Former Motley Crue A&R exec Tom Zutaut discussed Pearl Jam and Nirvana fans being to blame for critics trashing ‘The Dirt’ film in a new Billboard interview.
Were you surprised at the negative reviews focused on the film’s treatment of women?
“Actually, I expected it to be a lot worse than it is. I find most of these criticisms are coming from millennial and grunge people. It’s the higher end of the millennial age group that missed the ’80s and really their first musical experiences were with Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Coldplay. They seem to be the ones [with] the largest #metoo axe to grind on the movie. On the other hand, I think that it’s an appropriate discussion to have. I really believe that women are equal, should be treated as equals and they should be paid as equals. If this movie opens up the discussion, I think it’s a discussion that’s good to have. I would also say that having lived through the ’80s, sometimes it’s difficult to apply what’s politically correct in 2019 to what happened in the ’80s or early ’90s.”
Is there anything you’d like to add about The Dirt, or your time with the band?
“Everybody thinks Guns N’ Roses were this really dangerous band, but Guns N’ Roses actually had a moral fiber and a moral center to them. Of all the bands I worked with, Mötley Crüe were literally willing to push anything to the breaking point…I think that they were willing to push anything as deep and dark as it could possibly go, to the limits of the human psyche. If you use your imagination and understanding of that, there’s a certain terror and exhilaration in a group of people that are willing to push the boundaries to the absolute limit.”
Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx was asked about Pearl Jam in a new Kerrang interview.
Kerrang asked, “The explosion of Nirvana in 1991 did great damage to Mötley Crüe. Was it fair that you were lumped in with bands such as Poison and Warrant?”
“I have to say that I don’t think that Nirvana and Pearl Jam killed the bands you mention, I think that they killed themselves. They were making copycat music. We, on the other hand, simply imploded. Forget about the lifestyle for a minute – the thing that ultimately allowed us to pull ourselves through was the music that we made, and how good we can be when we really put it together.
Every great band has hills and valleys; they start at the bottom and if they’re lucky they make it to the top of the mountain. But eventually you have to go down. Very few bands are lucky enough to become popular and stay popular forever. That’s just the way music is – it changes, technology changes, fashion changes, and social outlooks change. But again, today a lot of bands are just so fucking safe.”
