VHS Mixtapes 4: Bevis, Boyz N the Hood, MTV, and Quantum Leap

I have a box of VHS tapes. I cannot throw them out. They are all full of hours of television recorded over the last 20-odd years. There are about 50 of them, that’s around 300 hours of content. I want to revisit what's on the tapes.

Tape 1 is here. Tape 2 is here. Tape 3 is here.

Now Tape 4:

This was one of my most viewed tapes. It comes from when I got my first VCR. I was 16. A VCR that was all my own, and in my room.

The tape starts with Ren and Stimpy. It was recorded from MTV because R&S was so edgy that it had to be on MTV man. There is the Space Madness bit and Ask Dr. Stupid.

Commercial break – Madonna promo for the Blond Ambition tour and the premiere of the movie Body of Evidence that opens Friday. That Friday was January 15, 1993; so this was recorded that week sometime. Next was a Dr. Mario spot then a spot for the movie Hexed, not to be confused with Malcolm Hexed. Oh the comedy of 1993!

That was followed by commercials for The Sporting News and The Doctors Book of Home Remedies. This was primetime-ish on MTV. Who are they targeting with those commercials? I guess cable TV advertising in 1993 was still a shotgun approach; they just threw it out there and hoped someone would see it.

After Ren and Stimpy was Bevis and Butthead. I was a B&B early adopter. I was chanting ‘fire’ and doing the laughs before every hack morning DJ and wannabe hip dad ran them into the ground. I suppose it’s not really something to be proud of, but it's what I got.

Aside from the gentle comedy from the favorite sons of Highland, Texas, B&B introduced me to so much cool music; Ween, King Missile, L7, Helmet and so much more.

It was also the first place I saw Johnny Cash’s "Delia's Gone" video. I had read about Cash’s work with Rick Rubin and was curious to hear what they created, but seeing "Delia" on Bevis and Butthead started me on a musical journey that is unmatched.

After B&B was Rocky and Bullwinkle, recorded from Nickelodeon. Rocky and Bullwinkle was part of my early 90’s 'Punk-Light, Cooler Than You' collection of alt-entertainment. There was Rocky and Bullwinkle, MASH and Dr. Strangelove. The collection would soon expand to include Holy Grail and Clockwork Orange.

Next on the tape, more Bevis and Butthead.

Commercial Break: Nina Cherry and Soul Asylum are MTV Buzz Clips.

Commercial for the movie Fire in the Sky that opens Friday March 12^th. That’s a pretty good alien movie that I saw in the theater (probably on March 12^th) and was scared the entire walk home after. Oh and B&B was brought to us by Bugle Boy. Kennedy was voted the least favorite VJ so watch her on Alternative Nation on MTV. Yea cuz you kids like stuff that you hate and hate stuff you like…or something.

Next up on the tape is one of my favorite movies of all time: Boyz N the Hood.

There was a time when I would watch this movie every day before school. I had the soundtrack memorized and wore a LA Raiders hat. (OK, the hat was my girlfriend's and she took it back after we broke-up, but I still had it).

This movie gave me one of my top 5 all time songs: "Ohh Child." It also put into words some of the lessons that my parents had instilled in me.

1)      Always look a person in the eye. Do that, they respect you better.

2)      Two was to never be afraid to ask you for anything - Stealing isn't necessary

3)      Never respect anybody who doesn't respect you back.

That is a nice basis for life.

After Ice Cube raps about surviving in South Central over the credits of Boyz N the Hood, the tape cut to #2 on the MTV countdown: Snow’s Informer.

And this was quite a get; it’s the version of the video with the lyrics scrolling on the bottom of the screen. This allowed the squares to penetrate the dense Torontonian reggae rhymes the MC was throwing down.

Then the tape has more Ren and Stimpy. Happy Happy Joy Joy.

After Ren it’s the SNL commercial parody: Schmidts Gay. This was recorded from an original SNL broadcast, the music is Van Halen’s Beautiful girl. On reruns it's sometimes replaced with generic “rock” music.

Next is the last episode of Quantum Leap. I’d been a fan of the show for a while because, of course, time travel. I had to ask for the night off from the hamburger stand to watch and record this event. My priorities were set.

Commercial- the Chevy Caviler is starting at $8570.

After Quantum Leap is Green Jelly’s "Three Little Pigs" video into more Bevis and Butthead. Then # 8 on the MTV countdown Ice Cube's "It was a Good Day."

This tape is a perfect snap shot of where my head was at this time in 1993. Trying to be a grown-up, irreverent humor, time travel and music.

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