The 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, held at New York's legendary Radio City Music Hall on September 7 that year, proved to be a night to remember for LA geek rockers Weezer, who bagged four awards (an achievement matched on the night by R&B trio TLC) for director Spike Jonze's witty, irreverent and technically dazzling Happy Days-referencing promo for Buddy Holly, the second single from their self-titled 1994 debut album, aka 'The Blue Album'.
But as the high profile televised ceremony drew to a close, no-one was talking about the impact made by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo or TLC's Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes: instead, thanks to a fabulously messy piece of car-crash television, Hole's Courtney Love and Queen Of Pop Madonna were the talk of the town at the night's after-parties.
The drama unfolded after Love gatecrashed a post-show interview MTV VJ Kurt Loder was conducting with Madonna, grabbing the pair's attention by chucking her make-up compact at the pop legend: "Courtney Love's in dire need of attention right now" Madonna comments icily, asking Loder if they should invite the first lady of grunge onto their set, and immediately regretting doing so. As Love stumbles up stairs to join the fun, it's immediately apparent that Hole's fearless leader has been taking full advantage of MTV's liquid hospitality at the bash.
It doesn't take long before Love derails Madonna's sales pitch for her forthcoming album, launching into a splendidly off-the-wall monologue comparing the music business to a hospital, after which Madonna offers the suggestion that, perhaps, Courtney should leave said hospital: "Nah, man I like it in here!" Courtney drawls. "Nice clothes! Good money!"
"And a lot of available drugs," Madonna adds.
In a deliciously mis-judged attempt to bond with the pop legend, Love then mentions that she and her late husband Kurt Cobain once watched Madonna's Truth Or Dare documentary, and that at the film's conclusion, Cobain blurted out, "Jesus, that's you!" At this point that Madonna has clearly heard enough, and she's swiftly spirited away by her 'people'. "Thank you, bye-bye," mutters a nonplussed Loder, understandably a tad miffed at losing out on a top showbiz chin-wag with Ms Ciccone.
Still, there's always Courtney...
"Was I bumming you out?" she enquires of Loder, a picture of concerned innocence. "Were you guys talking astro-physics and stuff?"
With around one minute of screen time left, there's just enough time for Love to awkwardly attempt to make amends for some previous contretemps with MTV's Tabitha Soren, talk about losing her virginity and then namecheck hard rock motormouth Ted Nugent, referencing a then-recently-released Nugent song called Kiss My Ass, which mentions Love by name in the lyrics.
"The first single is called Kiss My Ass and he goes 'Courtney Love I've had your hole'," she tells the startled VJs. "Which actually happens to be true..."
There are no follow-up questions here because at this point the singer tumbles off her stool and face-plants onto the floor, ending up on her back with her legs pointing skywards.
Annnnnnd... CUT.
Watch the carnage unfold below:
