Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament - The Word That Offended Him for 30 Years
Video Overview & Insights
Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament has resented the label grunge since day one — and the Temple of the Dog credits tell you exactly why.
Do you consider Pearl Jam "Grunge"?
Ament knew Krist Novoselic long before Nirvana existed. When they blew up and the scene got labeled and packaged, he had a specific grievance: Temple of the Dog was billed as "members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden" — but Chris Cornell wrote those songs, so the credit order should have been flipped. That's not a minor complaint. That's the whole point. Thirty years later, with Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, and Mark Lanigan gone, the resentment has become something closer to grief — and a lot more pride than he expected.
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It did kinda help being considered grunge in 91’ $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Yes, PJ was fucking grunge as hell
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One of the most over rated bands in the history of rock and roll.
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Pearl Jam was never grunge..Grunge to me was distorted guitars with a punk influence!!!!!
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Met Jeff after a Mookie Blaylock performance..Solid dude..Then we got to watch Alice n Chains set..My ears rang for 3 days..lol..I kinda knew then I was witnessing music History..
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2 good albums then nothing of value
#JeffAment #PearlJam #Grunge #SeattleScene #ThePlugPodcast
The guy never gets old 😮 unbelievable.
More User Perspectives
“Grunge” as a musical style never made sense. The poster bands of it were Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden. Aside from being from Seattle and rock bands they are all stylistically completely different.
@dannyblau3850@12:44 I caught a really interesting interview with Proctor‘s coach. I was convinced of his character and loyalty and tenacity. He could’ve gone to play almost anywhere his senior year. He stuck it out with his family in SE Louisiana b:c he’s just that kind of guy.
I like his film but I’m also suspect of the Cardinals choices when they presumably select “tweeners.”
Versatility is becoming a cuss word to me these days. Don’t use the V word around me. We’ve been burned too many times!
In a couple of interviews Kirk said he liked/didnt mind the term. But the term never fit Pearl Jam. (Even tho they benefited from it for the first couple years)
Jeff is so right on with these comments. This question is often annoying. Not at all this time. Well done.
And yes… Grunge killed all rock terms and rock genres forever. We saw behind the curtain. The Wizard means nothing to us anymore.
So… “indie rock” or “emo” was almost clear and substantive… but never enough so to mean anything.
It didn't bother me until I watched this video. The only thing that bothered me about Pearl Jam were the MTV Interviews where it seemed over the top "put on" most likely by MTV direction. The music though has always been great.
It seemed like every month loads of good music were being dropped by all those bands. Today ? About none. A pathetic shift for all.
Is that a Minneapolis hat???
@MrBeefChicagoSoundgarden Alice In Chains Nirvana Pearl Jam Mudhoney Mad Season Temple of the Dog…why would anyone complain about being grouped in with any of these bands?
@rdf098311It was annoying word, that seemed to follow us everywhere we went in the country. Hey, you’re from Seattle, grunge! 🤙🏽🤪🏳️🌈
@user-hf8ie8mf3nYou were part of the best musical movement so embrace it.
@CitizenSlave1984I imagine any resentment he felt over the term "grunge" was assuaged by the mountain of money he made from it.
@randocalrissian4520It's Mark LanEgan actually, in the description
@dt9rI was sure the word was going to be "yarling".
@bma109Jeff you are the best champion of low-key musicians gbv Elliott Smith you are the cream of the crop
@clintonkotcha7452To me Mother Love Bone was the band that was destined for stardom, especially considering they had both Jeff and Stone, plus Andrew (RIP) who was an incredible singer. They sure as Hell wouldn’t have had to worry about being called grunge!
@gear-headJeff and Mike are the backbone (to me) of Pearl Jam - that lead guitar and bass exchange and their friendship. 10 is still one of the best albums of any genre. shoutout to the whole group. They are ageing well and doing great things in music to this day.
@GTTg-kr2xhJeff, in '83 Mark Arm described his upcoming band's sound as "pure grunge" and in '88 a SubPOP producer called 3 bands they had signed sound as "grunge". Grunge wasn't a media word it had been there long before the Seattle explosion in the early 90s.......The media definitely ran with it though.....Grunge is basically a sub-genre of "Alternative" which was a 90s term for what was called "College Rock" in the 80s......In the 80s, bands like REM and The Replacements were definitely Alternative/College Rock but in no way shape or form "Grunge", which was a bit more punk influenced.
@travzimmerman1340Why muddy it? Grunge was always a stupid term. It’s just rock and roll man.
@michaelpierce4931Can someone ask Jeff about his hat choices back in 89-92? Man was legendary with the headwear!😂
@memyselfundeyeMan you people take yourselves too seriously. It's just music. You listen to what you enjoy, what resonates with you. It doesn't have to be cutting edge.
@William-g4nMPS represent!
@enjoying_the_contrastI always thought of PJ pretty much as a classic rock band. Them and STP
@jaysapp7494Like that he mentioned lanegan.
@jmode242Grunge wasn’t so much about the sound, it was more about the culture…the lifestyle, the clothes they wore, the context of the lyrics they wrote. I grew up on 80’s rock, glam, metal, etc…you know, leather pants, crazy big hair and stuff like that. And those lyrics were about girls and partying. Then we get hit with flannel and lyrics of sadness and depression, some poetry. But Pearl Jam always had a sound of their own. Always stood above the rest. Great songs and hooks. Always innovating.
@Poundemonium24Absolutely not , been a massive fan more blues oriented hard rock.
I think the whole grunge title stuck more on appearance in the very early days 91 - 93 than the music both stage presentation and the Alive film clip and Ed's extremely aggressive, rebellious presence and same with Jeff .
I could see why the term would fit for the Melvin’s not PJ.
@kevinb7126People who weren’t in Seattle then really don’t understand that nobody actually in Seattle was using that word with a straight face.
@Fakename70Where can I see the full interview
@robertflanagan1364