Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam recently did an interview with The New York Times Magazine as part of a press tour to promote his new solo release. During the chat, he spoke about how he despised Motley Crue and 80s hair metal in general. Here's the pullout quote:
Do you think any ripples from that Gen X, alt-culture explosion extended to the present?
You know, I used to work in San Diego loading gear at a club. I’d end up being at shows that I wouldn’t have chosen to go to — bands that monopolized late-’80s MTV. The metal bands that — I’m trying to be nice — I despised. “Girls, Girls, Girls” and Mötley Crüe: [expletive] you. I hated it. I hated how it made the fellas look. I hated how it made the women look. It felt so vacuous. Guns N’ Roses came out and, thank God, at least had some teeth. But I’m circling back to say that one thing that I appreciated was that in Seattle and the alternative crowd, the girls could wear their combat boots and sweaters, and their hair looked like Cat Power’s and not Heather Locklear’s — nothing against her. They weren’t selling themselves short. They could have an opinion and be respected. I think that’s a change that lasted. It sounds so trite, but before then it was bustiers. The only person who wore a bustier in the ’90s that I could appreciate was Perry Farrell.
Ok, so an interview with The New York Times Magazine is a big deal and it garners a lot of attention. It's no surprise, then, that Nikki Sixx saw the piece and took offense. I mean, he did create Motley Crue. So of course, he vented on Twitter.
Now, I don't think I would categorize Pearl Jam as one of the "most boring bands" - but point taken. We went from 80s glam heyday awesomeness where shows were a big deal and people got dressed up to have fun and then to the 90s where you could look homeless and not move around on stage. Pearl Jam's debut Ten came out in 1991, so I was still quite young. You'll note that the date also overlaps with some still-great glam metal albums coming out too. I owned Ten and loved a lot of those songs (but I never need to hear "Jeremy again!") and I still think it's a good rock record. I owned the follow-up Vs. and then Vitalogy too, and I still think neither was as good as the debut. I never purchased another Pearl Jam album after Vitalogy. I still own - and have owned in many formats - every Motley Crue release. It's all about perspective and personal preference I guess. I just know which band makes music for a fun time and it isn't Vedder's bunch.
Monday, February 7, 2022 at 02:47PM 