The feeling vindicated part... I think it's funny.
It certainly beats everyone in the business praising each other just because it's expected and 'the right thing to do'. A little honesty never tires. Was he being snotty? Absolutely.
That said, I am not sure if 'generic' is an insult and if it even pertains to what they did on stage. Now, I am not a music expert, but did BB and RV really play the guitar lead on the FM songs
that differently from the way Lindsey played it prior to that? In the studio Lindsey might have been more daring than the post-1987 line-up, but on stage (aside from maybe stuff like Not That Funny) he didn't go way left or right of 'generic' all that much either, right?