PEARL JAM Discuss The ‘Pure Hate’ They Receive in Response to Their Liberal Political Views

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament discussed with Kerran Magazine, the hate the band’s been getting over the years for their liberal political views.

“I come from a punk rock background, so I love that stuff. I love people getting mad and getting upset and reacting. That’s the best of art, that you can get a reaction out of somebody – whether it’s a reaction of pure joy or pure hate. I think both are good.”

Back in 2002, Pearl Jam ripped US President George W. Bush with “Bu$hleaguer,” resulting with various threatening phone calls and emails being directed to the band’s Seattle HQ.

Additionally, when the boys performed the song at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY in 2003, the band received heavy backlash from a portion of the audience. Drummer Matt Cameron said in the band’s book “Pearl Jam Twenty”:

“There was a hail of quarters being thrown at us. That was the first time at a Pearl Jam show where, like, I felt the crowd was really mad, and they were trying to hurt us.”

The group continued doing their thing 2006 by taking aim at re-elected Bush on “World Wide Suicide.” More recently, the guys became highly critical of President Donald Trump, as singer Eddie Vedder started wearing a Trump mask onstage and mocking the size of the President’s penis. The latest PJ single, “Can’t Deny Me,” also has a clear anti-Trump message.