorite bands. The debut started as a little space shuttle countdown leading to the debut and the space shuttle landing on the moon only to plant an MTV flag instead of an American flag. MTV's first Chief Operating Officer John Lack uttered the historic words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll". The first video aired was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, which could not have been a more ironic song, considering that once videos started playing, the radio suddenly become second hand

2. Billy Squire sings the holiday hits

-The team of staffers and creators backed up Billy Squire in 1981 to be his backup singers on "Christmas Is the Time to Say "I Love You"". VJ Martha Quinn would call this her favorite MTV moment. She told Yahoo!" What you see in that video, it was recorded within months of our launch, and we were all so starry-eyed, such believers. We were all one big, happy family, fighting for MTV. We believed so strongly in the power of rock 'n' roll. And you can really see it here."

3. Kiss Becomes Unmasked

-This was major history, or in their case KISStory. The whole thing behind Kiss is that they would never be seen without their makeup. It was a concept conceived by their manager Bill Aucoin. When guitarist Paul Stanley thought they should try something new to try and regain their fans back, he came up with a revolutionary idea-take off the makeup. On Sept. 18, 1983, they made KISStory by going on TV without their makeup. This little stunt helped launch them back up the charts with 1983's Lick It Up, but after that, they really had to work hard to regain their fans when their look turned to a more general 80s hair band look

4. David Bowie Calls Out MTV for lack of diversity

-Two years after the launch of MTV, David Bowie sat down for an interview with host Mark Goodman. David Bowie turned the tables on the interviewer, by shifting questions another way. He said, calmly, before bringing up obvious facts "It occurred to me having watched MTV over the past few months, it's a solid enterprise and it's got a lot going for it. I'm just floored that by the fact there's so few black artists featured on it. Why is that?" When Goodman attempts to explain that MTV was trying to move in that direction, Bowie looks unimpressed and unconvinced

5. The first winners of the Video Vanguard Awards are The Beatles and David Bowie

-This is a high honor, usually bestowed upon recording artists and music video directors. It's an even higher honor to be the first artist to win one. 1984 saw The Beatles, who "essentially invented the music video", with Richard Lester-directed films Help! and A Hard Day's Night. The Beatles were given the award by non-Sting members of The Police while David Bowie, who came in from London for a performance of "Blue Jean", took home the award presented to him by Herbie Hancock

6. Fans win time with Van Halen

-MTV had certainly made history with artists. From John Mellancamp giving away a pink house a la "Pink Houses" to Bon Jovi gifting the home where he spent his childhood. Topping the list of craziest moments was the day of the "lost weekend" with Van Halen. In 1984, 20 year old Kurt Jeffries, from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania won the network's contest to spend a weekend with the legendary southern Cali rockers. He got to ride in a limo and a private jet to the concerts in Detroit. He was welcomed on stage and had cake smashed in his face.  Things only went more nuts. He got drinks backstage, even a little bit of coke and marijuana. The antics could have nearly killed him. Prior to this, he had suffered a serious injury that resulted in a metal plate in his head. While he was of the mindset drugs and drink were bad, he wasn't going to ruin the fun. He said in an interview shortly after the contest "I didn't tell MTV about the accident because I didn't think anything of it. I was the grand prize winner and I was going to experience a lost weekend with Van Halen."

7. Dire Straits makes history with computer animated video for "Money for Nothing"

-This was one of the biggest hits for MTV. It nearly didn't happen because the people at MTV felt it needed to be more interesting than just vocalist Mark Knopfler at the mic. The video's director Steve Barron later revealed in an interview "I never did hear a yes, nor an OK or a 'let's go for it'. But there wasn't a no, or a never, or anything that said we couldn't. We'll just do it and pray our BoschFSG4000 (also known as Paintbox, which is the computer animation workstation used to make the video) delivers the goods." It was the first recorded use of computer animation in videos

8. Jan. 1, 1985 marks the launch of VH1

-MTV's success managed to spawn a sister station called VH1. This channel was geared towards the older guard, playing classic rock acts, soft-rock and pop music. Tina Turner, Elton John, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mac were just some of the artists to gain airplay on this new channel. This channel also included smooth jazz, R&B, early rock and international bands. This channel would go on to include programs such as Behind the Music, which has the artists themselves talking about one of their seminal albums, Pop-Up Video, which plays videos and includes pop-ups of interesting tidbits about the artist and the video and more, Storytellers, Divas.

9. Twisted Sister gets video banned

-Twisted Sister's song "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" gets banned from MTV. 1985 saw the creation of the Parents Music Resource Council (PMRC), an overly cautious watchdog group responsible for creating the "Filthy 15", 15 of the most inappropriate songs music has to offer. This group is known for including the famed black and white "Parental Advisory" sticker on songs considered to be sexual, violent, drug-related and anything they consider "inappropriate" to the youth of America. Twisted Sister found themselves under the watch of this group for their song "Be Chrool to Your Scuel". Vocalist Dee Snider believed that the PMRC had it out for his band and their nosiness caused MTV to avoid Twisted Sister like a plague. The video was zombie themed and considered questionable. In his memoir Shut Up and Give Me the Mic, Dee Snider had this to say. "They told us the zombie content was "too gross" for MTV and absolutely no amount of editing would fix it. It was no worse than Michael Jackson's 14-minute, MTV-award winning zombie opus for "Thriller", but ours was un-airable? Like the fans, MTV discovered they could throw unconcerned parents a bone with Twisted Sister that would have little effect on their viewership. Scumbags"

10. 7/13/1985. Live Aid premiers

-This non-profit type event was broadcast on live television. It was designed to help those in Ethiopa suffering from famine. Musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure conceived the idea that famous musicians could play a concert to raise money. It consisted of two major concerts on July 13, 1985. One would be at London's Wembley Stadium and the other would be at Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium. Some of the bands included Paul McCartney, U2, Sting, The Who, Dire Straits, Black Sabbath, Tom Petty, Queen, the remaining, surviving members of Led Zeppelin and more. This event drew in 172,000 in-person fans while over 2 billion fans watched on TV. MTV showed it in the US. This was also said to be the greatest concert, by some, for Queen, as it would be one of the last times the band performed live together as the original lineup. Some would say Queen stole the show that day

11. 3/10/1986. 120 Minutes debuts

-With such music shows as American Bandstand, Don Kirschner's Rock Concert, 120 Minutes gave new and underground artists a chance at some airplay. Some of the artists to gain their fame from this include Weezer, Oasis, New Order, Blur, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and The Offspring. This program went to MTV2 in 2001

12. Aerosmith and Run-DMC collaborate on "Walk This Way"

-The band had recently reunited and producer Rick Rubin wanted them to cut "Walk This Way" with newly formed rap group Run-DMC. The resulting collaboration went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the video, which features Run-DMC on one side of a wall and Aerosmith on the other, with Steven Tyler breaking down the wall in between, became the first hip hop video to be played on frequent rotation on MTV.

13. The original group of VJs leave

-Five of the original MTV VJs - Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, J.J. Jackson - left the network in 1986. They would return to MTV later on. Quinn, who had done commercial radio work, decided to try acting. She would appear in the film Tapeheads and the short-lived Brady Bunch spinoff, The Bradys, before returning to MTV. She would only work there from 1989-1992. Jackson was a veteran of the radio world. He covered the Live Aid concert and helped launch 120 Minutes. After his time with MTV ended, he returned to mainstream radio. Blackwood, who also left in 1986, had returned to radio. She, Alan Hunter, Mark Goodman, can all be heard currently on the Sirius XM radio station 80s on 8.

14. Headbangers Ball Debuts with Motorhead

-4/18/1987 seen the birth of Headbangers Ball, a menagerie of metal and hard rock videos to please the every day headbanger. Their debut seen legendary British metallers Motorhead storming the first episode, which bassist/front man Lemmy Kilmister and drummer Phil "Philthy" Taylor, also hosted. The episode would also feature Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne, Accept and more bands. The show would go on to add more metal and hard rock artists and their newly released songs or classic songs of theirs. The 1990s seen this show moving from hard rock and metal to more alternative and grunge before being cancelled in 1995

15. MTV bans a video from Motley Crue

-The legendary L.A. metallers have managed to get a video banned. The video for their song "You're All I Need" was considered highly controversial by those at MTV. The song, a gruesome power ballad that is deceptive at first, centers around a woman being killed by a man who felt she didn't return his love. The Wayne Isham-directed video was shot in black and white to simulate a TV newscast. With it being considered too violent, it didn't get airplay. Bassist Nikki Sixx had this to say. "There's a positive and negative side to everything. 'You're All I Need' doesn't condone or exploit this tragedy. It clearly shows how one life is destroyed and another ruined forever. And it's probably a lot less graphic than much of what we see on the 6 o'clock news every night."

16. The Moscow Music Peace Festival gets MTV airplay

-Doc McGhee had to launch the Make A Difference Foundation as part of a plea bargain from a drug trafficking arrest in 1988. As such, he launched the Moscow Music Peace Festival, including such music luminaries as Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, Motley Crue, The Scorpions, Cinderella. These veteran rockers joined local and big name Russian rockers on a two day metalfest designed to promote peace and urge support on the global front for Russia's war on drugs. Of course, there were accusations of favoritism and thus, Doc McGhee was relieved of managerial duties from Motley Crue and Bon Jovi

17. Despite "This Note's for You" video being banned, Neil Young wins Video of the Year

-In an era where rockers might have appeared in commercials, Neil Young pointed out he wasn't doing that in his 1988 song "This Note's for You". The song mocks the advertisers in the music industry. MTV wouldn't air the video. Neil Young had this to say in an open letter. "MTV, you spineless twerps. You refuse to play "This Note's for You" because you're afraid to offend your sponsors. What does the "M" in MTV stand for: music or money?" MTV stood by their decision. General manager Lee Masters said "I think it's a fantastic video. Everyone in Programming loved it: it's spectacular and very funny." He stated the only reason the video didn't get airplay was because of likenesses of people like Michael Jackson and Spuds McKenzie, the Stafforshire Bull Terrier who became the mascot for Bud Light beer. It could run into the trademark infringement issue

18. Vince Neil punches Izzy Stradlin at the 1989 VMAs

-Motley Crue and Guns 'N' Roses both were the big LA bands in 1987. Relations between the two bands had gone very far south by Sept. 6, 1989. Motley Crue presented GNR bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler with the award for Best Metal Video for "Sweet Child O'Mine" at the 1989 VMAs. Vince Neil, vocalist for Motley Crue, was angry at a perceived assault on his wife by Izzy Stradlin at the LA-based Cathouse nightclub in the weeks prior to the event. When Neil confronted the guitarist, Stradlin got mouthy about it. Neil responded, in the Motley Crue tell-all The Dirt "I decked him good, right in the face." In response, both bands had bad blood between them

19. GNR performs with Tom Petty

-Two bands you never thought you'd see together: Tom Petty and Guns 'N' Roses. Axl Rose and Tom Petty, both of whom had heavy play on MTV, took to the stage at the 1989 VMAs and sang Petty's "Free Falling" and ending with a cover of "Heartbreak Hotel"

20. Bon Jovi goes unplugged

-Once again, we're back to the VMAs. Bon Jovi were riding on the success of their recently released 1988 album New Jersey. They could have played the old standards like "Living on a Prayer" or "Bad Medicine" as they always do. But they decided to go unorthodox and play "Living on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive" on acoustics. They did an unplugged session. This inspired the series Unplugged, which debuted a few months later.

21. Christina Applegate leaves Brad Pitt for Sebastian Bach

-The actress was riding the wave of success, playing dumb blonde Kelly Bundy on Married...With Children. When she showed up at the 1989 VMAs, her man was Brad Pitt, a handsome unknown actor. After she presented the Best Group Video award, alongside Alice Cooper, it's said she left Pitt and got cozy with Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach.

22. Def Leppard performs last concert with guitarist Steve Clark

-The 1989 VMAs must have been a really exciting thing. From band fights to hookups and now last concerts. Veteran Sheffield rockers Def Leppard played their last concert with guitarist Steve Clark at the 1989 VMAs. They played the song "Tear It Down". The fans and even the band themselves didn't know this would be the last time they would see Steve Clark alive. He'd had issues with alcoholism for years and in 1990, he took some time off to try and get clean. While in rehab, he had met a woman who was going through drug addiction. Thinking the two could help each other get sober, it proved unsuccessful. On Jan. 8, 1991, Steve Clark died from an overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol, while his girlfriend, who he met in rehab, died not too much longer after him

23. Comedian Andrew Dice Clay gets banned for life

-All it took was three minutes for comedian Andrew Dice Clay to get a lifetime ban from MTV. What was his crime? Going into his highly raunchy material at the 1989 VMAs. He had managed to keep his material clean for the most part, even going into a light roast on himself. But old habits die hard, as the saying goes. He slipped back into his raunchy material and even mentioned his "dirty nursery rhymes". He said in an interview from 2016 "My MTV moment was hands-down the biggest moment that ever happened on the MTV Awards. And I say that because the press I got off of that moment didn't just go on for a week or two, it went on for two years. It was more about what Dice did than what the actual singing artists did on the show. And that moment's just never been topped."

24. MTV debuts Buzz Bin, to help launch new alternative artists

-Sept. 10, 1991 saw the release of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Seattle grunge rockers Nirvana. MTV thought of a new way to help launch alternative, underground bands. With the new program Buzz Bin, these underground and new acts could get some airplay. This was considered to be a more mature version of 120 Minutes and unlike the predecessor, Buzz Bin played during the day, increasing the chances of these artists being heard and seen because daytime was prime viewing time.

25. Prince causes controversy with outfit during "Gett Off"

-At the 1991 MTV Music Awards, Prince caused controversy while performing his hit "Gett Off". His outfit consisted of banana yellow pants showing off his bare backside. Of course, the lyrics to the song perfectly matched the raunchy outfit he wore "Now move your a-- 'round this way, so I can work on that zipper, baby".

26. Axl Rose and Kurt Cobain collide at the 1992 VMAs

-It seems almost destined that every VMA or music award show MTV shows, some kind of controversy or issue will come up. Now it's the 1992 VMAs and Axl Rose, vocalist for Guns 'N' Roses and Kurt Cobain, vocalist for Seattle grunge rockers Nirvana, are now butting heads. The issues started when Nirvana refused Axl's offer to open for GNR on tour and Rose responded by calling Kurt Cobain and his wife Courtney Love, during a concert "a junkie with a junkie wife". He also added "if the baby [Love and their newborn child, Frances Bean] is born deformed, I think they both ought to go to prison." The following week, the VMAs debuted. Cobain and Love had asked Rose to be Frances' godfather. While not one for sarcastic responses, he did tell Cobain "You better keep your wife shut, or I'm gonna take you to the pavement!" Of course, Cobain looked at his wife and said "Shut up, b----!"

27. Nirvana bassist Krist Novocelic smashes bass...into his own head

-Nirvana was one of the biggest acts at the 1992 VMAs. That was made more memorable by an onstage injury inflicted by Novocelic himself. Towards the end of the song "Lithium", he threw his bass up in to the air, hoping to catch it. Instead, it smashed into his head mid-air. Years later, in an interview, he recalled it. "I'm plugged into some awful bass rig that's distorting terribly. I can barely hear what I'm playing, and the ton deteriorates into an inaudible mess. F--- it, time for the bass toss schtick. Up it goes! I always try to get good air - I bet over 25 feet, easy! But no matter how high it went, I was not on my game - the only time I've ever dropped it was then in front of 300 million people. Ouch! I was fine, but I faked like I was knocked out, perhaps expressing my inner torment over a taxing evening." To help him recover, a rockstar of a different caliber came to his aid. "Paramedics came in and put a little bandage on, then handed me a long medical release form to sign. Standing behind them was Brian May, the guitarist of Queen, with a glass of chilled champagne. I signed the release just to get the medics away from me so I could take a sip of Mr. May's wonderful medicine."

28. Howard Stern appears as Fartman

-This was one big name in the 1990s. He became one of the top names in radio. At the 1992 VMAs, he appeared, showing up as a superhero he invented on his radio show called Fartman, who was powered by flatulence. He descended from the rafters of the venue, Pauley Pavilion, to land right next to Luke Perry. He turned to expose his bare backside and said "Behold, the most beautiful of sites. Luke, look at my a--. Touch it for power. Rub it." Luke did just that, much to the delight of the audience

29. Eric Clapton goes Unplugged

-The guitarist, known as "Slowhand", makes his Unplugged appearance on 1/16/1992. He was the first guest of season three and he definitely put on a good show. His set list included songs from all the eras in which he worked, from Cream to Derek & the Dominos. He also debuted several new songs, which were inspired by the death of his son Conor, who died in 1991. Of course, to the fans delight, he played his iconic track "Layla". But instead of it being a hard guitar-driven song, it was more laid back, almost jazzy. In an interview later on, Clapton recalled "Layla sort of mystified me. I've done it the same all these years, and never considered trying to revamp it."

30. MTV gets real with The Real World

-This was MTV's first attempt at reality TV. Some of the common aspects of this show - soundtracks, confessionals and living in the same house - seem to have inspired numerous shows like Survivor, Big Brother, etc. In addition to the typical drama brought on by clashing personalities, drunken arguments and cheating with one another, it did take a serious, hard look at topics considered controversial, like abortion, AIDS, sexual identity. Of course, this program also led to the death of all things music on this channel and a sudden obsession with all things reality

31. 3/8/1993: Beavis & Butthead debut

-The two iconic figures of MTV are born! If the 1990s declared glam metal dead, then Beavis & Butthead coming on to MTV certainly made sure it was in the ground. Created by Mike Judge, the two titular characters were complete metalheads who banged their head to music and often made fun of their friend Stewart, who often wore a Winger t-shirt. They would watch real videos and offer sarcastic comments on them and on bands they thought were cool, like AC/DC and Metallica, who both of them wore shirts for. In a 2014 UCR interview, Kip Winger had this to say. "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."

32. Nirvana goes Unplugged

-While some say that Clapton's appearance on Unplugged may have topped the show's list of top moments in addition to Alice In Chains' 1996 appearance, Nirvana's 1993 appearance seems to top those somehow. They were the biggest band in the world at that period, considering the country had a sudden craving for all things grunge. Their album, In Utero, had just been released prior to their appearance. An album of that performance, titled MTV Unplugged in New York, was released on 11/1/1994. Tragically, Kurt Cobain had passed away from suicide prior to the release

33. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant reunite for UnLedded project

-When the band called it quits in 1980, due to the death of drummer John Bonham, no one knew what would happen to the band. The two iconic figures from the band - Jimmy Page and Robert Plant - were asked to appear on MTV Unplugged. They both knew they needed to make this really count. In a 1995 Rolling Stone interview, Robert Plant said "It was obvious that I could either say "Well f--- off, I don't like MTV anyway. You don't play me because I'm too old, so why start worrying about me now?" Or I could think about how to team up with the one bloke who knew where I was coming from and see if we couldn't go ahead." Their unplugged session was released as No Quarter: Robert Plant and Jimmy Page UnLedded

34. 1995 VMAs seen a team up of Michael Jackson and...Slash

-Two worlds collide here at the 1995 VMAs. Slash, from the hard rock world of Guns 'N' Roses and Michael Jackson from the world of 80s pop, come together once more. This is not the only time they've worked together. In 1991, Slash starred on the song "Give In to Me" from Dangerous. Their duo performance lasted 15 minutes, as Jackson went through his entire career. Slash was just as you would expect: complex solos, beautiful playing. At one point, it looked as though Jackson was upset that it seemed Slash was stealing the show. It was all choreographed, of course, but many didn't know that

35. Kiss reunites under the Brooklyn Bridge

-At the 1995 VMAs, host Dennis Miller had this to say. "What do you say we seal this show with a great big, sloppy, tongue-in-the-throat, fireworks exploding, blood-spurting lip-lock?" This was, of course, referring to Kiss. They performed remotely from a stage set up under the Brooklyn Bridge, playing "Rock and Roll All Nite". The band had made a recent announcement that the classic lineup of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley were reuniting.

36. David Lee Roth and Van Halen reunite

-At the 1996 VMAs, the members of Van Halen learned, the hard way, that time does not heal all wounds. They had played a disaster-bound show at the VMAs, with David Lee Roth soaking up the praise from the audience while founders Eddie and Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony were all business, just hoping to get on with Best Male Video award. Roth and Eddie nearly came to the point of fighting backstage. When Roth's bandmates tried to downplay it in a post-show interview, it didn't go well. Not long afterwards, former Extreme front man Gary Cherone was announced as the new vocalist for Van Halen

37. Jim Carrey Asks MTV for more Foghat

-Foghat managed to grab the attention of everyone in attendance at the 1999 MTV Movie Awards. The reason? Actor Jim Carrey, who had won for Best Male Performance for his role in The Truman Show, who had appeared on stage in long hair, sunglasses, thick beard, asked MTV why they were avoiding classic rock. "I like rap music as much as the next frightened Caucasian but, you know, would it kill you every once and a while to play a little Foghat?" Of course the mention made its way to the ears of Foghat member Roger Earle. "Thank you, Jim! It's great that he's a Foghat fan."

38. Axl Rose and the New Guns 'N' Roses appear at the 2002 VMAs

-Host Jimmy Fallon as practically jumping for joy as he announced Guns 'N' Roses at the 2002 VMAs. The crowd was the same - for about 30 seconds. He appeared wearing baggy leather pants, cornrow hairstyle and an oversized hockey jersey. When he started "Welcome to the Jungle", he struggled through the song, struggling to breathe as he moved across the stage. In the days that followed, The Chicago Tribune labelled the night as "Paradise Pity". Axl would go into hiding for four more years

39. MTV screws up Pink Floyd's Live 8 Reunion Broadcast

-2005 seen Pink Floyd reuniting in London as part of Live 8, a string of concerts benefitting charities organized by Bob Geldof. Fans were excited to see their favorite band come together, but MTV and VH1 screwed up royally. They were to play 21 minutes, but only got 20 due to MTV and VH1 dropping off early. One minute less might not seem like a big deal, but when you're told you can play 21 minutes, you better get your 21 minutes. MTV group president Van Toffler had this to say "We ran 20 out of 21 minutes. The only reason they were interrupted is that we had a local affiliate break, the cable affiliates had to go on break. It's in our agreements [with cable companies]"

40. FNMTV Gets Cancelled and marks the end of an era

-This show, hosted by Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, debuted videos from up and coming artists. It's like the program 120 Minutes, but for a 2000+ generation. It premiered in 2008 and showed new artists. It was unable to stay on the air longer than a few months and was eventually cancelled. When this show finally left the airwaves, the network reached a critical point in its history: the network was without a music program hosted by VJs for the first time in its entire history