Skip to content
October 22, 2025
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • XS ROCK On YouTube
XS ROCK

  • Home
  • Featured Articles
  • New Music Releases
    • New Hard Rock And Metal Releases
    • 2025 Rock New Releases
  • Interviews
  • News
  • Lists
  • Dead Rock Star Directory
  • Photo Galleries
  • Reviews
  • About XS ROCK
  • Genres
    • Rock Music
    • Metal News
    • Electronic Rock Music News
    • Punk Rock
    • Gothic Rock News
    • 80s Heavy Metal
  • Home
  • Featured Articles
  • How Beavis & Butthead Ruined Winger’s Popularity At Their Peak
  • Featured Articles

How Beavis & Butthead Ruined Winger’s Popularity At Their Peak

Bobby Caughron October 30, 2018

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
How Beavis & Butthead Ruined Winger's Coolness At The Peak OF Their Popularity

From the late 80’s into the early 90’s Winger built momentum and became an overnight sensation, in part thanks to heavy rotation of their videos on MTV, which at that time, actually showed music videos. Winger’s debut album went platinum in the U.S. After a successful first album, the band then released “In The Heart Of The Young” and once again the band received solid radio airplay and heavy video rotation on MTV. With the second album going platinum and touring with the likes of KISS, Scorpions, Extreme, Cinderella & more, the band was growing in popularity, even while glam metal was starting to lose it’s hold on the charts.

How Beavis & Butthead Ruined Winger's Coolness At The Peak OF Their Popularity

Ironically, MTV which had made Winger a household name, would also be the catalyst for ousting the band from the realm of coolness at the time.  Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butthead animated cartoon was centered around two heavy metal loving morons who wore t-shirts with AC/DC and Metallica on them.  Their job was to take MTV videos and make fun of the bands in them, as well as criticize almost everyone and everything while lacking the I.Q. of a small squirrel themselves.

How Beavis & Butthead Ruined Winger's Coolness At The Peak OF Their PopularityOne of the characters on the show was “Stewart” a simpleton looking kid who always wore a Winger shirt.  In short, Winger was deemed a band that was safe. A band for wussies. While AC/DC and Metallica were the real deal for metal.  Once the show got started regularly airing episodes with a boy many would consider a mama’s boy,  wearing the band’s shirt, Winger seemed to go from hero to zero almost overnight. I had a chance to meet Kip Winger somewhere in the mid 90’s after Winger had broken up. He was doing acoustic shows for his solo career.  I asked him if he had seen “Beavis and Butthead’s portrayal of the kid in the Winger shirt, to which he replied rather unhappily, ….yes. He rolled his eyes at the question, but I honestly couldn’t blame him. I wasn’t trying to insult him in any way, but ask his thoughts about it. When I asked if he thought the show was responsible for ruining Winger’s rise, he replied with a simple “Well, it sure didn’t help us any”.  Kip was a good sport about it, but you could tell that he was obviously not happy with the band’s portrayal on the show.  I’ve heard that years later, both Kip Winger and Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge have buried the hatchet and made peace.  While people today talk about the power of the media, it’s interesting ( and unfortunate for Winger) to think that the cultural phenomenon of Beavis and Butthead could have derailed a band’s career path with poking fun at them along with some simple teasing.

Incidentally, Winger reformed and have been making solid rock albums ever since.

You can check out the band at the links below:

http://www.wingertheband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Officialwinger

 

About The Author

Bobby Caughron

Bobby Caughron is a music journalist and Editor-In-Chief for XS ROCK. He began a life-long fan of hard rock and metal music after hearing KISS as a kid. He is still an avid fan of the 80s metal scene and continues to discover and write about new music in all rock genres today.

See author's posts

Post Views: 562

Like this:

Like Loading...
Tags: classic metal hair metal kip winger Winger

Continue Reading

Previous: 25 Great Hair Bands That Debuted In The 90’s
Next: Stephen Pearcy – View to a Thrill (Review)

Trending

Accept…Where Are They Now? 1

Accept…Where Are They Now?

Bobby Caughron
Over 100 Of The Top Alternative Rock Bands Of The 90s The Top Alternative Rock Bands Of The 90s 2

Over 100 Of The Top Alternative Rock Bands Of The 90s

Chad T. Gephardt
80s Rewind Skating World Gets Ready To Go “Back In Time” 3

80s Rewind Skating World Gets Ready To Go “Back In Time”

Alexander Sink
Ranked: Metallica Albums “Best To Worst” Ranked: Metallica Albums "Best To Worst" 4

Ranked: Metallica Albums “Best To Worst”

Bobby Caughron
The Top Goth Rock Bands That You Should Hear 5

The Top Goth Rock Bands That You Should Hear

Chad T. Gephardt
Over 100 Rock Bands From The 70s That You Should Hear Over 100 70s Rock Bands That You Should Hear 6

Over 100 Rock Bands From The 70s That You Should Hear

Chad T. Gephardt

Related Stories

Accept…Where Are They Now?
  • Featured Articles

Accept…Where Are They Now?

Bobby Caughron August 26, 2025
Over 100 Of The Top Alternative Rock Bands Of The 90s The Top Alternative Rock Bands Of The 90s
  • Featured Articles

Over 100 Of The Top Alternative Rock Bands Of The 90s

Chad T. Gephardt July 21, 2025
80s Rewind Skating World Gets Ready To Go “Back In Time”
  • Featured Articles

80s Rewind Skating World Gets Ready To Go “Back In Time”

Alexander Sink March 29, 2025
Ranked: Metallica Albums “Best To Worst” Ranked: Metallica Albums "Best To Worst"
  • 80s Heavy Metal

Ranked: Metallica Albums “Best To Worst”

Bobby Caughron December 27, 2024
The Top Goth Rock Bands That You Should Hear
  • Featured Articles

The Top Goth Rock Bands That You Should Hear

Chad T. Gephardt November 28, 2024
Over 100 Rock Bands From The 70s That You Should Hear Over 100 70s Rock Bands That You Should Hear
  • Featured Articles

Over 100 Rock Bands From The 70s That You Should Hear

Chad T. Gephardt November 15, 2024
The Top Southern Rock Bands The Top Southern Rock Bands
  • Featured Articles

The Top Southern Rock Bands

Chad T. Gephardt November 5, 2024
Over 100 Industrial Bands That You Should Hear Over 100 Industrial Bands That You Should Hear
  • Electronic Rock

Over 100 Industrial Bands That You Should Hear

Chad T. Gephardt November 1, 2024
Hair Metal Bands Of The 80s And 90s Hair Metal Bands Of The 80s And 90s
  • 80s Heavy Metal

Hair Metal Bands Of The 80s And 90s

Bobby Caughron October 17, 2024
How Many Of These One Hit Wonders From 1980-1981 Do you Remember?
  • Featured Articles

How Many Of These One Hit Wonders From 1980-1981 Do you Remember?

Bobby Caughron December 19, 2023

Search For Artist Or Band Articles

Table Of Contents

  • Home
  • Featured Articles
  • New Music Releases
    • New Hard Rock And Metal Releases
    • 2025 Rock New Releases
  • Interviews
  • News
  • Lists
  • Dead Rock Star Directory
  • Photo Galleries
  • Reviews
  • About XS ROCK
  • Genres
    • Rock Music
    • Metal News
    • Electronic Rock Music News
    • Punk Rock
    • Gothic Rock News
    • 80s Heavy Metal

You may have missed

Puscifer Return With New Album, New Video And North America Tour Puscifier Return With New Album, New Video And North America Tour
  • Hard Rock & Metal

Puscifer Return With New Album, New Video And North America Tour

Bobby Caughron October 21, 2025
Judas Priest Help Those Who Suffered “Trial By Fire” With Massive Donation Judas Priest Help Those Who Suffered "Trial By Fire" With Massive Donation
  • 80s Heavy Metal

Judas Priest Help Those Who Suffered “Trial By Fire” With Massive Donation

Bobby Caughron October 21, 2025
Sapient Scar Hit The L.A. Rock Scene With “Weak Is The Weapon” Sapient Scar Hit The L.A. Rock Scene With "Weak Is The Weapon"
  • Hard Rock & Metal

Sapient Scar Hit The L.A. Rock Scene With “Weak Is The Weapon”

Bobby Caughron October 21, 2025
Louis Svitek (Ministry, Mindfunk, Pigface) Drops New Song “The People vs.” Louis Svitek (Ministry, Mindfunk, Pigface) Drops New Song "The People vs."
  • Uncategorized

Louis Svitek (Ministry, Mindfunk, Pigface) Drops New Song “The People vs.”

Bobby Caughron October 21, 2025
Industrial Upstarts Black Cross Hotel Release New Video For “Eyes From Nowhere” Black Cross Hotel Delivers Classic Industrial Sound On "The House God Doesn't Visit"
  • Electronic Rock

Industrial Upstarts Black Cross Hotel Release New Video For “Eyes From Nowhere”

Bobby Caughron October 21, 2025
Tigertailz Jay Pepper Releases New Solo Project, “The Zaltan Peppers” And It’s Very Different And Quite Good! Tigertailz Jay Pepper Releases New Solo Project, "The Zaltan Peppers" And It's Very Different And Quite Good!
  • 80s Heavy Metal

Tigertailz Jay Pepper Releases New Solo Project, “The Zaltan Peppers” And It’s Very Different And Quite Good!

Bobby Caughron October 20, 2025
Watch Testament’s New Animated Video For “High Noon” Testament Announce New Album, Watch Video For "Infanticide A.I."
  • 80s Heavy Metal

Watch Testament’s New Animated Video For “High Noon”

Bobby Caughron October 20, 2025
Love And Rocket’s Daniel Ash Returns With Two New Videos From “Ashes And Diamonds” Debut Album Daniel Ash (Love And Rockets, Bauhaus) Launches New Band Ashes And Diamonds, Hear Song "On A Rocka"
  • Uncategorized

Love And Rocket’s Daniel Ash Returns With Two New Videos From “Ashes And Diamonds” Debut Album

Bobby Caughron October 20, 2025
Wiltwither Drop Heavy Video For “Obsolete” Wiltwither Drop Heavy Video For "Obsolete"
  • Hard Rock & Metal

Wiltwither Drop Heavy Video For “Obsolete”

Bobby Caughron October 19, 2025
Entheos Is “Empty On The Inside” In New Video Entheos Is "Empty On The Inside" In New Video
  • Hard Rock & Metal

Entheos Is “Empty On The Inside” In New Video

Bobby Caughron October 19, 2025
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • XS ROCK On YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • XS ROCK On YouTube
Content by XS ROCK LLC. All rights reserved.
%d
    pixel