''120 Minutes'' (formerly ''The Alternative'' and ''VH1 Classic 120 Minutes'') is an

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

music video program that debuted in August 2004 on VH1 Classic and currently airs on

MTV Classic MTV Classic may refer to: *MTV Classic (American TV channel) MTV Classic (formerly VH1 Smooth, VH1 Classic Rock, and VH1 Classic) is an American pay television network owned by Paramount Media Networks. It was originally launched in 1998 as " ...

. The program follows a similar format to that of ''

120 Minutes ''120 Minutes'' is a television program in the United States dedicated to the Alternative rock, alternative music genre, that originally aired on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then aired on MTV's associate channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003. After it ...

'', which aired on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

from 1986 to 2003. Following VH1 Classic's transition into MTV Classic on August 1, 2016, ''VH1 Classic 120 Minutes'' was relaunched under the name ''120 Minutes'' on August 8, 2016. It was one of several VH1 Classic original programs to be retained by MTV Classic.

Summary and format

As with the original ''120 Minutes'', the series features videos from

artists, as well as those from several other related genres, including

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

, new wave,

college rock College rock is rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s and 1990s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream rock p ...

sophisti-pop Sophisti-pop is a pop music subgenre that developed during the mid-1980s out of the British new wave era. It originated with acts who blended elements of jazz, soul, and pop with lavish production. The term "sophisti-pop" was coined only afte ...

alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the United States) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained worldwide exposure ...

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

jangle pop Jangle pop is a Music subgenre, subgenre of pop rock and college rock that emphasizes jangle, jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop music, pop melodies. The "jangly" guitar sound is characterized by its clean, shimmering and Arpeggio, arpeggiated ...

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...

shoegazing Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volum ...

and

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

. The VH1 Classic version of the program focused primarily on videos from the 1980s and early 1990s, with occasional videos from late-1970s and mid-1990s artists. The MTV Classic version features videos from largely the same time period, although with a focus on the late 1980s to the late-1990s. Videos dating from the 1970s and early 1980s are de-emphasized, or have been removed from the playlist entirely. Unlike the original MTV version of ''

'' which featured a host introducing videos and occasional interviews and live performances, the VH1 Classic and MTV Classic versions of the program are exclusively music video blocks. The program is broadcast as two back-to-back 60 minute blocks which total the titular 120 minutes, including commercials. ''VH1 Classic 120 Minutes'' was the final program to air on VH1 Classic before its transition to MTV Classic. In addition, the show aired VH1 Classic's final music video " Don't Talk" by

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...

. The show plays a very limited number of artists and videos, often repeating the same songs week after week.

Time slot

''The Alternative'' aired in a two-hour version early Sunday mornings at 11 with a repeat at 11 pm Eastern, with additional one-hour shows at those times on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Beginning the weekend of April 28, 2007, ''The Alternative'' was renamed ''120 Minutes'' in honor of the classic MTV series of the same name. The series aired that weekend from 4-6 am and 1-3 am early Saturday mornings, and Sunday evenings at 9-11 pm and 1-3 am. Until August 2016, ''120 Minutes'' aired from 4-6 am, usually on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. Ever since the network re-branded as MTV Classic, it airs with no host on Saturday/Sunday and Sunday/Monday from 12-2 am US Eastern time.

References

2004 American television series debuts 2000s American music television series 2010s American music television series American English-language television shows MTV original programming VH1 music shows {{US-music-tv-prog-stub

Summary and format

Time slot

See also

References