• Larry Busacca/Getty Images for MTV
  • Charli XCX performs on a red-carpet stage sponsored by State Farm at Sunday night’s Video Music Awards.

In 2008 I was assigned by a prominent music magazine to cover the MTV Video Music Awards for its blog. That might sound like torture to some people, but I eagerly accepted. I needed the money (probably the biggest reason), but I was also curious to witness the state of the delightfully obnoxious awards show. At one point in time, I’d seen the VMAs as an edgier, irreverent alternative to the likes of the Oscars and the Grammys, dragged-out black-tie affairs with schmaltzy, dull interludes and monologues stringing together presentations of prizes to predictable winners. The VMAs didn’t quite buck the format of conventional awards shows—there were still musical interludes and monologues and a red carpet—but they were hardly dull or predictable. And by loading up on performances, ignoring any sense of a dress code, and avoiding all sense of propriety, the VMAs often felt more like a music festival than an awards show. So I looked forward to catching up with the VMAs after missing them for a few years.

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Part of the reason might be that the VMAs can still be good for the occasional provocative moment. Since 2008, two events from the VMAs have become cultural flash points. In 2009, Kanye West rushed the stage when Taylor Swift was accepting an award, insisting that Beyonce should have won instead; last year, Miley Cyrus “twerked” on Robin Thicke, igniting a debate on race and sex that spread like wildfire online.

In the 90s, many music videos on MTV were only promotional on the surface. The genre was important in other ways: as an outlet for experimental short films by bold new directors (many of whom are spotlighted in the excellent Directors Label series) and as a means for listeners to discover new music (via more offbeat shows such as 120 Minutes, Yo! MTV Raps, and Amp). Many times, the VMAs could be a gateway to some of MTV’s more adventurous fare. I wonder if teenagers today even realize that music videos can be more than a promotional tool. If they had to judge based on the VMAs, I doubt they’d decide that videos have any artistic value at all.