Beavis and Butt-Head: The Mike Judge Collection, Vol. 1
MTV Home Entertainment, $39.98“I’ve often said that there’s about a third of Beavis and Butt-head that I think is great and am really proud of, another third that is okay, and then another third that’s really, really awful and embarrassing,” writes Mike Judge, the creator of the terminally idiotic, animated 14-year-olds. Forty cartoons are included in this three-disc set, more than half of which are director’s cut episodes, but a good starting point is “Taint of Greatness: The Journey of Beavis and Butt-head, Part 1.” The featurette outlines the head-spinning ride from when Beavis and Butt-head were just sketches in a notebook, then featured in an animated short shown at a Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival (“Frog Baseball”). From there, MTV came calling, and the rest is pop-culture history. Included in the genesis story is information on the creation of various supporting characters Ñ clueless Mr. Anderson, Daria, nerdy Stewart, Todd the bully, and the Great Cornholio (Beavis on a sugar buzz).
Additional goodies include 11 music videos sweetened with the pair’s droll observations (Pantera, the Beastie Boys, Wilco, and others are among the featured bands). Cringe-worthy, yet off-the-wall funny, is the “Beavis and Butt-head Thanksgiving Special With Kurt Loder.” Loder’s half-reluctant, half-resigned role as straight man to two cartoon characters alongside an emptiness that belies the festive set takes the special to absurd heights. Irreverent comments from Beavis and Butt-head (both voiced by Judge) make the special fun house hilarious: the perfect antidote for someone seeking escape from the faux cheer of their dysfunctional family gathering when the booze has run out.
While enormously entertaining, Beavis and Butt-head is best viewed in small doses. Watching episodes in succession leaves the brain gummy and the appetite with a hankering for convenience-store nachos.
This article appears in December 9 • 2005.