FFO: alternative music, late ‘90s culture, music history
Who remembers discovering a music video on an actual television screen? Buying CDs in stores? Hearing Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open” everywhere you went? I do, and I’m not ashamed to say that this was such an interesting time—if not, one of the best times—in music. Artists were branching out, the mainstream was inspired, and society consumed music in a way that can’t be replicated today. And part of the lore that is the late ‘90s music scene is MTV2.
An avid member of the MTV2 generation is Jon Sheasby, a UK-based writer, musician, and film studies graduate from the University of Wolverhampton. Sheasby fondly remembers this time, and he takes us back to it in Teenage Dirtbags: A Brief History of the MTV2 Generation (And 50 Essential Artists Who Helped Define It).
When MTV first started, it focused mostly on the big names, the icons, the eye and ear candy of the decade. But as the times evolved, so did the content. There was a need for the artists who were not as popular with the mainstream but who were influential all the same. There was a need to cater to the next generation, the teenagers. This is where Sheasby’s book begins.
After establishing the basis of MTV2, Sheasby touches on a few of the names that we have all come to know over the years—Eminem, Marilyn Manson, blink-182, Public Enemy, Limp Bizkit… Whether you loved them or hated them, they pervaded the airwaves and introduced music lovers to a different music scene. Here, Sheasby highlights what made these artists unique, from their musicality to their optics and performance styles.
Sheasby also gets into the way that the music tied into defining moments of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Columbine, Woodstock ’99, American Pie and Jackass… The first two were tragic events (on different scales) that still perpetuate debate and conspiracies today. As for American Pie and Jackass, those showcased the pop-punk side of life, as its characters and scenes were riddled with coming-of-age drama and angst. While leaning into the history and influence of each, he also reminds us that albums and genres and artists can make more of an impact on culture and society than we know.
In between these chapters are featured interviews with voices who both know and have shaped the MTV2 era and all that has come after. Sheasby speaks with Grammy-nominated music video director and graphic designer P.R. Brown, for instance, where they discuss videos and album covers, artists like Slipknot and My Chemical Romance, and the way art can be created and viewed through a different lens today. There’s also an interview with actress-DJ-singer Lauren Mayhew. Mayhew was very busy with various projects at the turn of the century, dabbling in girl groups, movies, and TV shows. In their conversation, Mayhew and Sheasby go over her work from the past, present, and future, detailing the pros and cons of each endeavor.
The third interview featured is with acclaimed music biographer and magazine editor Joel McIver. This interview spoke to me the most, as a writer and lover of music biographies. McIver elaborates on artists he has worked with over the years, along with overall influences and experiences with rock and nu-metal growing up. The final interview found is with the one and only Brendan B. Brown, founder of Wheatus. As the book’s title comes from Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag,” it is fitting for Sheasby’s book to close with the one who penned the song. At the beginning of the chapter, Sheasby makes it clear that Brown is one of his biggest idols, and the love and respect he has for Brown is apparent throughout. Of course, the two get into “Teenage Dirtbag,” but they also expand on Wheatus, tour memories, and career highlights.
The crux of the book is “Chapter 11: 50 Essential Artists Who Defined the MTV2 Generation.” It is a task to get into the history and relevant facts of one or two bands, let alone fifty. Yet, Sheasby compiles this list with clarity and precision. From Avril Lavigne to Deftones to Foo Fighters—each artist has their moment, but no one band is the moment. Sheasby gives these artists their time to shine and summarizes their careers in a way that is informative yet digestible. This chapter was made for the music lovers of MTV2 and for the ones who will always hold space for the music, albums, bands, and artists of that generation.
Teenage Dirtbags: A Brief History of the MTV2 Generation (And 50 Essential Artists Who Helped Define It (And 50 Essential Artists Who Helped Define It) by Jon Sheasby is now available via Tucker DS Press. You can order a copy through their website and on Amazon.
Check out our recent interview with Jon here.
Keep up with Jon Sheasby here.
