Pearl Jam: Some Of The Members Like Motley Crue

In a recent interview with The New York Times Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder expressed his dislike of Motley Crue. The Times asked him about the legacy of '90s alt rock culture, and he responded, "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."

The Crue's Nikki Sixx was quick to respond, expressing his opinion that Pearl Jam is "one of the most boring bands in history."

Pearl Jam responded with a snarky tweet about loving their "bored" fans, including a video of the band playing to a large sold out crowd, singing along to "Given To Fly."

But, as it turns out, not all members of Pearl Jam dislike Motley Crue. Guitarist Stone Gossard told Revolver that "Jeff [Ament] and Mike [McCready] and I loved hard rock... I bought the first Motley Crue Leathur records," referring to the original release of Motley Crue's debut, 1981's Too Fast For Love, on the independent label, Leathur Records. "I thought it was, at the time, punk-like."

He continued, "It's like Motorhead. There were things about it that I was discovering about British hard rock at that time, that also felt rebellious or against the norm or something that made me interested in it. And I always liked heavy — Sabbath and Zeppelin."

It's worth mentioning that, when Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, bassist Jeff Ament wore a t-shirt with a list of artists that he thought deserved to be inducted, and Motley Crue was among them. You can see that shirt here.

It's further worth mentioning that, before they formed Pearl Jam, Gossard and Ament were in another Seattle band called Mother Love Bone, and their look was considerably more glam (and, possibly influenced by the Crue). See an image of that band here, and if you're unfamiliar with them, do check them out.