Nirvana's Krist Novoselic: "POTUS, please leave grunge bands alone"

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By ( Louder ) published

As Canadian rockers Nickelback go head to head with Donald Trump over a viral video, Nirvana founder Krist Novoselic comes to their defence and brands Fox News editor a "jerk"

Krist Novoselic, Donald Trump and Chad Kroeger
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Nickleback have been having a rough time of it this week. 

First, they got embroiled in a snafu with US President Donald Trump after he tweeted a meme which included a segment of their video for 2005 hit Photograph. The video has since been removed due to copyright infringement. 

Next, Twitter users unearthed a clip from Fox News which sees the channel's editor, Chris Stirewalt, mocking the band in a segment which initially aired in March. The clip, in which Stirewalt compares Nickelback to the "scourge of socialism", was originally recorded in response to comments made by GOP Rep Rodney Davis, who championed Nickelback as one of the 'great bands of the 90s' during a debate on the house floor earlier this year.

"Our generation and prior generations fought hard against the scourge of Nickelback and to show what the dangers are of emo-pop ballad ’90s rock," Stirewalt concludes, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Nickelback are neither an emo band, nor a band who could reasonably be considered 'of the 90s'.

However, things are now looking up for the beleaguered Canadians, as Nirvana founder Krist Novoselic has leapt to their defence on Twitter.

"Who is this jerk?" Novoselic asks of Stirewalt on Twitter. 

"Nickelback is a is power pop rock band & I love them!!!!" he continues. "They are Canadian BTW. The USA can work well because of the uneasy marriage between socialism and capitalism here. There is push and pull—so be weary of those on the fringe advocating one way or another."

In a following Tweet, he adds: "USA politics have gone bonkers. It's all about thumbs-a blazing-on Twitter while policy takes a back seat. $22,000,000,000,000 in debt, yet Fed's deficit spend and promise even more $$$ to voters. 

"To POTUS and congress showboats: Please leave Grunge bands alone!"

Briony Edwards
Briony Edwards

Briony is the Editor in Chief of Louder and is in charge of sorting out who and what you see covered on the site. She started working with Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog magazines back in 2015 and has been writing about music and entertainment in many guises since 2009. Her favourite-ever interviewee is either Billy Corgan or Kim Deal. She is a big fan of cats, Husker Du and pizza.