The Reluctant Rock Star

Pearl Jam exploded onto the Seattle music scene in 1991 and has been fending off celebrity ever since. The group's debut album, "Ten," reached No. 2 on the pop charts and has sold some 12 million copies, but the band shunned endorsements and shied away from almost all self-promotion, even refusing to make videos for a time. Close to two decades later, it's clear they didn't need the hype. In a 2005 USA Today readers' poll, Pearl Jam was voted the greatest American rock band of all time. They've managed to take up causes from health care to antitrust, even testifying before Congress in a Justice Department probe into Ticketmaster. Currently at work on their ninth studio album, Pearl Jam is re-releasing "Ten" in four new and expanded editions that include six bonus tracks. Lead singer Eddie Vedder, 44, spoke with NEWSWEEK about the reissue, balancing music with activism, and life as a father of two. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: How has Pearl Jam changed in the years since "Ten" was first released?
Eddie Vedder: I think in so many ways we've grown up, but I think in music you're also able to hang on to a part of youth that in a normal job you'd have to surrender. In a way, it was a blessing that we didn't have families at the time, because we could give everything to the music. But I never thought we'd have to actually look back and answer questions about 20 years ago.

How much of this has become about activism for you, and how much is still about music?
I think it's always been a balance. I think music is the greatest art form that exists, and I think people listen to music for different reasons, and it serves different purposes. Some of it is background music, and some of it is things that might affect a person's day, if not their life, or change an attitude. The best songs are the ones that make you feel something. But it's really a balance, because part of it is just, well, you're a rock-and-roll band. But what happens is you learn that a rock-and-roll band can be a whole lot of things.

Has the way you pursue activism changed?
Back [in our early days] it was very knee-jerk: You'd want to kick out a stained-glass window to get your point across. Now you try to deliver better business plans to corporate entities so they can still make a profit, but do it without destroying land or culture.

Has having a family changed your views about celebrity?
I don't really have too many views on it, to be honest. [Laughs] Seattle's very close-knit, and I don't feel any different, even though I have a different job than some of the other parents at school. How else do I answer that?

Well, what's it like to be a rock star?
You know, rock stardom … I have a hard time discussing that because I don't really accept it. It's not really that tangible. What's really bizarre is how it's used as a thing—you know, "He's the rock star of politics," "He's the rock star of quarterbacks"—like it's the greatest thing in the world. And it's not bad, but it's just different. I don't understand it. Cause I'm going, "Well—am I that?" I want to be the plumber of rock stars.