Eddie Vedder’s Outright Hatred of Mötley Crüe and “Girls, Girls, Girls” Earned a Scorching Nikki Sixx Rebuttal

In the entertainment industry, there is a strict dichotomy regarding artistry. In short, it is a battle between the hacks and the free-thinkers. Hacks of course play into fads and commercial benefits, whereas, the free-thinkers typically create something original and on their own accord. That being so, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam was not a fan of Mötley Crüe for that exact reason.

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Vedder has always voiced his opinion despite the potential backlash that could ensue. He’s done so numerous times, though, one of the more targeted and publicly intellectual attacks Vedder executed was against Mötley Crüe and their awfully commercial appeal.

Eddie Vedder “Hated” Mötley Crüe’s Commercial Brand

Vedder and Pearl Jam are very much independent artists in the sense that they don’t let anyone dictate what kind of art they produce. On the contrary, Mötley Crüe is seemingly quite the opposite, as in their prime they leaned into the fads and tropes of the ’80s. This is exactly why Eddie Vedder could not stand the ’80s heavy metal rock band.

In a 2022 interview with the New York Times, Vedder aired all of his grievances and did not pull back a single punch. He told the publication, “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 (from) bands that monopolised late-1980s MTV.” “The metal bands that, I’m trying to be nice, I despised,” added Vedder.

Vedder got far more targeted with his response, as he went on to say, “Girls, Girls, Girls’, and Mötley Crüe, I hated it. I hated how it made the fellas look. I hated how it made the women look. It felt so vacuous.” Vedder’s thoughts certainly did not make Mötley Crüe happy, and thanks to their intense disposition, they, of course, responded to the comments, specifically bassist, Nikki Sixx.

Following Vedder’s publicized opinion, Sixx took to X and wrote, “Made me laugh today reading how much the singer in Pearl Jam hated Mötley Crüe.” Sixx added, ” Now, considering that they’re one of the most boring bands in history, it’s kind of a compliment, isn’t it?”

When both bands are viewed side-by-side, it’s fairly clear why they hold these ideological differences. Although, neither band is necessarily “better” than the other, as they both serve a specific purpose, for a specific person, in a specific state of mind.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage