In the summer of 1992, the MTV Music Awards event was looking to be a night to remember. Two of the most iconic bands of that decade, Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana were both nominated for several awards and scheduled to perform. The hard rock giants, Guns N’ Roses, which was led by the charismatic Axl Rose, had ruled the charts for years. On the other hand, Nirvana, which was led by the enigmatic Kurt Cobain, had freshly stormed onto the scene with their raw sounds that had quickly become the voice of a new generation.

However, tensions between these bands’ leaders had been building for months. Initially, it was restricted to interviews where both men would drop snide comments on each other. But on 9th September 1992, they would eventually go head to head.

Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose get into a heated exchange

As the night of the awards arrived, both bands were backstage. The atmosphere turned electric as Axl Rose, Kurt Cobain, and their partners crossed paths. Courtney Love, who was Cobain’s wife, mockingly suggested that Rose become their child’s godfather as a joke. But this upset Rose, who asked Cobain to make Love “shut up.” Then, the Nirvana singer sarcastically turned to his wife and told her to do so in a robotic voice.

Despite the humiliation, Axl Rose’s then-girlfriend tried to engage Love in a battle of words, too. Stephanie Seymour asked Love if she was “a model” like herself. But she was immediately shut down by the 59-year-old who responded by asking Seymour if she was “a brain surgeon.”

Besides this heavy exchange between the couples, Nirvana’s drummer would later go on to mock Rose again while on stage. Meanwhile, the band’s bassist was fighting an amusing battle with himself. 

Nirvana adds spice to their performance at the MTV Music Awards 

In the middle of Nirvana’s performance of ‘Lithium’, Kris Novoselic, who was their bassist, flung his guitar up into the air only for it to crash land on his own head. As he stumbled off the stage to receive medical care, the band continued playing. Eventually, when the song ended, their drummer, Dave Grohl, decided to call out to Axl Rose in front of the audience by asking, “Where’s Axl?”

Not knowing why Nirvana’s performance had been so eventful, the audience was left stunned. Ultimately, such showdowns became a common occurrence at the awards. Audiences are surely hoping that the MTV VMA this year will be as exciting a watch as they were in 1992!

Between these two bands that clashed many times, whose side are you on? Tell us your pick in the comments.