We've Got An Official Hair Metal vs. Grunge Battle Between Motley Crue and Pearl Jam Going On and I Am Here For It
Billboard - No good diss goes unpunished. After Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder recently opened up to the New York Times Sunday magazine about how much he hated 1980s hair metal, one of the most legendary purveyors of the Aqua Net and eyeliner set punched back just as hard at the grunge icon’s sound.
In a subsequent reply to a fan who joked that a friend is about to have a baby and they planned to recommend PJ’s music to “put the baby to sleep hahahaha,” Sixx added, “or just sing to the baby with marbles in your mouth… very zen.”
When another commenter called Sixx to the carpet and called him a “loser” who has “at most 3 mid songs at best,” Sixx sniped, “You’ll be fine. Remember there were zillions of brown-haired bands for brown-haired fans…..Go find them. You will know them by the bored look on their face.
This whole thing kicked off the other day when Eddie Vedder did an interview with the New York Times Magazine's David Marchese titled "Eddie Vedder Is Still Learning to Live With Loss".
The majority of the article focuses on Vedder's upcoming solo album Earthling, and who Vedder things his fanbase today is.
Marchese went on to ask Vedder what exactly remains from the "Generation X alt-culture explosion of the 1990s" today in his opinion.
In his answer, Vedder ended up taking a shot at the Crüe by describing accidentally seeing some hair metal bands while working at a San Diego rock club loading in gear. “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,” Vedder said.
“‘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,” he added, noting that Guns N’ Roses arrived in the late 1980s and “thank God, at least had some teeth. On Sunday (Feb. 6) Vedder had the last laugh by posting footage of a massive crowd bouncing and shouting the lyrics to “Given to Fly” and the winky message “we [heart] our bored fans.”
Nikki Sixx caught the article as I'm sure the NYT Magazine is the first thing he picks up when he hops out of bed on Sunday mornings. And fired off the above tweet. As well as a couple others.
To which Pearl Jam's twitter account replied-
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Now what would you have said in 1995 had I told you that in 27 years, The Crue and Pearl Jam would be trading shots on this electronic cesspool that we access on phones we carry around in our pocket?
You'd have me committed.
And you'd say why the fuck would Motley Crue give a fuck about Pearl Jam or vice versa?
Motley Crue had it made in the shade by that point. Aside from Guns n Roses they absolutely dominated the 80s and early 90s rock scene. And Pearl Jam was the new king of the mountain. A totally different style, but still great music. Real recognize real right?
Wrong.
Eddie Vedder is out here in 2022 pushing solo material and take cheap shots at one of the greatest bands ever.
And I HATE to say this, and I know I will get destroyed for this take, but Nikki Sixx is right.
Again, I hate to admit he's right and take his side, but hear me out.
"One of the most boring bands in history" Pearl Jam is NOT.
One of the most boring bands of today though?
Yah.
I say this based on seeing them live during their past two tours through Chicago. Both at Wrigley Field.
I was actually just talking with Chuck Naso (Barstool social media wizard, insomniac, and south side die hard) last week when I was in NYC at HQ in an empty office.
He was telling me about all the shows he has tickets for coming up and the subject of Pearl Jam live came up.
I told him I hated to be a turd in the punchbowl, but the last couple times I saw Pearl Jam live, I was extremely underwhelmed.
And by underwhelmed, I mean bored.
They weren't bad shows by any means.
They were just very, chill.
Not what I was expecting since I'd seen them twice before, years ago in Boston, and in Chicago, and they blew my fuckin socks off.
I would still pay money to see them. Because, well, they're fucking Pearl Jam. But I guarantee you that this summer when Motley Crue (FINALLY) rolls through Chicago (they've had two shows postponed now because of fucking covid), and CRUSH Wrigley Field with Def Leppard, people will be talking about their show for months afterward.
Because they're still, kickin' ass.
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