Taylor Momsen Rasps “Love The Way You Lie” — Apology Accepted?

Taylor Momsen is playing the victim. After appearing to belittle Rihanna as “really annoying” in a recent interview with Spin, the Gossip Girl actress and Pretty Reckless frontwoman insisted to Radio 1 that she is in fact a fan, and promptly performed a raspy, acoustic cover of Rihanna’s soaring chorus from Eminem’s chart-topping smash “Love The Way You Lie”. (And she mixed in a little of the xx’s “Islands” — Shakira-style, of course). Is all forgiven? Well, would you forgive Taylor if you heard the version below?

Wait, who’s supposed to be “annoying” in this whole dust-up? Let’s rewind.

Taylor was quoted in Spin with a silly lament against the now-commonplace dynamic of artists hopping between and among genres. “People think pop is rock, and the lines are getting blurred. Now Rihanna’s wearing f*ckin’ leather jackets, and it’s really annoying,” Taylor told the magazine.

(In Taylor’s defense, Rihanna did do this. But doesn’t it seem awfully hypocritical for a real rebel, a real rock star like Taylor to, you know, pose for a pop star’s fashion line? Who’s adopting whose style here?)

But in this week’s Radio 1 Live Lounge visit, Taylor assured listeners that he harbored no real ill will against the Bajan superstar.

“I love Rihanna. I think she’s awesome. I really do,” Momsen said. “I was not insulting her. People take quotes and they cut out the middle section, the compliment part, and put a comma and make you sound really rude… I was comparing the difference between rock and pop and talking about the market. I was not — I think Rihanna’s awesome.”

Think Taylor’s done any lasting damage to her popularity? Or does this whole episode serve to make her more popular? And if so, is there any chance she uttered those words to Spin on purpose?