Last month, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder revealed that he was no fan of Motley Crue, an admission which was surely a surprise to no-one, yet sparked an online beef between the two bands. Now, the squabbling continues, as Crue leader Nikki Sixx has weighed in with further comments.
The game of tit-for-tat started when Vedder was interviewed by The New York Times to promote his recently released solo album, Earthling. When discussing the rise of Gen X and alt-culture in the 1990s and whether it had had any lasting impact, the singer said, "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 Motley Crue: [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 continued, "Guns N' Roses came out and, thank God, at least had some teeth".
Shortly after, Sixx took to his Twitter to share his feelings about the Pearl Jam frontman's comments, writing: "Made me laugh today reading how much the singer in PEARL JAM hated @MotleyCrue. Now considering that they're one of the most boring bands in history it's kind of a compliment isn't it?"
When responding to fan's tweets, Sixx, while adding insult to injury, also compared Vedder's vocal technique to singing with "marbles in your mouth". Additionally, in response to a Pearl Jam fan who tweeted in defence of Vedder, Sixx said "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."
Now, elaborating on the beef in conversation with Brazilian entrepreneur Paulo Baron and music critic Regis Tadeu, Sixx ponders why Vedder even decided to take a "swipe" at his band in the first place, while adding that he's a "successful guy".
Discussing how Motley Crue's sound evolved over the years, he begins, "I'm not trying to be the guy that wrote [the Crue song] Bastard [from 1983's Shout At The Devil album], 'cause I'm not the guy that wrote Bastard.
"I wrote that song about somebody that ripped us off. I am the guy that if you fuck with me, I will fuck with you back. And that's what that song is about."
While making obvious reference to the recent squabble, he continues, "You take a swipe at my band; I'll take a swipe at your band. You try to hurt my family, which is my band; I will try to hurt you. That's not something to be proud about. [Laughs]"
Elsewhere, Sixx is asked to explain why he felt compelled to respond to Vedder. He explains, "We've never been afraid to embrace music changing because that's the whole idea behind music.
"If you listen to Too Fast For Love and then you listen to The Dirt, you're, like, 'Well, it's the same band, but it has grown.' So we never had a problem with that.
"My only thing is, you wanna take a crack at my band, I'm probably gonna say something back. But what I don't understand is why's the guy even talking about my band? He's a successful guy.
"Listen, let's face it: the guy flies around in private jets; he lives in a mansion in a gated community; he sells out stadiums; and then he dresses at the thrift store and tries to pretend [to be] some guy in the '90s. Don't take a swipe at my band, dude. I mean, I'm at least being honest."
Listen to the full interview below:
