Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, United States
The 1992 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 9, 1992, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1991, to June 15, 1992. The show was hosted by Dana Carvey at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The night's biggest winners were Van Halen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as each group earned three moonmen that night. Particularly, Van Halen's video for "Right Now" took home the main award of the night, Video of the Year, and received seven nominations, making it the most nominated video of the night. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, meanwhile, won the award for Viewer's Choice and received a total of nine nominations for two of their videos, becoming the most nominated act of the night. Six of the Peppers' nominations were for "Give It Away," and the remaining three went to "Under the Bridge."
The show was notable for a feud between Axl Rose and members of Nirvana as well as Courtney Love. It began backstage before the awards show, when Love jokingly offered to make Rose the godfather of Frances Bean Cobain. Rose threatened Cobain if he didn't quiet his wife, and barbs were exchanged between Love and Rose's then-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour. Bassists Krist Novoselic and Duff McKagan almost came to blows over the incident, just before Nirvana were to take the stage. The spat went public onstage immediately after Nirvana's performance of "Lithium", as drummer Dave Grohl taunted Rose. Cobain then raised the dispute in post-show interviews at the VMA.
Along with Nirvana and Guns N' Roses, the night's performers included the likes of Bryan Adams, En Vogue, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Eric Clapton, among others. Also, there was a special performance by U2 via satellite, with host Dana Carvey playing the drums for them from the Pauley Pavilion. English band The Cure was slated to perform, too, but they had to cancel their appearance, citing illness and exhaustion from the band.
Nominations
Winners are in bold text.
Video of the Year
Van Halen – "Right Now"
Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"
Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge"
Best Male Video
Eric Clapton – "Tears in Heaven (Performance)"
John Mellencamp – "Get a Leg Up"
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – "Into the Great Wide Open"
Bruce Springsteen – "Human Touch"
"Weird Al" Yankovic – "Smells Like Nirvana"
Best Female Video
Annie Lennox – "Why"
Tori Amos – "Silent All These Years"
Madonna – "Holiday (Truth or Dare version)"
Vanessa L. Williams – "Save the Best for Last"
Best Group Video
U2 – "Even Better Than the Real Thing"
En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge"
Van Halen – "Right Now"
Best New Artist in a Video
Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Tori Amos – "Silent All These Years"
Arrested Development – "Tennessee"
Cracker – "Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)"
Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
Metallica – "Enter Sandman"
Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"
Ugly Kid Joe – "Everything About You"
Van Halen – "Right Now"
Best Rap Video
Arrested Development – "Tennessee"
Black Sheep – "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)"
Kris Kross – "Jump"
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations"
Sir Mix-a-Lot – "Baby Got Back"
Best Dance Video
Prince and the New Power Generation – "Cream"
En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"
Madonna – "Holiday (Truth or Dare version)"
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations"
Best Alternative Video
Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Pearl Jam – "Alive"
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away"
The Soup Dragons – "Divine Thing"
Best Video from a Film
Queen – "Bohemian Rhapsody" (from Wayne's World)
Eric Clapton – "Tears in Heaven" (from Rush)
The Commitments – "Try a Little Tenderness" (from The Commitments)
Hammer – "Addams Groove" (from The Addams Family)
Breakthrough Video
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away"
Tori Amos – "Silent All These Years"
David Byrne – "She's Mad"
Van Halen – "Right Now"
Best Direction in a Video
Van Halen – "Right Now" (Director: Mark Fenske)
En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (Director: Matthew Rolston)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (Director: Stéphane Sednaoui)
Sir Mix-a-Lot – "Baby Got Back" (Director: Adam Bernstein)
Best Choreography in a Video
En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (Choreographers: Frank Gatson, Travis Payne and LaVelle Smith Jnr)
Hammer – "2 Legit 2 Quit" (Choreographer: Hammer)
Madonna – "Holiday (Truth or Dare version)" (Choreographer: Vincent Paterson)
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations" (Choreographers: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch)
Best Special Effects in a Video
U2 – "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Special Effects: Simon Taylor)
David Byrne – "She's Mad" (Special Effects: Carlos Arguello and Michele Ferrone)
Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked" (Special Effects: Ian Pearson)
Michael Jackson – "Black or White (Short Version)" (Special Effects: Jamie Dixon)
Best Art Direction in a Video
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (Art Directors: Nick Goodman and Robertino Mazati)
Guns N' Roses – "November Rain" (Art Director: Nigel Phelps)
Sir Mix-a-Lot – "Baby Got Back" (Art Director: Dan Hubp)
Rod Stewart – "Broken Arrow" (Art Director: José Montaño)
Best Editing in a Video
Van Halen – "Right Now" (Editor: Mitchell Sinoway)
En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (Editor: Robert Duffy)
Metallica – "Enter Sandman" (Editor: Jay Torres)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (Editors: Veronique Labels and Olivier Gajan)
U2 – "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Editor: Jerry Chater)
Best Cinematography in a Video
Guns N' Roses – "November Rain" (Directors of Photography: Mike Southon and Daniel Pearl)
Tori Amos – "Silent All These Years" (Director of Photography: George Tiffin)
Eric Clapton – "Tears in Heaven (Performance)" (Director of Photography: David Johnson)
En Vogue – "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (Director of Photography: Paul Lauter)
Genesis – "I Can't Dance" (Director of Photography: Daniel Pearl)
Michael Jackson – "In the Closet" (Director of Photography: Rolf Kestermann)
Madonna – "Holiday (Truth or Dare version)" (Director of Photography: Toby Phillips)
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations" (Director of Photography: Dave Phillips)
Metallica – "Enter Sandman" (Director of Photography: Martin Coppen)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Give It Away" (Director of Photography: Marco Mazzei)
Vanessa L. Williams – "Running Back to You" (Director of Photography: Ralph Ziman)
Viewer's Choice
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge"
Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"
Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Van Halen – "Right Now"
MTV Asia
Christina – "Jing Mai Klua"
Artists R.A.P. (Roslan Aziz Productions) – "Ikhlas Tapi Jauh"
Chang Yu-sheng – "Take Me to the Moon"
The Dawn – "Iisang Bangka Tayo"
Lo Ta-yu – "Story of the Train"
Marsha – "Taak-Hak"
MTV Australia
Diesel – "Man Alive"
Boom Crash Opera – "Holy Water"
The Clouds – "Hieronymous"
Frente! – "Ordinary Angels"
MTV Brasil
Nenhum de Nós – "Ao Meu Redor"
Guilherme Arantes – "Taça de Veneno"
Biquini Cavadão – "Zé Ninguém"
Capital Inicial – "O Passageiro"
Djavan – "Se..."
Engenheiros do Hawaii – "O Exército de um Homem Só"
Gilberto Gil – "Madalena"
Marina – "Criança"
Marisa Monte – "Diariamente"
Os Paralamas do Sucesso – "Trac Trac"
RPM – "Gita"
Sepultura – "Desperate Cry"
Supla – "Só Pensa na Fama"
Titãs – "Saia de Mim"
Caetano Veloso – "Fora da Ordem"
MTV Europe
The Cure – "Friday I'm in Love"
Genesis – "I Can't Dance"
The KLF (featuring Tammy Wynette) – "Justified & Ancient"
Annie Lennox – "Why"
Shakespears Sister – "Stay"
MTV Internacional
El General – "Muévelo"
Caifanes – "Nubes"
Gipsy Kings – "Baila Me"
Mecano – "El 7 de Septiembre"
El Último de la Fila – "Cuando el Mar Te Tenga"
Video Vanguard Award
Guns N' Roses
Performances
The Black Crowes – "Remedy"
Bobby Brown – "Humpin' Around"
U2 and Dana Carvey – "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (live via satellite from Detroit)
Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"
Nirvana – "Rape Me" (intro) / "Lithium"
Elton John – "The One"
Pearl Jam – "Jeremy"
Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Under the Bridge" (intro) / "Give It Away"
Michael Jackson – "Black or White" (from his Dangerous Tour in London)
Bryan Adams – "Do I Have to Say the Words?"
En Vogue – "Free Your Mind"
Eric Clapton – "Tears in Heaven"
Guns N' Roses and Elton John – "November Rain"
Pre-show
Cindy Crawford – introduced the winners of the professional categories
John Norris – presented Best Dance Video
Main show
Eddie Murphy – presented Best Male Video
Dana Carvey (as Johnny Carson) and Phil Hartman (as Ed McMahon) – appeared in Viewer's Choice Award vignettes
John Corbett and Shannen Doherty – presented Best Direction in a Video
David Spade, Andrew Dice Clay, Doug Bradley (as "Pinhead") and Ringo Starr – appeared in a series of vignettes at the 'talent check-in' table
Ice-T and Metallica (Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett) – presented Best Rap Video
Denis Leary – appeared in pre-recorded segments about what was 'coming up' on the show
Halle Berry and Jean-Claude Van Damme – presented Best Video from a Film
Marky Mark and Vanessa L. Williams – presented Breakthrough Video
Roger Taylor and Brian May – presented the Video Vanguard Award
Luke Perry and Howard Stern (as "Fartman") – presented Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
VJs Angela Chow (Asia), Richard Wilkins (Australia), Cuca Lazarotto (Brasil), Ray Cokes (Europe) and Daisy Fuentes (Internacional) – announced their respective region's Viewer's Choice winner
Denis Leary and Cindy Crawford – presented Viewer's Choice
Kris Kross and Magic Johnson – presented Best Female Video
Dana Carvey – presented Best Alternative Video
Boyz II Men and Wilson Phillips – presented Best New Artist in a Video
Peter Gabriel and Annie Lennox – presented Best Group Video
