I knew that Ern's #2 and #3 would be Leppard and PJ. I would bust unmercifully on the PJ pick, but this is his favs list. So I will instead bust on Ern's lack of knowledge as it deals with Neil Young. He implies that Neil Young is NOT weird and could not have had the effect on PJ that I and other's claim. How much Young have you listened to Ern? How many interviews have you seen or read? Ever check into his world view? Neil is a very, very strange dude. Wait, even THAT is an understatement. Good grief, look at who Young came up with and who influenced him. Look at how politcal and activist (see Southern Man, Keep on Rockin' in the Free World, etc.) he is and tell me that did not begin to make PJ think they and their views on the world trancended their music. After Neil it started to be totally about what they could say and became much less about continuing to entertain their fans. There is a balance there that has to be kept. The fans are buying records, tickets, and shirts to keep them in the business of making music. They left people high and dry (good leppard album). Do not undestimate Young's influence. Also, it's all Stone Gossard's fault? Laughable. Eddie Vedder can hardly complete a sentence when he's talking and he when he does it makes about as much sense as something my 2 year old would say. He's bears a lot of the blame.

Ern, just say you like them with no apologies instead of trying to come up with reasons why they fell of the wagon. That way you don't have to reach with your reasoning.