Teenage Dirtbags: A Brief History of the MTV2 Generation| A Review of Jon Sheasby’s Music Novel
March 25 2025 | Written by Antonia Vlad
Before we even begin to understand the content of Jon Sheasby’s lively book, he shares a heartwarming acknowledgement that reads:
“This book is dedicated to the artists featured throughout who have sadly passed away. Thank you for your music and for sharing it with us.”
“I want my MTV2” is a chant that several millennials may be familiar with.
The 90s, the trademark for coolness, and most arguably the Golden Renaissance of the music industry. A decade of cultural reset for the arts, from the rise of grunge in Seattle, Quentin Tarantino's nonlinear film Pulp Fiction, and the fashion world dominated by Calvin Klein jeans.
But amidst the commercialised music that everyone was tuning in to via MTV, a new generation of fans was in the making. Alternative, nu-metal, and pop-punk were the unpolished and subversive sounds that didn’t comply with pop culture’s standards.
Author Jon Sheasby encapsulates this trend in his most recent book Teenage Dirtbags: A Brief History of the MTV2 Generation.
Teenage Dirtbags: A Brief History of the MTV2 Generation powerfully reflects political tensions from around the world, married to the nostalgia of a legacy that changed the trajectory of music.
Author Jon Sheasby
It’s safe to say that the title Teenage Dirtbags pays tribute to the adolescent anthem released in 2000 by the one-hit wonder band Wheatus. This smart choice of wording immediately makes me reflect on my “It’s not a phase, mom” teenage days in high school, which is exactly how Sheasby introduces us to what inspired him to write this book.
Referring to the MTV Movie & TV Awards as the “pop culture equivalent of the beauty pageant”, Sheasby said that MTV2 was the place to see it all.
Launched in 1996, MTV2, originally a music video channel now owned by Paramount, is a sister channel of the wider MTV family tree. Created during the peak of influential music, MTV2 was the hotspot for music devotees who enjoyed non-stop music 24/7. The channel dedicated airtime specifically to alternative and hip-hop artists.
To celebrate the new year, on January 1 1999, MTV2 played the song “1999” by Prince on a 24-hour loop. Ironically, astrologer Nostradamus predicted in his book Les Prophéties that the world would end in 1999.
The introduction kicks off with an analysis of Green Day’s 2004 album American Idiot, highlighting that the politically resonant album is still relevant over 20 years since its release due to its anti-war messages. Through such depictions, we really begin to understand the importance of music capturing societal evolution.
Sheasby goes on to mention that American Idiot was of massive importance, even to someone in the UK, as it spoke out the condemnation of the Iraq War which began a year prior to the album’s release. While on the same theme of public upheaval, Sheasby mentions Pink Floyd and Andriy Khlyvnyuk’s 2022 song “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!,”which was recorded in objection to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
This book features 12 chapters, each reflecting a cleverly twisted, music-inspired title - from “Smells (Kinda) Like Teen Spirit” to “Put the Pedal to the (Nu-)Metal!”
One particular phrase that stood out to me, and rightfully so, was Sheasby’s take on artistic expression, saying, “I will, however, always defend artistic expression and condemn those who try to defame the few who dare to push boundaries and challenge the establishment’s power.”
In an exclusive interview with Grammy-nominated music video director P. R. Brown, the two creatives discuss the importance of physical media in a world run by streaming giants. P. R. Brown said that he’s grateful for the resurgence in vinyl as he believes it’s an amazing way to“get lost in that world.”
The word Woodstock may conjure up images of hippies in boho outfits, flower crowns, and Jimi Hendrix effortlessly rocking his guitar. Originally first held on a dairy farm in the summer of 1969, the live music event was advertised as ‘3 days of peace and music.’ Yet, the 1999 version of the event, simply named Woodstock ‘99, is why we’ve not had another ever since.
Sheasby details that“everything that could’ve gone wrong did” and he’s not wrong. Issues concerning unsafe conditions from the overwhelming heat in an already overcrowded space, a lack of proper sanitation points, and fires and riots erupted.
MTV aired live segments of the festival throughout the weekend, but things took a turn on the Saturday night during Limp Bizkit’s performance. As a band that is already renowned for their angry lyrics, when they performed “Break Stuff” the crowd took the literal meaning and began to destroy vendor booths which were then used for crowd-surfing.
Security was already struggling to keep it all under control and frontman Fred Durst didn’t help the situation by jumping into the crowd. As a result, the media quickly centered this performance as the turning point that initiated the violence and mayhem at Woodstock ‘99 - a lot of people blamed the band for this outburst.
Chapter 11, 50 Essential Artists Who Defined the MTV2 Generation, is exactly what the name suggests. Sheasby’s literary hall of fame honours Avril Lavigne, Deftones, Eminem, Evanescence, My Chemical Romance, Nickelback, Queens of the Stone Age, and many more artists and bands.
Just like a complete artistic cycle, the final chapter perfectly summarises everything with a conversation between the author and Brendan B. Brown, founder and frontman of the Wheatus band.
Brown shares his lifelong dream of becoming a musician and the unexpected success of their “Teenage Dirtbag” debut. The band was dropped by Columbia Records at the peak of its fame due to creative differences, resulting in difficult years of rebuilding its reputation. However, he believes that it was a blessing in disguise as it gave the band freedom and ownership. Brown, in the interview, said: “I’d much rather have a free-flowing circus of ideas.”
Much like other songs from older years that have found renewed popularity through social media, Brown was joyous after “Teenager Dirtbag” found new fame through covers on TikTok.
Jon Sheasby is writer, musician, and film graduate from the University of Wolverhampton, originally from Birmingham - a city renowned for birthing heavy metal music. He’s a big fan of traditional physical media and strongly opposes the use of AI for the creation of art.
Teenage Dirtbags: A Brief History of the MTV2 Generation is available now and can be purchased here.