Success is not a linear concept, especially in the music industry. More often than not, it’s not about how much hard work the bands put into their craft or how much they tour; it’s more about having the constant public appeal not only for their image but also for their ever-evolving music.
For example, when Winger started in the industry, the band found substantial success with their self-titled debut album. It achieved platinum status and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 charts. Their follow-up album, ‘In the Heart of the Young,’ also saw a similar response from fans, so they lived their golden years during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
During the mid-1990s, just before Kip Winger and the remaining members decided to disband, grunge had taken over the music scene, and everyone who knew of someone in the business was going through the same transition. By the time the third album had rolled around, the dynamics within the band had started to crumble, and the rise of grunge meant a massive plunge in sales.
Along with the drop in sales, MTV’s animated series ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ became the talk of the town as they mocked Winger, who eventually ended up on a character’s t-shirt. The series continued with their jokes as they thought Kip had requested the network to stop even though he hadn’t put in any request whatsoever, so it went on for quite a while.
However, despite a few setbacks after all the success they saw and even after their disbandment, Kip Winger believed they were just as great and technically competent as Metallica. So he looked down upon them and even told in a 2006 interview with Kara Uhrlen that he couldn’t understand why some people were making fun of them while everyone, including major musicians, came to see him play back in the day.
Kip Winger’s words about Metallica:
“Our band was known to musicians, and a lot of musicians showed up to see me play — watching trying to figure out how I’m playing — we were like the ‘hair band’ Dream Theater. That is why it’s the great irony that we ended up on that geeky guy’s shirt on ‘Beavis and Butt-Head,’ because Metallica couldn’t play what we play; they couldn’t do it, they literally – technically couldn’t do it.
And I’ll f*cking challenge those chumps to that any day of the week that they couldn’t go back and play our sh*t, but we could play theirs with our hands tied behind our back. And so, I was a little teed off about that, but in the end, none of that sh*t matters.”
Although Kip Winger underestimated Metallica, maybe he undervalued a bit too much what they brought to the scene. It’s apparent that Metallica had something going for them that resonated with fans on a deeper level since they are one of the most celebrated bands in the current metal scene. There is no doubt Metallica’s influence has made fans keep coming back for more every time they go on tour or drop new music, so maybe Winger could have given more credit for their talent.
