Krist Novoselic shot down the idea of Nirvana and Pearl Jam being involved in a bitter rivalry in the 90’s in a new Washington Post article. Kurt Cobain was critical of Pearl Jam’s music for being too commercial in the 90’s.
Courtney Love discussed the rivalry in a NatGeo TV interview a few years ago.
“I think there was a rivalry involved in the Northwest as well, definitely there was a rivalry between the boys. Chris Cornell, Mark Arm, Eddie Vedder, and Kurt, there was a rivalry. There was a rivalry to have your voice be heard, and be successful, but to have your voice be heard. I remember when Pearl Jam beat Nirvana onto the cover of Time, and that pissed Kurt off, let me tell you.”
Steve Turner told the Washington Post, “[Nirvana was] already kind of struggling when we toured with them. There didn’t seem to be anybody in charge. It didn’t seem like there was a lot of communication between management, band and the important people involved. It just seemed like it was kind of happening, regardless of what the guys wanted.
When we went on tour with Pearl Jam, it was kind of night and day. Pearl Jam was really organized and really friendly and fun, and they were really stoked with what was going on, and they surrounded themselves with good people. It made me look at the Nirvana thing even more like, ‘Man, it’s a shame they can’t get their [act] together like Pearl Jam.'”
Billig Rich said, “Everybody thought they were like, against each other, and there was negativity, and that’s so not the case at all. They were all cut from the same cloth.”
Novoselic said, “I don’t know if there was a rivalry. We just kind of did our own things.”
