The Resurrection of Beavis and Butthead

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I'm not sure how many people can say this and be telling the truth, but my life would probably be completely different if it weren't for Beavis and Butthead. The show aired from 1993-1997, at which time I was between seven and eleven years old. I had just graduated from the childhood developmental stages and was on my way to becoming an actual person. My parents also got divorced during these four years. Needless to say, this was probably the most important time of my life, as I spent more time by myself than ever before and was starting to understand the world around me.

And that world's epicenter was MTV. I was an MTV addict. Whenever the phrase "spring break" is uttered, I still think of Pauly Shore and the "Spring Break Moment" theme (do they still do that?). I consumed everything. I still have debates on who was the best Singled Out co-host (Jenny McCarthy). But the one show that caught my attention more than any other was Beavis and Butthead.

By the time the show was canceled, I had already became a die-hard Metallica fan, a full-fledged heavy metal junkie. Mind you, I was still in grade school, and most of my classmates' idea of music was whatever songs teachers made us sing in class. It wasn't like it is today, where nine year olds are already on their third cellphone and second iPod. My mother forbid me to watch it (fat chance) when I almost burned the house down my making a bonfire in my bedroom. Ah, the good ole days.

The show had a serious impact on my life, as funny as that sounds. Though I barely knew what half the references were, the idea of kids who did nothing but watch MTV, eat nachos and listen to Megadeth seemed like a dream. I wanted to be Beavis. How big of a fan am I? The backdrop on my phone is from the Halloween episode where Beavis turns into Cornholio, and my ringtone is the show's theme song. Yeah.

So it would seem only natural that when rumors started to swirl about a possible revival, I would be stoked. This is all speculation, but if there is a revival of the show, it sounds like it will be modernized. Not in a way that makes the boys more 2010 (I don't even think that's possible), but the world around them will be. From what I hear, the videos they mock won't be that of Helmet and Bruce Willis, but of Lady Gaga and Fall Out Boy. At first glance, this seemed like a horrible idea. After all, what holds B&B dear to my heart is the fact that they were so 1990s.

The only thing that makes me hesitant is MTV. I don't care whether or not they air it (currently no deal is in place, and the new episodes may be internet-only), but that MTV no longer shows music videos. What made the show cool for kids like me was that Beavis and Butthead were kids like me. They hung around and just watched MTV all day. But MTV today is all reality shows. No eleven year old can in 2010 can relate to watching music videos all day. At least not on television.

The ironic thing is that B&B paved the way for successful non-music programming on MTV. The "M" no longer stands for "Music", but rather "Mainstream". It simply cannot resonate with this new generation. All a revival can do is satisfy the kids of the 90s who have pined for more episodes for over a decade. But is that worth it? What's the point if you can't engage a new audience?

I see this failing hard. Not in my eyes, but that of the public, and that will ruin its legacy. If this will truly work, have the boys' Mystery Science Theater inspired commentary be in front of a computer, making fun of YouTube videos. Oh wait, Tosh.0 already does that.

Time to face it: the reign is over. Beavis and Butthead is nothing more than a piece of my past and I couldn't ever explain it to my children any more than I could explain the importance of the Black Album; you either get it or you don't. I want more of the show, but I don't need it.

With that being said, if the genius that is Mike Judge somehow pulls this off, and make B&B not only funny but also relevant, it may be one of the greatest achievements of the new decade. I just have my doubts. Recreating the past is usually just the masking of lack of new ideas. I really, sincerely hope I am wrong.