WTF?! Wednesdays: Pearl Jam, “Bugs” (1994)

I could never decide what was funner: the fact that Eddie Vedder strapped on a wheezy accordion for this song or the sheer rage that so many fans seemed to voice when “Bugs” ended up on Vitology. As for Pearl Jam’s intent here? I don’t know and have honestly never bothered to find out. It’d spoil the comedy! Was this a fun little Kafka reference? Who cares?!

At the time, I didn’t think it was all that weird (I was already a long-time Tom Waits fan), though it’s pretty obviously an outlier in the band’s sonic catalog. You do have to admire their audacity. OK, maybe you don’t. I admired them for admitting to having a sense of humor in the middle of the rock world’s grungy seriousness. Or maybe I admired them because they pissed people off.

I’ll tell you this though…seeing them play it live? Too danged funny:

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Mark Saleski

One Comment

  1. have some sense of humour will ya !