{"id":167,"date":"2026-01-05T08:15:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T08:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsliked.online\/?p=167"},"modified":"2026-01-05T08:15:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T08:15:40","slug":"17-electric-facts-about-mtv-unplugged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsliked.online\/?p=167","title":{"rendered":"17 Electric Facts About MTV Unplugged"},"content":{"rendered":"

Making its debut in 1989,\u00a0MTV Unplugged<\/em>\u2014in which\u00a0<\/em>famous musicians perform stripped-down arrangements of their biggest hits\u2014was a hit for both the cable network and the music industry, particularly in the early- to mid-’90s. Though it lost its regular time slot in 1999, in the near-20 years since, a handful of artists have popped in for brief revivals. But now it looks as if\u00a0Unplugged\u00a0<\/em>is ready for a reboot; MTV has\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0that the series will be back beginning on September 8, 2017, with Shawn Mendes as its first guest. In the meantime, here’s a look behind the scenes of the music series that became a phenomenon.<\/p>\n

1. OPINIONS VARY ON WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA.<\/h2>\n

Singer\/songwriter Jules Shear\u00a0has said<\/a>\u00a0that he came up with the concept for\u00a0MTV Unplugged<\/em>\u00a0to promote his acoustic album,\u00a0The Third Party<\/em>. In 1992,\u00a0The<\/em>\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0that Shear was inspired by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora’s two-song\u00a0acoustic set<\/a>\u00a0at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

That’s all well and good, but producers Jim Burns and Bob Small\u00a0claim<\/a>\u00a0they got the idea for\u00a0MTV Unplugged<\/em>\u00a0after Bruce Springsteen treated the two\u2014and the thousands of other fans at one of his concerts\u2014to a final encore featuring just himself and his acoustic guitar. (Springsteen would find his way onto\u00a0Unplugged<\/em>\u00a0in 1992.)<\/p>\n

Executive producer Joel Gallen has referred to\u00a0Unplugged<\/em>\u00a0as his “baby” as well and, like Shear, was inspired by Bon Jovi and Sambora’s VMA set, which he called a “jumping off point.” In\u00a0I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution<\/em>, Small\u00a0said<\/a>: \u201cPlease do not credit Bon Jovi for creating\u00a0Unplugged<\/em>. Jon Bon Jovi thinks he was the inspiration for it. He wouldn\u2019t even do the f***ing show until almost 20 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. BOTH HBO AND PBS SAID NO.<\/h2>\n

HBO\u00a0passed<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unplugged<\/em>\u00a0when Shear proposed the concept to the pay channel. Burns and Small\u00a0pitched<\/a>\u00a0the series to PBS after MTV initially said no. PBS simply echoed MTV and HBO. It was only when Burns and Small ally Judy McGrath got a promotion at MTV that a pilot got a greenlight.<\/p>\n

3. IT WAS A CHEAP PILOT TO SHOOT.<\/h2>\n

Bob Small\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0he had just four hours to set up for the\u00a0Unplugged<\/em>\u00a0pilot, with another four hours to film it\u2014and all on a budget of $18,000. “I couldn’t get money to hire a director,” Small said. “They said, ‘You direct it.'”<\/p>\n

4. THERE WAS A HOST FOR THE FIRST 13 EPISODES.<\/h2>\n