Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen Talk Musical Influences and ‘Earthling’

In a new conversation released by Amazon, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen met up to chat about a number of things, including Vedder’s new solo LP, Earthling, which dropped on Friday (February 11).

(See our review of Earthling HERE.)

During the conversation, Springsteen asked Vedder about his musical influences, to which the Pearl Jam frontman replied, “The stuff that got put in my blender, it started maybe, Jackson 5 when I was a kid and then [The] Beatles… growing up, and then The Who took over big time.”

Then Vedder added, “And then my friend,” nodding to Springsteen.

“Ah, Grazie,” Springsteen replied.

Vedder also added more influences: The Band, Split Ends, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, and Fugazi.

Fans can check out the whole conversation HERE.

On Friday, Vedder released Earthling. Prior to the release, dropped a number of singles, including his latest, “Brother the Cloud,” which you can check out below.

But those aren’t the only headlines he’s made of late. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Vedder took a shot at the ’80s and ’90s hair, metal band, Mötley Crüe. And that group’s co-founder and bassist, Nikki Sixx, did not enjoy it.

“I’d end up being at shows that I wouldn’t have chosen to go to—bands that monopolized late-’80s MTV,” Vedder said. “The metal bands that—I’m trying to be nice—I despised. ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ and Mötley Crüe: Fuck you. I hated it. I hated how it made the fellas look. I hated how it made the women look. It felt so vacuous.”

Taking to Twitter, Sixx took exception, writing to his followers on the social media platform, “Made me laugh today reading how much the singer in Pearl Jam hated @MotleyCrue. Now considering that they’re one of the most boring bands in history it’s kind of a compliment isn’t it? #TheStadiumTour#RocknRoll“

Aside from the feud, Vedder and his solo band have been playing shows as of late to celebrate the release of Earthling.

But not to be outdone, Vedder’s band, Pearl Jam, is also set to work on new music. The band is set to collaborate with Ozzy Osbourne producer Andrew Watt on its forthcoming 12th album.

Courtesy Republic Media Records