2026 MTV VMAs: Nirvana Member Accepted the Coveted Video Vanguard Award With a Lit Cigarette in Hand - VICE
Nirvana were the recipients of the 2026 MTV VMAs Video Vanguard Award. Notably, in very rock star fashion, guitarist Pat Smear stood with a lit cigarette in hand while accompanying Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic to accept the award.
Hip-hop legend Chuck D, of Public Enemy, took the stage to honor the iconic grunge band. After his brief introduction, a video rolled, showing the band talking about the music and music videos. Specifically, there was quite a bit about late frontman Kurt Cobain.
Then, the band’s remaining members came to the stage to accept the coveted award. However, while there is normally a performance accompanying an award such as the Vanguard, this time there was not one.
What there was, however, was Smear—who joined the band in 1993—standing there smoking a cigarette while Novoselic delivered his speech. It was very cool, and very rock’n’roll.
Kurt Cobain would’ve loved Pat Smear smoking a cigarette on stage. Nirvana you will always be iconic 👏🏽🤣 #VMAS2026 #VMAS pic.twitter.com/2a8Zha5AYv
During his speech, Novoselic referenced some of Nirvana’s iconic music videos, such as the “dystopian pep rally” from “Smells Like Teen Spirit“. He also noted their “In Bloom” video, which is their twisted version of an old Ed Sullivan TV show music performance. “The ideas for those videos,” he said, “all grew out of the vision of one of the greatest artists of all time: Kurt Cobain.”
“Kurt was one of one,” he added. “None of us could’ve imagined that our band, or our aesthetic, would mean so much to so many people. Ultimately, the music had a life of its own. It charted its own course.”
Novoselic then concluded his speech with another Nirvana reference. “Nirvana continues to resonate so deeply because people are still hungry for authenticity, for something real, something uncompromising. Something that tells you it’s just OK to ‘come as you are’.”
Pat Smear joined Nirvana as a second guitarist/backing vocalist in 1993. Funnily enough, his first gig with the band was playing on Saturday Night Live. It almost didn’t happen, though; he once recalled in a Premier Guitar interview. The other band members were not fans of the guitar he was playing at that time.
It all worked out in the end, because Cobain came to the rescue. “Kurt ended up giving me this rad f**king guitar,” he said, referring to the blue Mosrite Mark V guitar. “Which is not a Charvel.”
