stupidmop wrote:As an aside, what did you think about Lightning Bolt? You must really love the music to stick with a band who's lead singer you find idiotic, insane and constantly hypocritical. I don't think I could.
I'll field this one. I like LB. I would rank it about half way through the albums. I have Yield, No Code, Ten and Backspacer up high. I have Riot Act, Binaural and S/T very low. Verses and Vitalogy are probably middle ground.
I don't really feel like Ed's an idiot (in totality), I suppose. He simply frustrates me. I respect someone who has a dissenting POV. I may debate with them, but if they can defend their position and don't defy it, I'm cool with it. That's my take. In fact, who knows, if they make some good points, maybe my position will change. I have plenty of friends and family and we're not always in agreement. I respect them though. Yet, with Ed, he seems to break with his position frequently (which bothers me - get to to why in a moment- and is why I often call him a hypocrite). I really wouldn't care, had he not been speaking about issue (that he breaks with) frequently, passionately beforehand on his soapbox (typically I disagree with his position then). So, for me, it's not only the speaking about something so passionately when you are the only one with the mic. It's following through with what you spoke about or lack there of, that bothers me.
I learned about the band early when I was a kid and really kinda fell in love with Pearl Jam, not because I always believed in what they did, but because I believed they stood for something. Call it integrity, if you will. I felt like (early on) they believed in what they were doing and were in a sense trying to make the world a better place. I knew then, like I do now, you don't have to agree with everyone on how to do that, but to want to is special. They had a desire... I can't really find the right word to describe it. I didn't agree with them a lot. But, in a sense, they (or Ed) was at least well-meaning and sincere. The more I've learned, the more I realize they may have been a bit less of that then I had thought (back then) AND it's certainly become more apparent that they aren't really sticking to what they originally felt these days. I mean this is the same band that fought for lower ticket prices, only to charge their fans now to post on their website. They preach about corporate greed, and we have a thread on here about a "money grab". To me, the completely evident hypocrisy has just become kinda sickening. And what really bothers me is, just like at the Republican or Democratic conventions, when you see those drones waving their flags, people still blindly support and think the band is not hypocritical. That bothers me too. Because, the band doesn't care about what we think. At this point, it almost seems like they really just want us to by the new figurine and sweatshirt on their website. If you call them hypocritical, they aren't going to stop making music. If you call them a hypocrite, you can still go to shows. You can still enjoy their music. To me, many fans don't understand that. I think some fans would have a tough time calling Ed a hypocrite if he bought a gun next week.
For Ed, I feel like he's a very good lyricist and a great singer. I enjoy PJ's music. I think he's good at being empathetic (in lyrics), which is part of my frustration. Ed has a soap box. He uses it. I honestly don't think anything really good happens from his use of his soapbox (other than turning some potential friends away), even if he's fighting for an issue I agree with - it's still true. I don't have as much of a problem when he writes political songs, as I do when he speaks about politics. A song is what he does. That's what I like about him.
My issue when he speaks (at shows and intereviews or whatnot), is he seems extremely narrow-minded and coming from someone who "seems" empathetic (with lyrics), it's just weird --- almost seems like an act sometimes, actually. IMHO he doesn't really encourage debate, he wants it his way (which often doesn't even make much sense) and is just some recycled garbage that you know he just read from some other guy. I feel like he really thinks he knows everything, rather than searching for an education and learning the opposition's POV. I don't think someone like him learns much about his position by surrounding himself with people who think exactly like him. I mean he kicked someone out of the band for having a gun, right? If we're all honest, I think one area we could agree on is that Ed's not open-minded regarding politics. Yet, the irony is he wants everyone to be open-minded regarding issues where it seems to benefit his political agenda (gay rights, women's rights, etc.) It's bothersome. It seems to me, that one (who's very rational and reasonable) couldn't even talk to him about an issue like why they have a gun or enjoy the sport involved with it. Personally, I don't have a gun, so I don't see the allure. But, I wouldn't be an asshole to someone on the street who was kind and did have one at home they used for sport... and I certainly wouldn't wish them or their family ill.
