MUSIC

The Reluctant Rock Star

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder on music, activism and trying to avoid celebrity.

By Jessica Bennett | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Mar 23, 2009

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  • Posted By: Beckeh @ 04/03/2009 11:20:16 AM

    Rock On Eddie! You're awesome.

  • Posted By: loveboatcapt @ 03/31/2009 7:12:16 PM

    It is nice to look back on a part of my life (and I think a lot of people's life) where music and in particular grunge was a BIG part of one's life. I still listen today to that music and it helps me reconnect to a time with few responsibilities. Boy it sucks getting older, but I am glad I did not die when I got old (relatively speaking).

  • Posted By: jamlreap @ 03/28/2009 11:00:20 PM

    Great article and thanks so much for being able to overcome being star-struck...If I ever got a call from Ed, I would surely lose my ability to speak, although as I get older I like to think I'd handle myself well, after all, I didn't jump up on the stage when I saw him (only 6 rows back) in Newark and BOY did that take all I had in me!

  • Posted By: coach32810 @ 03/26/2009 5:26:51 PM

    Pearl Jam is the greatest band right now. I have been to a lot of concerts, but I have never felt like a band cared more about what they gave the audience than PJ. That does not mean they are perfect. Ed flubs lyrics and things go wrong, but the energy is there every time. You never feel like they are mailing it in. You also have to give Ed credit for NOT being a rock star prima donna or a junkie. That is what tears bands apart. That is why Soundgarden will never get back together. Or Nirvana and Alice in Chains for obvious reasons. I gave up caring what other people thought about PJ a long time ago. It just means better seats for me at the next show.

    • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/27/2009 12:07:59 AM

      Alice In Chains already reunited a few years ago.

      • Posted By: coach32810 @ 03/27/2009 3:45:09 PM

        That is my point. Cobain was a suicidal junkie. His own self-loathing denied Nirvana fans of whatever else he had to offer. The same with Layne Staley. I know Jerry Cantrell was touring as a solo act and doing AIC songs, but are they really trying to pass off a band without Staley as AIC? Pathetic.

        I loved Guns n' Roses as a kid growing up. It broke my heart when that sociopath Axl Rose ruined a great band. I love Pearl Jam, not just for their music, but for their loyalty to each other and their fans. They have never disappointed me.

        • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/27/2009 5:29:33 PM

          Well IMO Nirvana was always way overrated anyway. The Foo Fighters I think are much better & Kurt dying had to be the best thing that ever happened in Dave Grohl's life. That guy was almost like the Phil Collins of the '90s. (or maybe that's a bad analogy, but Phil's a drummer too of course, & Dave does it all)

          And I think Layne was very unique, but Alice In Chains is still Jerry Cantrell! So obviously he's still in the band, Mike Inex, (who before that played in Ozzy's band & after Alice in Heart for a few years) Sean Kinney & new singer William Duvall. (a black guy with an afro) He's not the right frontman for 'em though, doesn't look right with the rest of the band for starters, but the worst thing is is his voice is just too different from Layne's! (tI mean,hey didn't need to hire a Layne clone but still) They're been touring again for a few years & I think are making a new record which I assume will be their first since like '95.

          • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/27/2009 5:36:32 PM

            I meant Mike "Inez" rather. lol

        • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/27/2009 5:16:43 PM

    • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/27/2009 12:10:00 AM

      And futhermore, how could Nirvana ever get back together (even if Krist Noveselic & Dave Grohl wanted to) without Kurt Cobain in the first place?!

  • Posted By: mikentrisha @ 03/26/2009 5:48:29 PM

    i have neen a big fan of PJ since 1991 i cant believe it has been that long but they are just as good now as they were then ( maybe even better ) i havent seen them live in years but will the next time they come to Dallas......they are a great american rock n roll band!

    • Posted By: ruizky @ 03/26/2009 8:15:42 PM

    • Posted By: ruizky @ 03/26/2009 8:14:00 PM

    • Posted By: ruizky @ 03/26/2009 8:13:16 PM

      You are gonna have to sit for loooong. They stated that they wont play in the South because they don't make much money there. I think it was the bassist who said that. That's why they haven't played in Texas since 2003. It makes you wonder what is the kind of activism that Ed talks about all the time, when they ignore their southern fans like that. Houston used to be a sure-stop on their small tours when they weren't that big, "funny how things change so much, it's all a state of...." ...the bank account?

  • Posted By: who's next @ 03/25/2009 12:51:08 AM

    PJ is a HAS BEEN band. They haven't had a good record in over ten years so they re-release this one for money. Selling tickets to people who agreed with their politics worked for a while but they are over and they know it. Vedder is an arrogant, self important jerk who is known for treating people rudely. He once said to a teenage girl who was disrupting the show "Actually I'm into harder core stuff and I like shi***ng on little girls heads." If they really wants to help the environment they'll stop making any more stupid records.

    • Posted By: mikentrisha @ 03/26/2009 6:43:38 PM

      this is not a real post i hope? not a good record in 10 years?????/what now if you are not a fan of PJ then thats fine but to come on a board and make such comments is uncalled for

  • Posted By: mikentrisha @ 03/26/2009 5:51:51 PM

    i became a fam of PJ when i was in the Navy in 1992 and have been a big fan ever since....they have always stayed true to who they are and have never given in to mainstream music trends....they are as relevant now as they were then and their music is as good if not better then it was then......Pearl Jam is an Amrican Rock N Roll legend.......

  • Posted By: aftercancer @ 03/26/2009 4:16:37 PM

    I saw Pearl Jam for the first time last year. I knew their music in passing but was not a die hard fan. They played a three hour set that was moving and amazing. Before you decide they're done, see them live.

  • Posted By: throatlozenge @ 03/26/2009 9:13:47 AM

    Have you heard the song passin through that he sang on with Gary Heffern?

  • Posted By: Eve72 @ 03/25/2009 3:23:05 PM

    Eddie Vedder still ROCKS!!!! We all had to grow up sometime. Eddie just found a way to deal with it all better than most. Eddie you still Kick A**!!!!

  • Posted By: Eve72 @ 03/25/2009 3:20:49 PM

    Eddie still ROCKS!!! We all had to grow up sometime. Eddie was able to just find a way to deal with it all better than most. You still Kick A** !

  • Posted By: Dredd @ 03/25/2009 3:07:40 PM

    Eddie Vedder is a great voice.

  • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/25/2009 2:06:25 PM

    The only thing I can think of that's cool about the rerelease of 10 is it has "Brother" (don't THINK this was available anywhere before) on it which I think's a great track! It might also have "State of Love & Trust" which is another awesome tune. I'm just kinda surprised PJ didn't wait another two years until the 20th anniversery of 10. In general would have made more sense I think.

  • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/25/2009 1:48:28 PM

    Speaking of Seattle bands, I'm still really surprised Soundgarden never reformed. (especially after Chris Cornell left Audioslave too) And of course Matt Cameron from Soundgarden has been in Pearl Jam now for years. I always thought The Screaming Trees & Mudhoney were pretty cool too.

  • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/25/2009 1:37:34 PM

    Pearl Jam "the greatest American rock band of all-time?" You have got to *** bekidding me! What about The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, The Doors, Van Halen, R.E.M., etc., etc. Hell,PJ wasn't even the greatest Seattle band; I think that was more like Alice In Chains. And Nirvana (next to Guns N' Roses I think) has to be the most overrated band EVER!!!!!!!!!!

  • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/25/2009 1:34:18 PM

    Pearl Jam "the greatest American rock band of all-time?" You have got to *** be kidding me. I mean, what about The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, The Doors, R.E.M., Van Halen, etc. Hell, PJ isn't even the greatest Seattle band ever, that'd be more like Alice In Chains.

  • Posted By: Kdude @ 03/25/2009 1:30:31 PM

    Pearl Jam "the greatest American rock band of all-time?" You have got to *** bekidding me! What about The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, The Doors, Van Halen, R.E.M., etc., etc. Hell,PJ wasn't even the greatest Seattle band; I think that was more like Alice In Chains. And Nirvana (next to Guns N' Roses I think) has to be the most overrated band EVER!!!!!!!!!!

  • Posted By: core000 @ 03/25/2009 12:18:25 PM

    Pearl Jam is probably the most consistent ((no. of albums vs song per album) and grounded band I've ever seen. And this interview supports the evidence to that. Moreover, the band has done a great job with their music changing with the times so it does not sound dated.

    As for user 'who's next' saying the Pearl Jam has not had a good record in 10 years, perhaps you're right. However Eddie Vedder has awesome soundtracks in the last few years. eg. Big Fish, Into the Wild.

  • Posted By: core000 @ 03/25/2009 12:17:59 PM

    Pearl Jam is probably the most consistent ((no. of albums vs song per album) and grounded band I've ever seen. And this interview supports the evidence to that. Moreover, the band has done a great job with their music changing with the times so it does not sound dated.

    As for user 'who's next' saying the Pearl Jam has not had a good record in 10 years, perhaps you're right. However Eddie Vedder has awesome soundtracks in the last few years. eg. Big Fish, Into the Wild.

  • Posted By: dezzi @ 03/25/2009 11:49:01 AM

    Amazing how a "has-been" band still sells out (or very nearly) every show they perform. If they tour this year, my 8-year old son will be with me at at least one of the shows. He's not a teenager yet but he knows better than to disrupt a rock concert--although how one teenage girl could disrupt a rock n roll show is beyond my comprehension. What'd she do, take her top off?

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