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There were many repulsive things about Pearl Jam during the short yet beautiful Grunge Years. All of it had to do with their music.
On paper they did everything right -- they were against videos, they took on Ticketmaster, they didn't hang out with model/actresses. But musically they were the worst parts of REM mixed with the worst parts of STP.
Vedder posed like everything he was mumbling was soooo important, he fluttered his eyes, he even stage-dived like a phony. And the band looked and played like they were called up by Central Casting ("we're all out of grunge, will you accept college-y rock?")
They were the least Seattley of any of the groups from Washington... indeed they stank of San Diego.
Because Rolling Stone had to end their short little run of actually being good, this week they put Mr. Vedder on the cover of their perfume-sample-filled mag and let him run his mouth. This is the worst of the endless article, the part where he said that Kurt stopped hating him while in LA.
Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was even more troubled by his sudden fame -- and his retreat was even more final. He spent a lot of time dissing Pearl Jam in the press, once memorably accusing the band of pioneering a "corporate, alternative and cock-rock fusion." "I don't think he ever really figured out the band," Vedder says softly, curling into an armchair late one night. "However, I think that if he had survived, I think he would have gotten it. Now, mind me, those are big words, but I really think it's true."Pearl Jam with special guests Sonic Youth come to LA July 9 & 10 to play the Great Western Forum. SY must be short of cash.Vedder looks off into the distance. "I miss him," he says. "There are a lot of times when we're passing around a guitar, around a campfire or something, and I just think like he'd be right there with us. I think about him all the time."
Vedder and Cobain famously reconciled, at least temporarily, on September 10th, 1992, at the MTV Video Music Awards. "We slow-danced underneath the stage when Eric Clapton was playing 'Tears in Heaven,' " Vedder says, furrowing his brow. "We were slow-dancing on a gym floor as though it was a seventh-grade dance."
Did you cop a feel?
No, I respected Kurt.
Who led?
That's a good question.That's the thing, no one led.
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k, that's an incredibly embarrassing passage from Citizen Vedder. but Fuck You anyway for dissing San Diego yet again and for not getting the musicianship of PJ. just because your choking little bears happened to gag against the mustard and brown in '84 means you need to keep hating the whole town.
vedder? wasn't he that guy on northern exposure?
clearly, pearl jam just copped another "boring crappy marketing" feel ...
and so did rolling stone ....
I'm so glad to here your disdain for PJ. At least you aren't kissing ass the way you usually do. In addition, I'm sure you'll be at the PJ show in July @ the forum with all the other PJ haters. Raising your hands in the air. I know your type. You diss and secretly you love...It's okay...10 club members are used to you posers!!!
I don't get it. When did LAist become Tony Pierce's vitriolic personal blog? While I applaud the recent outpouring of posts, the content is pretty questionable and frequently negative. "Why I want to live in LA" just seems to be an excuse for Tony to talk to very young hot girls. Great, good for you! But sweet jesus, do it on your own time and in your own blog. I don't freakin care. I already live here. And this article about PJ is just another boring opinion piece. At least title it "Opinionist" like Gothamist does. Oh. Wait. LAist is all Tony's opinion now.
Jessica,
1. 6/6/06
2. i have my own blog too
3. young ladies in their 20s are "young women", not girls, shame on you
4. boring?
5. if you think you can provide a more positive, less dull take on LA, we're always looking for more contributers, even if their tastes are more questionable than mine :)
COBAIN IS DEAD DUDE, GET OVER IT. PEARL JAM AND VEDDER WOULD BE BETTER THAN NIRVANA IF THEY WERE BLIND, DEAF, AND MENTALLY RETARDED. NIRVANA WAS THE WORST BAND EVER. COBAIN WAS SO JEALOUS HE KILLED HIMSELF. YOU LOSE, PEARL JAM WINS.
suck a fat one, haters. i've seen both bands multiple times and they're both great in their own ways. ask novaselic and grohl what they think of pj. vedder was being ironical with that slow-dancing quote in case it wasn't obvious. his disdain for bullshit interviews runneth over.
diego and seattle represent.
Tony Pierce obviously has the lamest taste in music. FTR, his posts blow. LAist needs new writers!
FTR?
what's FTR mean?
... you kids and your crazy acronyms
Gotta agree with the other posters.. the new LAist is making me want to move to another city. By the way, besides new contributors, it looks like you guys need some copy editors too -- nice typos lately.
the typos are part of a drinking game
and if dissing pearl jam makes you want to move somewhere else, please allow me to help you pack
It's not the dissing of Pearl Jam so much as all the other rants and general hostility that's taken over the site since you became Editor. LAist's gone through what, 4 editors in the last 2 years? So it's not like the site's audience is averse to change and leaving all this negative feedback on principle. We can just tell when something's taking a dive, and skeezy, glib talkbacks from you aren't really changing our minds.
you have some skill if you can tell in one week that something has "taken a dive".
sitemeter, however, says otherwise.
as for hostility, the only hostility ive noticed in the last 8 days have been from a few commentors.
during that time i have offered to accept new contributors; we've posted tons of music, politics and sports than you've seen in months; i posted a link to help newborn babies not get thrown in the trash; i posted a story that would even solve the south central farm issue; i even offered to help you pack and move.
if you even for a second think that these "glib talkbacks" are going to go end any time soon or that they're intended to change your minds, let me be the first to tell you otherwise.
i invite you to sit back, know that this era of LAist will be very different than that others, and it will be talked about positively (and sometimes not-so positively) by way more people than ever.
if it's not your cup of tea, there's lots of other choices on the web for you. but i promise you one thing, LAist will never be dull under my watch.
Tony:
Yes. Boring. LAist has never been fantastic, but since you've taken over it bores the shit out of me. I'm a huge "ist" fan, but I find myself forgetting to check the site on a regular basis now.
Perhaps it’s a problem of LA not being a centralized city in the way that New York or Chicago is. I'm sure it’s difficult to post on things that are relevant to a majority of the audience a majority of the time. I'll be honest, I moved here from NYC and am used to Gothamist, which seems to try to foster a sense of community. Maybe that's just the nature of New York. I just find it unfortunate that it’s so difficult to find that community in LAist.
Thank you for getting a sports person in to cover the baseball teams though. I think it’s a huge step in the right direction. I also thing the subjects of 20 under 30 have been great. I expected models and actors when the feature was announced. I'm very pleasantly surprised.
I don't know. Really, my huge issue is that you seem so unnecessarily smarmy and mean spirited. I don't need you to go all loving pandas and kittens, but it’s really just a huge turn off. If I want to know how you feel about Pearl Jam, I will read your personal blog. If I want to know what's going on in LA, I'd like to read LAist. I really truly would. I guess I'll stick with Jen and her panda fixation and see what the Mets are up to.
P.S. Telling me to move back to New York is really useless. I like LA and I have a lease I can't afford to break.