See Korn Take Over 'TRL,' Judge Goofy Cover Bands for 'Issues' Release in 1999 | Revolver

See Korn Take Over 'TRL,' Judge Goofy Cover Bands for 'Issues' Release in 1999

The Zoo, Beer and Sift face off

1999 was a monumental time for Korn. Riding the wave of superfame that came with the release of Follow the Leader just a year before, the godfathers of nu-metal hit New York City to take over MTV's then-massive series TRL to announce the winning fan art that would be used as the cover of their Issues album, as well as to chat with host Carson Daly about the record and judge a Korn cover band competition featuring some very late-Nineties rap-metal bros going hard for the top spot.

The opening segment sees the band members' signature sarcastic responses to Daly's questions, dodging any backstory or over-indulgent analysis concerning their experience making the album. The spotlight then shifts to some highly cringy audience questions delivered with hilariously of-the-moment lingo, such as when one girl gets the microphone and rattles off, "I'm sure the whole album is mad ill ..."

Pre-filmed clips of the band rifling through cover-contest art is shown while they prepare to pull the curtain back on the winning design, a tattered limp doll illustrated by artist Alfredo Carlos. A brief chat with him on the concept behind the image and a $10,000 check later, the cover contest begins with bands called the Zoo, Beer (who brought ADIDAS track–suited backup dancers) and Sift taking turns with their best attempt at a Korn song.

Once the newly minted champs receive their accolades and show tickets, Daly and Korn hand out CDs and interact with their fans as the cover band plays the show out. In all, the 25-minute clip provides a window into 1999's nu-metal–obsessed music world, and a fun and frankly fucking weird trip down memory lane.