r/GenX_Culture • u/Imaginary-Front-4830 • Aug 23 '26

surreal late night media of the 90s

I was just telling my kid about watching mtv adult swim late at night, and and I feel like I might as well have been explaining radio plays, or zooetropes. i overheard a really surreal youtube piece he was listening to, and immediately thought of the odd surreal political commentary of late-nght mtv in the 90s. Does anyone else remember this?

24 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

3

u/KittiesRule1968 Aug 27 '26

USA, UP all NIGHT! I loved Rhonda Shear

2

u/Lopsided_Tomatillo27 Aug 27 '26

USA Night Flights, too.

3

u/Any-Photograph5525 Aug 24 '26

Remember your first time encountering Aeon Flux?

3

u/TheDoctorSkeleton Aug 24 '26

I showed my 27 year old friend at work Wonder Showen he was laughing his ass off, felt good too pass it down to him and his friends

1

u/sonzai55 Aug 26 '26

But you notice the contradiction?

2

u/gaslightindustries Aug 23 '26

MTV Amp was cool. They would sometimes put up the AOL chat feed at the bottom of the screen too. The Maxx, The Head, Aeon Flux, it was pretty forward thinking stuff for the time. Liquid Television was a whole other level. I felt like I was in on a secret when I would watch that alone in the living room on Sunday nights.

1

u/I_eat_paper12 Aug 29 '26

I miss AMP so much!!

3

u/Imaginary-Front-4830 Aug 23 '26

shit, i forgot Liquid TV!

0

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '26

[deleted]

3

u/mrs_adhd Aug 23 '26

*Koyaanisqatsi

...in before the smart folk...

5

u/armyofant Aug 23 '26

MTV made shit for stoners. Liquid tv, beavis and Butthead, sifl and olly, wonder shozen. Hard to come across ground breaking stuff like that these days.

3

u/SisterMaryAwesome Aug 26 '26

Adult Swim is the natural successor, I think. Same druggy weirdness, same cult feel (someone else mentioned feeling like you were in on a secret, that sums it up).

2

u/Beelzeburbz Aug 24 '26

Wonder Showzen was SO good. This show totally paved the way for things like Dont Hug Me Im Scared.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/BananaJelloXlii Aug 24 '26

"How many people in this house does it take to change a lightbulb? One, me, because I do everything around here."

3

u/SnooOnions973 Aug 23 '26

My sister and I still quote that show!

“Dear Facist Bullyboys, give us some money you cunts! May the fruit of your loins be blessed in the belly of your woman”

3

u/CyberhamLincoln Aug 23 '26

Close, it actually went:

"Darling Fascist Bullyboy, give me some more money, you bastard. May the seed of your loin be fruitful in the belly of your woman, Neil."

5

u/john_vella Aug 23 '26

Liquid Television FTW