The 1993 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 2, 1993, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1992, to June 15, 1993. The show was hosted by Christian Slater at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. This would be Kurt Cobain's final VMA appearance.
| 1993 MTV Video Music Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | Thursday, September 2, 1993 |
| Location | Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, California |
| Country | United States |
| Hosted by | Christian Slater |
| Most awards | Pearl Jam (4) |
| Most nominations | En Vogue (8) |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | MTV |
| Produced by | Doug Herzog Judy McGrath |
| Directed by | David Grossman |
MTV Video Music Awards | |
This year marked the introduction of yet another new category with the addition of Best R&B Video ballot. However, this would be the first time that a new award was added to the list of genre categories, a move that was mainly propelled by the success and popularity of MTV Jams.
The night's biggest winner was Pearl Jam, whose video for "Jeremy" earned four awards that night, including Video of the Year. Closely following were En Vogue with three Moonmen and Madonna and Peter Gabriel with two awards apiece. All other winners took one award each.
Meanwhile, in terms of nominations R&B group En Vogue and their video for "Free Your Mind" were the most nominated act and video (respectively) that night, receiving a total of eight nominations. The second most nominated artists of the night were Peter Gabriel, Aerosmith, and R.E.M., who received six nominations each. Gabriel split his six nominations evenly between his videos for "Digging in the Dirt" and "Steam," while all of R.E.M.'s nominations went to their video for "Man on the Moon." Lastly, Aerosmith, the winners of the Viewer's Choice award, received six nominations for their clip "Livin' on the Edge."
The show was also infamous for the on-stage pairing of drag queen RuPaul and comedian and TV legend Milton Berle. It was obvious from the beginning that the pair did not get along, and they traded harsh verbal barbs throughout their time on-stage. They reportedly continued their verbal sparring match backstage, with RuPaul commenting to Berle at one point, "You used to wear dresses, now you wear diapers!" RuPaul even claimed that Berle touched him inappropriately, and the entire event subsequently forced RuPaul to end what was, up until that point, a very prosperous professional relationship with MTV.
Background
MTV announced in late June that the 1993 Video Music Awards would be held on September 2 at the Universal Amphitheatre. MTV cited complaints from members of the music industry concerning staging, traffic problems, and overcrowding during the 1992 ceremony as reasons for not returning to the Pauley Pavilion. Nominees were announced at a press conference held on July 21. Christian Slater was announced as host on the same day. Over 25 television programs contributed to the nominations packages, which were inspired by U2's Zoo TV Tour, including Roseanne, Jeopardy!, and Murder, She Wrote. The venue was modified to permit scenery and set changes for performers including doubling the width of the proscenium and replacing the back wall with a video projection screen. Producer Joel Gallen noted that the ceremony would "definitely have more of a sense of humor than past shows." The ceremony broadcast was preceded by the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards Opening Act. Hosted by Kurt Loder and Tabitha Soren with reports from Cindy Crawford, John Norris, and Alison Stewart, the broadcast featured red carpet interviews, pre-taped interviews with Mariah Carey and Soul Asylum, and pre-taped features on a day with Lenny Kravitz and the Video of the Year nominees.
Performances
| Artist(s) | Song(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Madonna | "Bye Bye Baby" | |
| Lenny Kravitz John Paul Jones | "Are You Gonna Go My Way" | |
| Sting | "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" | |
| Soul Asylum Peter Buck Victoria Williams | "Runaway Train" | |
| Aerosmith | "Livin' on the Edge" | |
| Naughty By Nature | "Hip Hop Hooray" | |
| R.E.M. | "Everybody Hurts" "Drive" | |
| Spin Doctors | "Two Princes" | |
| Pearl Jam | "Animal" "Rockin' in the Free World" (with Neil Young) | |
| The Edge | "Numb" | |
| Janet Jackson | "That's the Way Love Goes" "If" |
Presenters
- Michael Richards – presented Best Alternative Video
- Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg and George Clinton – presented Best R&B Video
- Kennedy and John Norris – appeared in a backstage vignette about Viewer's Choice voting
- Peter Gabriel and Natalie Merchant – presented Best Group Video
- Lyle Lovett and Arrested Development – presented Best New Artist in a Video
- Dan Cortese, Bill Bellamy and Steven Tyler – appeared in a backstage vignette about Viewer's Choice voting
- Christian Slater (host) – introduced the winners of previously announced categories
- Shaquille O'Neal and Cindy Crawford – presented Best Dance Video
- Martin Lawrence – presented Best Rap Video
- Beavis and Butt-head – presented Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
- John Walsh – appeared in a video vignette about Viewer's Choice voting
- VJs Sophiya Haque (Asia), Simone Angel (Europe), Daisy Fuentes (Internacional) and Gastão Moreira (Brasil) – announced their respective region's Viewer's Choice winner
- Milton Berle and RuPaul – presented Viewer's Choice
- Sharon Stone – presented Best Direction in a Video
- Whoopi Goldberg – introduced The Edge
- Keanu Reeves – presented Best Female Video and Best Male Video
- Tony Bennett and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Anthony Kiedis and Flea) – presented Video of the Year
- Heather DeLoach (as "Bee Girl") – tap-danced for the audience during the show's closing
Winners and nominations
Nominees were selected by approximately 200 individuals representing record labels, music journalism, music video production, radio, and film studios. Winners in all categories, except for the Viewer's Choice awards, were selected by over 700 members of the music industry.
Winners are in bold text.
| Video of the Year | Best Male Video |
|---|---|
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| Best Female Video | Best Group Video |
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| Best New Artist in a Video | Best Metal/Hard Rock Video |
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| Best R&B Video | Best Rap Video |
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| Best Dance Video | Best Alternative Video |
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| Best Video from a Film | Breakthrough Video |
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| Best Direction in a Video | Best Choreography in a Video |
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| Best Special Effects in a Video | Best Art Direction in a Video |
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| Best Editing in a Video | Best Cinematography in a Video |
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| Viewer's Choice | International Viewer's Choice: MTV Asia |
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| International Viewer's Choice: MTV Brasil | International Viewer's Choice: MTV Europe |
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| International Viewer's Choice: MTV Internacional | |
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Artists with multiple wins and nominations
| Wins | Artist |
|---|---|
| 4 | Pearl Jam |
| 3 | En Vogue |
| 2 | Madonna |
| Peter Gabriel |
| Nominations | Artist |
|---|---|
| 8 | En Vogue |
| 6 | Aerosmith |
| Peter Gabriel | |
| R.E.M. | |
| 5 | Pearl Jam |
| 3 | George Michael |
| Janet Jackson | |
| k.d. lang | |
| Porno for Pyros | |
| Sting | |
| 2 | Arrested Development |
| Belly | |
| Billy Idol | |
| Lenny Kravitz | |
| Los Lobos | |
| Madonna | |
| Mary J. Blige | |
| Stone Temple Pilots | |
| Tasmin Archer | |
| Terence Trent D'Arby |
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