Nothing did more to further the cause of Alternative Nation-building than 120 Minutes, MTV’s Sunday-night video showcase of non-mainstream acts. For nearly two decades, the program spanned musical eras from ’80s college rock to ’00s indie, with grunge, Britpop, punk, industrial, electronica and more in between. MAGNET raids the vaults to resurrect our 120 favorite and unjustly forgotten videos from the show’s classic era.
#37: Front 242 “Headhunter”
Little was more unfitting (or, frankly, underwhelming) than watching Front 242 on the Lollapalooza main stage in 1993 at a Houston racetrack in the oppressive heat and light of a Texas summer afternoon. Belgian electro just wasn’t built for those conditions. It is, however, perfectly suited to an Anton Corbijn-directed video; 1988’s “Headhunter” (from fifth LP Front By Front) is one of Front 242’s finest singles and an acute reminder of how alt-rock was just beginning to explore the industrial/techno sounds that Nine Inch Nails would soon take to the bank. Which is disappointing, when you think about it.
