It's no secret what keeps us watching the MTV VMAs given it's been years since the channel stopped airing music videos. As last year's 30th anniversary Video Music Awards made crystal clear, it's because when it comes to award shows, the VMAs still hold the potential for controversy and outrage.
Miley Cyrus's performance with Robin Thicke not only commandeered the pop cultural conversation for weeks, cemented her post-Disney stardom and killed Thicke's career, it also placed the pair in the pantheon of the MTV VMAs most outrageous moments.
And so before we get ready to be outraged yet again — anyone placing bets on Nicki MInaj wearing that infamous 1991 Prince outfit? — let's take a walk down memory lane, a walk which begins at the very first MTV VMAs in 1984 with Madonna, natch.
