Eddie Vedder thanked Malcom McLaren for being an “ego-driven f*ck”
Punk music remains one of the most exciting and elusive genres of music there ever was.
In the modern age, you’ll see the term “punk” scattered around the press releases of bands far and wide, but it doesn’t pack the same punch that it used to, namely because a lot of punk ideologies are now mainstream, but also because the genre has since found form, and it truly thrived when it was impossible to define or understand. It hardly made any sense in the ‘70s, but that’s when it was most beautiful.
Punk was a moment dedicated to sonic rebellion, where bands gave a voice to people who were previously unable to speak up for themselves. Songs were stripped back, the grandiose concept albums and theatrical tracks that plagued rock were ditched, as quick, hard-hitting, energetic tracks were king once again.
The topics covered in these songs were written by outspoken anarchists, people tired of modern society who had no intention of fixing it but all intentions on raging against it. Sex Pistols were one of the leading groups in this regard, as Johnny Rotten and Co acted as a call to arms for many, while guitars were adorned and vocals scratched in pursuit of musical revolution.
“Early 1970s Britain was a very depressing place. It was completely run-down, there was trash on the streets, total unemployment – just about everybody was on strike,” said John Lydon, poignantly explaining the messy backdrop that gave rise to punk. “Everybody was brought up with an education system that told you point-blank that if you came from the wrong side of the tracks… Then you had no hope in hell and no career prospects at all. Out of all that came pretentious moi, and the Sex Pistols, and then a whole bunch of copycat wankers after us.”
Of course, it wasn’t just the politics of the Sex Pistols which resonated with listeners, but their music did a lot for fans as well. While the guitar was messy, that aesthetic appealed to people everywhere, and it still plays a part in a lot of rock / rock-adjacent styles. One of these is grunge, as while this style is certainly more complex than punk, the overarching feel of the two genres remains somewhat comparable.
Eddie Vedder admitted as much when he was giving a speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as he highlighted the unpredictable nature of punk music and how a lot of the bands that were pioneers within it wound up crashing and burning. It seems pretty clear who he blames for the Sex Pistols short stint, as he took a sly jab at their old manager for letting his own intentions get in the way of the punk’s success.
“Most punk bands were pretty much crash and burn,” he said, “You know, in the Sex Pistols case, thank you Malcom McLaren for being an ego driven fool… fuck, for the non-edited version of this VH1 televised event.”
While this was the case for the majority of punk bands, Vedder took a moment to acknowledge the effort of the band he was inducting in the Hall of Fame, as he credited the Ramones for being one of the few punks who steered away from the crash and burn curse. “They existed for 22 years with the same level of intensity for the whole time,” he said, “They may not have gotten along the whole time, but that was touring together for 22 years in a van for fuck sake. So, you have to understand.”
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