It was a performance designed to provoke, but even those behind the union of Fred Durst and Christina Aguilera at last month's MTV Video Music Awards had to be taken aback at the reactions the onstage duet inspired.

While some saw the move as a step toward unity in the pop world, many others (including Filter frontman Richard Patrick) viewed the Limp Bizkit singer's stage time with Aguilera as a major embarrassment to the rock world.

Fred getting onstage with Christina Aguilera embarrassed us all," Patrick told MTV News in the wake of the performance (see [article id="1428945"]"Family Values To Sit Out Crowded Fall Tour Season"[/article]), and some fans seem to agree. One MTV.com user called Durst a "pop-lovin' piece of frozen dog sh**" while another tagged him "a hypocritical egomaniac." Yet another simply stated, "The VMA appearance was about the worst moment in music this year.

After eliciting such charged reactions, Durst finally

explained his reasons for hitting the stage with the pop star and shrugged off his critics. [article id="1438125"]"I already told you guys before, I did it all for the nookie, man. That's why I did that with Christina,"[/article] Durst told MTV while attending a party at the Playboy Mansion last week.

[article id="1438125"]"I want that girl, that's that,"[/article] he continued. [article id="1438125"]"What do you want? I don't want to make music like her. I can't stand that kind of music. People were like, 'What'd you do that for?' What do you think I did that for? It's obvious, isn't it? You know what I mean? So that's the deal. Everybody saying that was wishing they were doing that too." [RealVideo][/article]

Of course, Fred has his supporters in the great Aguilera debate. "It symbolized a unity between all forms of music and entertainment within the industry, and it showed that Fred Durst is above all the petty nonsense talk

that goes on in the media," one fan wrote of Fred's VMA performance with Christina. "It was also a statement against Eminem and his lyrics about the two. Kind of like a big 'So what, f*** you' type of thing.

So what if Fred Durst broke it down with Christina Aguilera? He was just trying to show the music scene that even though Limp Bizkit's music is hard, they still have an open mind to all other branches of music, even if it isn't their style," another supporter declared in an e-mail to MTV.com. "The entire music scene would be a lot better off if we had more artists out there that were as open minded and devoted to their fans as Fred Durst. After all, isn't that the sole purpose of making music, to connect with the people on their own level?

Of course, Fred and company will have the chance to win back any fans that may have been alienated on October 17 when Limp Bizkit releases its third album, "Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water.