Post-Riot Act Moneygrab

[Man in Black]

Forget stip for a second,...

...Eddie Vedder has somehow transformed in the past decade into the biggest nerd in rock music. Not only is he an enormous dork now, he's also completely stamping all over the minimal remains of his legacy. Not only did the PJ 20 movie paint the band as an 80s glam rock band, but now we're seeing the truth in that as they slowly tear off the flannel to reveal their spandex and cheese.

That said, I admit to being duped until a decade ago. You didn't need to be a socialist to appreciate someone standing up for something they believe in. They did that and I thought it was cool, when I was an innocent kid. I know I wasn't alone. Now-a-days, I look at him and wonder why I ever trusted him, and wonder why I ever thought this tool was cool. I knew he was an actor, but this extreme of a turn around? It's kinda amazing.

The whole thing is pretty humorous. Salesforce.com, Oracle, Target... I love hearing the "new excuse" for each, while reciting his old lyrics. Gets better and better.... and none of the defense has to come from him... it's the mirror Eds that do the heavy lifting having to defend his ridiculous hypocrisy. All he has to do is come around and say, he was innocent when he was younger and didn't know any better...

but why I expect more from this dolt?

Well he was a bit of a phony from the start, seems it never occurred to him that his tale of a "troubled childhood" was actually kind of an insult to kids who really DID have a troubled childhood. At least (for a while) the music was good.

[96583UP]

I bet she has hit for the cycle so many times.

post riot act booty grab

[Lament]

I bet she has hit for the cycle so many times.

post riot act booty grab

Finally a business plan I can support.

[96583UP]

I bet she has hit for the cycle so many times.

post riot act booty grab

Finally a business plan I can support.

i would rather starve than eat your breasts

[Lament]

I bet she has hit for the cycle so many times.

post riot act booty grab

Finally a business plan I can support.

i would rather starve than eat your breasts

Not me, my friend. I would opt for the breasts.

[BurtReynolds]

Ugh don't joke about sex with Ke$ha.

[Lament]

I would hit for so many cycles with her.

[Iholdthepain]

let's actually listen to: ed vedder's purported anti-commercialism

ed has quoted fugazi during early shows

ed was in a band that testified before congress about ticketmaster being a monopoly

ed gave a very convincing interview in the movie hype! about how music making industry gets fouled up when it goes through "money making channels"

ed wrote lyrics to a song shitting all over bill gates for being rich (a person who's foundation makes salesforce.com's phlanthropy look like a bake sale)

ed wrote lyrics to a song named "bu$hleaguer" (there is a dollar sign in there if you didnt notice)

ed wrote lyrics to a song called "green disease" (the green was in reference to money)

this band was never fugazi, but their lead singer has gone well out of his way to posture as though he has their same value system

he goes out of his way in PJ20 to name drop having just had a conversation with Ian MacKaye

and he just performed a solo concert for a CRM software company

ps

freedom of speech forever

FUCK IT! TEAM 9643513PU

[dimejinky99]

You can have all those moral stands on all of those issues and still have money and be entitled to make money.

[dimejinky99]

Could it not also be said that perhaps someone like Eddie can view his situation like this, I give an inordinate amount of money to charity, fought the good fight for twenty years, with the fruitless victory of raising awareness among our base about the issues, now I'm at a point in my career where I can take it easy, they're (hopefully) adult to find their own issues to work for and hopefully mature enough to realise I don't always have to be the figurehead not the sacrificial lamb cos I don't want to do it anymore, I think I've earned a break.

I think Pj/ed have more than done their bit and deserve to do whatever they want at this point.

[Lament]

Anything is possible, I suppose. Honestly, whatever view of Ed works for someone is fine with me at this point. Do I think some views are more naive than others? Absolutely. Do I enjoy reading some of the more extreme ones? You bet your ass I do. And for what it's worth, the Ed haters are way funnier these days than the Ed defenders.

Personally? I lean towards the idea that he's probably changed less over the years than any of us would like to believe. The guy has been haunted by accusations of his whole persona being an "act" for over two decades now. At a certain point I started to think there was probably more to these accusations than I would have liked to believe in, say, 1994-2003. I don't know that I believe the guy was genuine at any point in his career. Maybe the RS article isn't as far fetched as we all acted like it was in 1996.

All of this being said, playing private corporate events is just lame. I'd make fun of anyone who did it. Except for maybe like, The Drifters or some other group that only features like a single original member at this point. It's everyone's God given right to play these events, but I sure as hell am going to poke fun at them for doing so, especially if it's a name as big as Ed's. I also reserve the right to make fun of anyone who goes to a fantasy baseball camp, unless they're like a kid with a terminal disease or something. But whatever, I do tons of shit people choose to make fun of, so who cares what I think?

[dimejinky99]

Well as to the baseball camp thing and I guess the firemans pole and surfing etc, being a rockstar enables you to basically never grow up and do all the things you ever wanted to do. And he does a great job of balancing that with having a family.
I don't see the fuss at all about the corporate gig, maybe he just wanted to give more money away or just wanted to play a gig?
It's not like a Bruce thing where he can just drop into the stone pony and jam with whatever bands there. Last time that happened we got a Boom out of it.

But you're right, the people giving him shit about it are actually funnier.

[Lament]

I prefer the (what I consider to be) pretty lame old dude Ed has turned into over whatever it is Billy Corgan has turned into at this point.

[dimejinky99]

Oh god I get a headache even seeing corgans name. He's so fuckin bitter and angry.
And everything he complains about its usually all his own fault.
Can't stand him and hasn't made a great record since machina

[dimejinky99]

You've actually backed up another point of mine which is that if Eddie was still doing the ANTI EVERYTHING bit at this age, he'd look really fuckin ridiculous.

[Lament]

From the transphobia to the bat shit insane conspiracy theories and the weird religious shit, it's not even fun to make fun of Billy Corgan anymore. It's just sad and makes me feel kinda icky for how much I like some of his older material.

[dimejinky99]

I can definitely separate the man from the music in that instance. Siamese dream and Mellon collie are classics. He's a total tool though.

[Lament]

You've actually backed up another point of mine which is that if Eddie was still doing the ANTI EVERYTHING bit at this age, he'd look really fuckin ridiculous.

Y'know, I agree with this, but one of the things that I suppose I would say does bug me about him if I were put on the spot is that I can't help but shake the impression that in his mind he's still pulling off the "anti-everything warrior" act. Whereas someone like Nicky Wire, or even Bono, has gone on record about how stupid and embarrassing a lot of the shit they did when they were younger is, I feel like Ed probably still stands by the comments about Bill Gates or Marky Mark or Jewel or anyone else he slammed for doing things that he ultimately ended up doing as well, and doesn't realize he's not much different than them (in the way he attacked them, that is).

I don't know if this makes sense, but oh well.

[dimejinky99]

It totally does but I think he's far more aware of it than any of us give him credit for which is why you don't hear him make any statements either publicly or through songs, about those people/situations anymore. What's that arcade fire lyric? You should never trust a rockstar quoting the sermon on the mount?
It's the same idea. I don't think he's able to preach about 'them' anymore cos he's found himself in a very privileged position.

On another level if you look at it, it's quite a rare air he breathes, im not saying he's lonely but he can't exactly go down to his local bar for beers either I don't think. And if his friends are other musicians like Neil etc, how often do you really get to see them? Or even talk to them?

[Thejambi]

I bet she has hit for the cycle so many times.

post riot act booty grab

I'm stiffening.