Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder recently gave a wide-ranging interview to the New York Times in advance of his new solo album, “Earthing,” which releases on Feb. 11. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer talked about “being at shows that I wouldn’t have chosen to go to” while working as a stage hand in the ’80s and in particular voiced his disdain for the ’80s hard rock scene. “You know, I used to work in San Diego loading gear at a club,” Vedder said. “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: F*ck you. I hated it. I hated how it made the fellas look. I hated how it made the women look. It felt so vacuous.”
“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: F*ck you. I hated it. I hated how it made the fellas look. I hated how it made the women look. It felt so vacuous.”
Eddie Vedder on Mötley Crüe and the ’80s hard rock scene
Despite his feelings for the Crüe, Vedder went on praise the arrival on Guns N’ Roses. “Guns N’ Roses came out and, thank God, at least had some teeth,” he said. “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.”
Vedder’s new record, “Earthling,” was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Andrew Watt, and it marks Vedder’s first solo effort since 2011’s “Ukulele Songs.” “Earthling” also features collaborations with music legends Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr, Elton John and more. Vedder and his band, The Earthlings, will tour America in support of the record throughout February.
