Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament is defending his artwork for a recent concert poster he designed for a show last week in Montana. The controversial poster, which depicts a corpse appearing to be Donald Trump’s dead body being eaten by a bald eagle on the lawn of a burning White House, sparked outrage by opponents who felt it was extreme. In the drawing, the U.S. president’s hand is reaching for a briefcase marked with the Communist party hammer and sickle symbol.
But Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, who designed the poster, defended the controversial design in a statement to Rolling Stone ,
“The role of artists is to make people think and feel, and the current administration has us thinking and feeling. I was the sole conceptualist of this poster, and I welcome all interpretations and discourse. Love, from the First Amendment, Jeff Ament.”
The poster was created by Ament and artist Bobby Draws Skullz for Pearl Jam’s concert in Missoula, Mont., which was a fundraiser for the reelection campaign for Democratic Senator Jon Tester. Sen. Tester is depicted on the poster flying above the flame-engulfed White House on a tractor.
Tester’s challenger, Matt Rosendale, slammed the gory, anti-Trump poster on social media, calling it “disgusting and reprehensible” and calling for Tester to “denounce this act of violence and blatant display of extremism.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee called the poster an example of the “unhinged” left “encouraging violence” against Trump, Consequence of Sound reports.
You can see the poster and some comments about it below.
This poster from Pearl Jam is disgusting and reprehensible. It depicts a dead President Trump and a burning White House. It’s time for @JonTester to denounce this act of violence and blatant display of extremism! https://t.co/nIKTNPOFxX #MontanaFirst #MAGA #mtsen #mtpol
— Matt Rosendale (@MattForMontana) August 14, 2018
Only in America can Pearl Jam enjoy the success they have had. To depict Trump as a Communist….too funny. The Left reps Socialism and Communism. The band is worth millions,… https://t.co/cwJyTBBrGU
— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) August 16, 2018
As the Inquisitr previously reported, Pearl Jam first posted a photo of the poster to the band’s social media pages early last week, with Ament captioning a pic of the sketch with an explanation for the poster and a pitch for Tester’s reelection.
“Y’all know the deal. We’re at a tipping point, and it’s time for action. [Tester] is the real deal. Nobody cares more about our country and especially Montana.”
This is not the first time in recent months that Pearl Jam has gotten political. Last month, the “baby” balloon that was created in protest of Trump’s visit to the U.K. made a cameo at Pearl Jam’s concert in London. The Seattle rockers got permission to fly the 20-foot-tall helium-filled balloon, which depicts Trump wearing a diaper, outside of London’s O2 Stadium during their show at the venue, according to NME .
During the show, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder thanked the crowd for realizing that most Americans did not vote for Trump. He also described the current climate in the U.S. as “divisive.”
At an earlier London show, Vedder dedicated the song “Love Boat Captain” to Trump but admitted he knew the POTUS would never hear it.
“I would like him to hear it but he doesn’t listen to music or read books,” Vedder told the crowd, per Consequence of Sound . “Could someone tweet this to him or something? For moms and dads and children being separated at the border. That isn’t the country I remember.”
