George Michael is my first gone-too-soon artist to get their own “Unforgotten” style episode. While I normally save my single-Unplugged deep dives for when I interview an artist or musician who has played MTV Unplugged, “Unforgotten” will be an interview-less solo deep dive around an Unplugged artist who’s passed away. Plug in to hear all about his incredible musical evolution and songrwtiting maturation, starting from his early days in WHAM! and running all the way up to his 1996 MTV Unplugged episode.

If you dig the show, would like to share your own Unplugged memories, offer up a correction, or connect with the show for any other reason:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social], or
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR023: “Unforgotten” - George Michael [1996 MTV Unplugged]

We’re kicking off 2026 by looking back 30 years to discuss the entire 1996 Season of MTV Unplugged with longtime MTV Unplugged producer/showrunner Alex Coletti. Tune in for some incredible behind-the-scenes stories, covers, and song clips courtesy of Alice in Chains, Tori Amos, Seal, Hootie and the Blowfish, Oasis, and George Michael along with some present-day “NPR’s Tiny Desk is the new MTV Unplugged” discussion.

If you dig the show, would like to share your own Unplugged memories, offer up a correction, or connect with the show for any other reason:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social], or
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR022: “1996 MTV Unplugged Season Retrospective” w/ Alex Coletti

To celebrate The Beatles Anthology turning 30 this year, here’s a super fun collection of Beatles songs that have been played (some for the first and only time) on MTV Unplugged. Artists covered include Annie Lennox, Phil Collins, Blackstreet, Cassia Eller, Hall & Oates, Slaughter, Joe Cocker, and a duet between original Unplugged host Jules Shear and Marty Willson-Piper (The Church). There’s even a handful of Beatles tunes from Paul McCartney’s 1991 MTV Unplugged episode as well!

If you dig the show, would like to share your own Unplugged memories, offer up a correction, or connect with the show for any other reason:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social], or
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR021: MTV Unplugged Beatles Covers (Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Hall & Oates, & more) [1990-2001] 

In honor of this year's Record Store Day Black Friday (November 28) and the release of a-ha’s ‘Take on Me 40th Anniversary EP’ featuring their 2017 MTV Unplugged piano ballad version of the iconic classic, I’ve put together a retrospective of every single MTV Unplugged album that’s been released or reissued for Record Store Day over the years. Tune in to hear all about the amazing MTV Unplugged RSD releases from Eric Clapton, R.E.M., All Time Low, Bleachers, Pearl Jam, Die Fantastischen Vier, Bastille, Soul Asylum, and a-ha!

If you dig the show, would like to share your own Unplugged memories, offer up a correction, or connect with the show for any other reason:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social], or
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR020: MTV Unplugged Record Store Day Retrospective (R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Soul Asylum, & more) 

Drummer Fergal Lawler (The Cranberries) joins the show to discuss the band’s phenomenal 1995 MTV Unplugged episode – which, 30 years later, is finally getting released as a proper standalone album (out 11/7). Fergal recollects on unplugging “Zombie,” playing with the Electra Strings, and dropping three brand new songs into their Unplugged setlist (including the one-time only rarity “Yesterday’s Gone”). Of course, the episode’s also got loads of Cranberries-infused ‘90s pop culture clips (My So-Called Life, Clueless, Boys on the Side, You’ve Got Mail, Charmed, and much more)!

If you dig the show, would like to share your own Unplugged memories, offer up a correction, or connect with the show for any other reason:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social], or
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR019: Fergal Lawler (The Cranberries) [1995 MTV Unplugged]

For our Season Two opener, we called in a Ringer! Writer, author, and podcaster Rob Harvilla (“60 Songs that Explain the ‘90s”) joins the show to discuss MTV Unplugged’s massive, multi-layered impact throughout the 1990s via six exemplary performances. I picked six songs as well, so you’re really getting a dozen different Unplugged gems that both highlight the show’s unique sonic alchemy and also broaden the lens beyond its often myopically misremembered legacy. Consider it a lovingly hand-crafted, 12-track Unplugged mixtape from us to you!

If you dig the show, would like to share your own Unplugged memories, offer up a correction, or connect with the show for any other reason:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social], or
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR018: “6 Unplugged Songs that Explain the ‘90s” w/ Rob Harvilla [1990s MTV Unplugged]

Season One Finale! Trey Lorenz joins the show to discuss singing on Mariah Carey’s legendary quadruple platinum MTV Unplugged (including their last-minute addition turned global smash hit duet of The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There”), as well as his years of working with Mariah from her first promotional tour in 1990 all the way through to the present day.

If you dig the show, want to share your own Unplugged memories, ask a question, request a show topic, or connect with the pod for any reason, there are a couple ways you can get in touch:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social],
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR017: Trey Lorenz (Mariah Carey) [1992 MTV Unplugged]

UR016: "Kurt Cobain Unplugged" UK Exhibit of Kurt's Martin D18-E Acoustic Guitar (Alan Di Perna) [Nirvana 1993 MTV Unplugged]

Alan Di Perna joins the show to discuss his work curating the “Kurt Cobain Unplugged” UK exhibit running this summer and fall at London’s Royal College of Music. The exhibit features a plethora of Nirvana rarities, as well as two key items from the band’s legendary 1993 MTV Unplugged – Kurt’s Martin D18-E acoustic guitar and his olive green mohair cardigan (on display together for the first time ever).

If you dig the show, want to share your own Unplugged memories, ask a question, request a show topic, or connect with the pod for any reason, there are a couple ways you can get in touch:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social],
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR016: "Kurt Cobain Unplugged" UK Exhibit of Kurt's Martin D18-E Acoustic Guitar (Alan Di Perna) [Nirvana 1993 MTV Unplugged]

God-tier grunge bassist Mike Inez (Alice in Chains) joins the show to discuss the band’s equally brilliant and heartbreaking MTV Unplugged episode and album from 1996. Lots of great Alice talk, Seattle scene memories, and EVEN MORE “Friends Don’t Let Friends Get Friends Haircuts” backstory to add to the storied Alice-Metallica lore.

If you dig the show, want to share your own Unplugged memories, ask a question, request a show topic, or connect with the pod for any reason, there are a couple ways you can get in touch:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social],
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR015: Mike Inez (Alice In Chains) [1996 MTV Unplugged]

Double Diamond certified guitarist Mark Bryan (Hootie and the Blowfish) joins the show to discuss the band’s special homecoming of an Unplugged that was filmed on the University of South Carolina campus and aired just a day before the release of their second album (Fairweather Johnson) in 1996. As a bonus, I also talk to the recipient of the four-year Hootie and the Blowfish college scholarship that was partially funded by t-shirt sales at the Unplugged taping!

If you dig the show, want to share your own Unplugged memories, ask a question, request a show topic, or connect with the pod for any reason, there are a couple ways you can get in touch:

 * You can email me at unpluggedrevisited@gmail.com,
 * You can reach out on Bluesky at @willhodge.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/willhodge.bsky.social],
 * You can leave a voicemail (that’ll maybe get played on the show) by dialing 234-REVISIT (234-738-4748)

UR014: Mark Bryan (Hootie and the Blowfish) [1996 MTV Unplugged]

Unplugged Revisited is a podcast that celebrates, critiques, and dives deep into the last three-and-a-half decades of the pop cultural game changer MTV Unplugged. Featuring discussions with artists who played the show, individuals who worked on the show, or some of my fellow music journalist friends talking about various aspects of the show’s history, Unplugged Revisited will assess MTV Unplugged’s impact and legacy from the show's humble beginning in 1989 all the way through to the present day.

Will Hodge

Shows