Nov 9, 2011

Mike Judge interviewed by "Vice"

Mike Judge was interviewed for the latest issue of Vice. Judge speaks candidly about the whys and wherefores of the "Beavis and Butt-Head" revival. Interviewer Rocco Castro also asks unconventional questions, such as this memorable exchange:

I noticed that the show's logo is "Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head" instead of "MTV's." I think I have seen this notation on DVD boxes of older episodes, but was surprised to see it carried over to television. Any good information on this subtle but important change--

When the relationship (with MTV) began, I had a two-minute short on "Beavis and Butt-Head" that I licensed to Liquid Television. Then MTV wanted to buy the character from me (they didn't say what exactly they wanted), so I negotiated for a while. I made two shorts and sold them to film festivals and Liquid Television and made a few thousand dollars, but that was it, I was a nobody at the time. So I pitched it to them as it was and they wanted me to do the show. But at some point they decided to call it "MTV's 'Beavis and Butt-Head,' which is fine, because MTV's 'Beavis and Butt-Head' is yours. A few years later, the movie was released and a sequel was called for. I was dissatisfied on several points, so I just haggled with them [laughs]. At one point my lawyer said, "Do you want to call it 'Beavis and Butt-Head' by Mike Judge?" and I said, "Yeah, do that." And when I redesigned the logo, I thought, "Wow, I get it." I don't usually put my name all over it, but if it's between MTV's "Beavis and Butt-Head" or Mike Judge's "Beavis and Butt-Head," I'll go with that.