The ’90s was chockful of now-classic episodes of MTV’s Unplugged. And especially, of the alt-rock variety: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, REM, etc. And now, another classic episode is finally being issued as a stand-alone release – the Cranberries: MTV Unplugged. Which, includes stripped down renditions of some of their biggest songs (‘Linger,’ ‘Zombie,’ ‘Ode to My Family,’ etc.).
The group’s drummer, Fergal Lawler, spoke to Alternative Nation shortly before the set’s release on November 7, 2025 (available on vinyl, CD and digitally via Island Records). During the chat, he discussed memories of the episode’s filming and recording (which originally aired on MTV on April 18, 1995), his personal favorite Unplugged episodes of other artists, and also, the late great Dolores O’Riordan. Fergal also has just created exclusive biographies of The Cranberries and U2 for Alternative Nation.
Alternative Nation: What do you recall about the taping of the Unplugged episode?
Fergal Lawler: It was a morning shoot in Brooklyn, in a theater in Brooklyn [on February 14, 1995]. It was really relaxed and casual. There was no stress. It was really well put together. I think they’d been doing it for a few years by the time we got to do it. So, we had seen some of the other artists, and were really excited and honored to get asked to do it.
We weren’t stressed because we had done loads of acoustic performances since we started, really, actually. Because you go into a record store, set up your equipment and play a few songs. And radio stations, that kind of thing. So we’d bring some acoustic guitars, some bongos, shakers, tambourines, that kind of thing.
Most of the songs were suited to be played acoustically, anyway. So it wasn’t much hassle. There wasn’t loads of, like, electronics and loops and stuff going on. We never got into that kind of stuff. So we were completely not a bit stressed, really.
The only one we were a little bit worried about maybe, was ‘Zombie,’ because it’s such a powerful, electric guitar-driven song that we were worried how it would translate. But we did rehearsal and we worked with the electric strings. They were a quartet we had worked with before in the UK. We had done a TV show with them, and we did a performance in the Royal Albert Hall with them.
So we did a rehearsal, and they kind of dug in with the strings for the heavier parts of ‘Zombie’ – the chorus and that. And it just really worked. Worked really well.
Alternative Nation: Which songs stood out for you most in an acoustic setting?
Fergal Lawler: It’s hard to pick one. There’s one song that we never played again and only played that day, called ‘Yesterday’s Gone.’ It was written like, a week previously, and we kind of said, ‘Let’s throw that in. A new one for something fresh, throw it in the set.’ And then, for some reason, it kind of got lost. We never recorded it in the studio. It wasn’t on any albums or b-sides or anything. It was just one of those songs that kind of got lost in the mix. And we played it that day, and that was it. So it’s great to have it now finally on vinyl.
Alternative Nation: Which Unplugged episodes from other artists are you favorite and why?
Fergal Lawler: The Nirvana one. Definitely the Neil Young one. Pearl Jam did one. They’re the ones that I remember off the top of my head that really blew me away. I still listen to that Neil Young CD, and it just sounds amazing, absolutely amazing. He’s incredible. And I’ve never seen him live. He was playing in Ireland last year, but we were leaving for holidays the day before, so I didn’t get a chance to see him, unfortunately.
Alternative Nation: Listening back to Unplugged, do you feel that Dolores really shined in an acoustic setting?
Fergal Lawler: Yeah. I mean, she was so talented that – be it acoustic or fully electric live – she could handle anything. She had a huge range and nothing ever frightened her. She was never afraid of a challenge. So, I think the fact that it’s acoustic really exposes her voice even more. I think she relished in that.
Alternative Nation: What are your thoughts about the surviving members of Soundgarden doing an album similar to what the Cranberries did on In the End – that they’re finishing off unfinished tracks?
Fergal Lawler: I look forward to hearing that because I love Soundgarden. I’ve always loved them. Because they kind of started around the same time as us, and just one of those bands that I really loved, and he had an absolutely amazing voice, Chris. Stunning. So yeah, I’d be looking forward to hearing that.
Alternative Nation: What was it like doing the In the End album? Was it comforting to hear Dolores’ voice again?
Fergal Lawler: No, no. It was absolute, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was so difficult. Because it was so close to when she passed, when Stephen was right – [producer] Stephen Street suggested we come in and do the album as soon as possible, while all that emotion was there and we were feeling that grief. Because he said, ‘If you kind of wait a year or two, then you might say, ‘No, I don’t know if I want to do it now.’ And then those songs just get left on a shelf and no one gets to hear them.’ So, he was right. As difficult as it was, he was right to get us into the studio quickly.
But it was so difficult, hearing her voice and speaking between takes and stuff. And then, you know, normally in the evening time, Dolores would come in and do her vocals. So we’d finish at maybe five or six o’clock, go have dinner, and then she’d normally meet us and then go and do her vocals. So that was the hardest, I think, at the end of each day looking down the corridor, almost expecting her to walk up, and she wasn’t there.
And then the very last day, listening. Because once an album was done, we’d all sit down, do up a few playlists, and decide which songs go in which order, and which songs are going to be b-sides and stuff, and we’d all sit down – the five of us would sit down together in the studio and listen through the album. And that was that was so hard, with her not been there.
