Leif Garrett (GETTY IMAGES)
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VH1’s iconic “Behind the Music” series is back for its 11th season — different in some ways, but still underscored by that tug-at-the-heartstrings melodrama that’s made it a pop-culture touchstone.
“Behind the Music” no longer focuses solely on documenting an aging musician’s rise, fall and redemption — think former teen idol Leif Garrett, whose on-camera “BTM” reunion with an ex-pal paralyzed after a drug-addled Garrett crashed their car is the show’s most famous episode.
Those types of “BTM” episodes earned the show two classic lampoonings on “Saturday Night Live,” which paid homage with “Fat Albert: Behind the Music” — and constructed its classic “More Cowbell!” sketch (Will Ferrell, Christopher Walken) around a faux “BTM” episode about Blue Oyster Cult.
“We are still looking for triumph and heartache, just a different kind of triumph and heartache,” says “Behind the Music” executive producer, Stephen Mintz.
“We’re still looking for compelling stories that include triumph and heartache and, quite frankly, good music — so I think there’s now certainly an emphasis on current and relevant artists.”
Season 11, which kicks off June 29, will feature episodes on Missy Elliott, Ice Cube, Miranda Lambert, Enrique Iglesias and Adam Lambert; Ricky Martin and Mary J. Blige both get their second, completely re-done “BTM” episodes.
“When we brought the series back a few years ago, the idea was to focus on classic and iconic artists we didn’t cover the first time around, like Ice Cube,” says Mintz.
“We wanted to break free from the traditional story arc of a 30-year career, signing a bad contract, getting lost in the world of drugs and showing up 30 years later with a new hit song.
“The first episode we did with Mary J. Blige was 10 years ago, and hasn’t aired in seven years, and a lot has happened in her life since then,” he says.
“And Ricky’s first episode was done before he came out. This one is told from a completely different vantage point.”
That doesn’t mean that “BTM” has totally abandoned its weepy, triumphing-over-adversity roots.
“Every story doesn’t have to have drugs and alcohol and whatnot,” Mintz says. “Missy Elliott’s story is right in the middle. We felt she’s an iconic artist. Her career speaks for itself, but she’s had her share of obstacles she’s overcome.”
“She talks candidly about battling Grave’s disease and about being molested as a child. Hers wasn’t the traditional [‘Behind the Music’] story arc where her career ever got washed up.
“But I think the strength of the series, both currently and in the past, is all about overcoming obstacles,” Mintz says.
“When a show is done right, it feels like a cathartic experience to the artist. They get to look back on their life and talk about the obstacles and journeys they experienced — and people can relate to that.”