What would the 1991 Ed think of PJ merchandise in 2018?

Milestone · October 2018

Just curious what you think Ed's 1991 comments would be if you told him that his band, in 2018, would be selling:
socks, wristbands, 5 poster versions per show, pins, tote bags, backpacks, and all the other commercialized gear....

PJNB · October 2018

Good question but I think family Ed is a completely different person than 90's Ed. I think the obvious answer would be that he would not be happy with this direction but I also think it is unfair to compare the two since times and people change.

Poncier · October 2018

He'd say;

Image: https://media.giphy.com/media/9HQRIttS5C4Za/giphy.gif

ryph raph · October 2018

At what point did 1991 Ed turn into 2018 Ed ?

After losing to ticketmaster ?

tempo_n_groove · October 2018

This again?!?

IBTL!

CROJAM95 · October 2018

He’d say

look guys.... 40 plus year old grown men sleep outside for merch tents... give em what they want

Milestone · October 2018

tempo_n_groove said:

This again?!?

IBTL!

I'll start checking with you first from now on. Apologies.

josevolution · October 2018

Not sure he would care about the merchandise but the corporate shows that could be a sticking point for Ed 91 ...

tempo_n_groove · October 2018

Milestone said:

tempo_n_groove said:

This again?!?

IBTL!

I'll start checking with you first from now on. Apologies.

Or you could learn to use the "search" function.

Milestone · October 2018

tempo_n_groove said:

Milestone said:

tempo_n_groove said:

This again?!?

IBTL!

I'll start checking with you first from now on. Apologies.

Or you could learn to use the "search" function.

I actually did use the search function. I typed in "Ed's opinion" "Ed and Merchandise" and a few others... scrolled through a few pages after each search. Felt comfortable that it hadn't been a recent discussion as nothing really turned up.
It sounds like you might be more useful than the search function. So, congrats. You are my new resource.

tempo_n_groove · October 2018

Milestone said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Milestone said:

tempo_n_groove said:

This again?!?

IBTL!

I'll start checking with you first from now on. Apologies.

Or you could learn to use the "search" function.

I actually did use the search function. I typed in "Ed's opinion" "Ed and Merchandise" and a few others... scrolled through a few pages after each search. Felt comfortable that it hadn't been a recent discussion as nothing really turned up.
It sounds like you might be more useful than the search function. So, congrats. You are my new resource.

I chuckled at this.

mcgruff10 · October 2018

I think he would be pretty pumped that the 2018 ed ved is worth around $100 million dollars.

pjl44 · October 2018

They've been selling variations of all this stuff since I started seeing them in the 90s. There's more of it now, but it's not a new phenomenon. I don't know why anyone would think he or anyone else in the band would look upon it negatively.

Milestone · October 2018

pjl44 said:

They've been selling variations of all this stuff since I started seeing them in the 90s. There's more of it now, but it's not a new phenomenon. I don't know why anyone would think he or anyone else in the band would look upon it negatively.

I hadn't watched PJ Twenty since it came out. Gave it a watch last night. Seeing those early interviews reminded me of some things. Even Stone's comments about how they measured many of their early decisions based on what Cobain would think of it. They didn't want to be sellouts, too mainstream, or too commercially money-grabbing. Them being angry about grunge clothing being marketed to the masses, disliking being on magazine covers, and just being "anti-success" in general, during that time period, seems to be at odds with their marketing and commercializing of things today.
Of course things, and people change. So did I. I'd cringe if you showed me something I said 20-25 years ago. And I love buying this stuff. I bought 4 out of 5 Seattle posters.
While I agree with you that they've always had merch since the early days, yes.... I do think it's at a new level today. And I was just thinking about what the young and anti-success Ed would think about the 2018 merchandise machine.

pjl44 · October 2018

Milestone said:

pjl44 said:

They've been selling variations of all this stuff since I started seeing them in the 90s. There's more of it now, but it's not a new phenomenon. I don't know why anyone would think he or anyone else in the band would look upon it negatively.

I hadn't watched PJ Twenty since it came out. Gave it a watch last night. Seeing those early interviews reminded me of some things. Even Stone's comments about how they measured many of their early decisions based on what Cobain would think of it. They didn't want to be sellouts, too mainstream, or too commercially money-grabbing. Them being angry about grunge clothing being marketed to the masses, disliking being on magazine covers, and just being "anti-success" in general, during that time period, seems to be at odds with their marketing and commercializing of things today.
Of course things, and people change. So did I. I'd cringe if you showed me something I said 20-25 years ago. And I love buying this stuff. I bought 4 out of 5 Seattle posters.
While I agree with you that they've always had merch since the early days, yes.... I do think it's at a new level today. And I was just thinking about what the young and anti-success Ed would think about the 2018 merchandise machine.

My guess is if you told them they'd still be relevant on their own terms, considered peers by their artistic idols, and successful enough to generate millions of dollars for charity when they see fit, they wouldn't be worried one way or the other about the size of the tshirt stands.

Milestone · October 2018

pjl44 said:

Milestone said:

pjl44 said:

They've been selling variations of all this stuff since I started seeing them in the 90s. There's more of it now, but it's not a new phenomenon. I don't know why anyone would think he or anyone else in the band would look upon it negatively.

I hadn't watched PJ Twenty since it came out. Gave it a watch last night. Seeing those early interviews reminded me of some things. Even Stone's comments about how they measured many of their early decisions based on what Cobain would think of it. They didn't want to be sellouts, too mainstream, or too commercially money-grabbing. Them being angry about grunge clothing being marketed to the masses, disliking being on magazine covers, and just being "anti-success" in general, during that time period, seems to be at odds with their marketing and commercializing of things today.
Of course things, and people change. So did I. I'd cringe if you showed me something I said 20-25 years ago. And I love buying this stuff. I bought 4 out of 5 Seattle posters.
While I agree with you that they've always had merch since the early days, yes.... I do think it's at a new level today. And I was just thinking about what the young and anti-success Ed would think about the 2018 merchandise machine.

My guess is if you told them they'd still be relevant on their own terms, considered peers by their artistic idols, and successful enough to generate millions of dollars for charity when they see fit, they wouldn't be worried one way or the other about the size of the tshirt stands.

You may be right. That's a rational thought you are having there. Not sure Ed was quite so "big picture" back then.
I remember hearing stories, for example, about him being furious with Dave A when he showed up to the studio with a brand new Mercedes (or whatever the particular make was) because Ed really had a hatred of "success" back then.

Tim Simmons · October 2018

Milestone said:

pjl44 said:

They've been selling variations of all this stuff since I started seeing them in the 90s. There's more of it now, but it's not a new phenomenon. I don't know why anyone would think he or anyone else in the band would look upon it negatively.

I hadn't watched PJ Twenty since it came out. Gave it a watch last night. Seeing those early interviews reminded me of some things. Even Stone's comments about how they measured many of their early decisions based on what Cobain would think of it. They didn't want to be sellouts, too mainstream, or too commercially money-grabbing. Them being angry about grunge clothing being marketed to the masses, disliking being on magazine covers, and just being "anti-success" in general, during that time period, seems to be at odds with their marketing and commercializing of things today.
Of course things, and people change. So did I. I'd cringe if you showed me something I said 20-25 years ago. And I love buying this stuff. I bought 4 out of 5 Seattle posters.
While I agree with you that they've always had merch since the early days, yes.... I do think it's at a new level today. And I was just thinking about what the young and anti-success Ed would think about the 2018 merchandise machine.

My guess is if you told them they'd still be relevant on their own terms, considered peers by their artistic idols, and successful enough to generate millions of dollars for charity when they see fit, they wouldn't be worried one way or the other about the size of the tshirt stands.

this.

colors blend · October 2018

people buy the merchandise...which allows the band to tour with a carbon neutral footprint, help the homeless, build skate parks, raise money to cure various diseases, etc...all at a reasonable ticket price

i think if you told 1991 Ed that all of this would be possible in 2018 he'd be on board

Tim Simmons · October 2018

If anything, its giving the fans what they want. If fans didn't want socks, wristbands, lots of posters (by not buying them), they wouldn't make/sell them.

bootlegger10 · October 2018

ryph raph said:

At what point did 1991 Ed turn into 2018 Ed ?
After losing to ticketmaster ?

I think when the social contract of artist produces music and listener purchases music fell apart. When bands can't make a lot of money selling their music, they have to turn to other revenue generators like touring and merchandising.

CantKeepmedown · October 2018

1991 Ed, just happy to be playing shows in club in front of 500 people is far different than 2018 Ed playing shows in iconic ball parks in front of 40,000 people. It's an impossible question.

He went from just wanting Who records and bootlegs to sitting down with Pete and having private conversations with him over the course of a few years. I don't think he'd put much stock into 1991 Ed with how much his life changed

on2legs · October 2018

bootlegger10 said:

ryph raph said:

At what point did 1991 Ed turn into 2018 Ed ?
After losing to ticketmaster ?

I think when the social contract of artist produces music and listener purchases music fell apart. When bands can't make a lot of money selling their music, they have to turn to other revenue generators like touring and merchandising.

This... the merch is replacing the revenue we all helped destroy by downloading albums for free off Napster.

goldrush · October 2018

bootlegger10 said:

ryph raph said:

At what point did 1991 Ed turn into 2018 Ed ?
After losing to ticketmaster ?

I think when the social contract of artist produces music and listener purchases music fell apart. When bands can't make a lot of money selling their music, they have to turn to other revenue generators like touring and merchandising.

Right now this thread is directly above one titled “2018 Halloween shirt? Please make them as we LOVE them!!!”
It’s supply and demand - there is a huge demand for PJ merch, and they are happy to satisfy that. They all have families now and tour merch sales only go part of the way to replacing lost album sales.

AmishGuy91 · October 2018

I'm glad 2018 AmishGuy91 doesn't share all the same thoughts as 1991 AmishGuy91

Tim Simmons · October 2018

I also think OP meant 1994 Ed not 1991 Ed. Big difference in attitude between the two.

That being said, they have always been about the fans. 94 Ed would probably cringe a little, but would be fine as long it was about the music and fans still.

Milestone · October 2018

CantKeepmedown said:

1991 Ed, just happy to be playing shows in club in front of 500 people is far different than 2018 Ed playing shows in iconic ball parks in front of 40,000 people. It's an impossible question.

I think you are right about the difference in just being happy to play in front of 500 people versus playing huge ballparks years later. It is an impossible question to answer. Especially for us. Only Ed could answer it. It's an interesting question,though.

Milestone · October 2018

Tim Simmons said:

I also think OP meant 1994 Ed not 1991 Ed. Big difference in attitude between the two.

Now that you mention it, this is really true. In '91 he probably felt lucky to be there. By '94 he hated it.

KN219077 · October 2018

How do you feel differently about things 27 years later? I mean Pear Jam is so much more than just the guys in the band and they have other mouths to feed as well. Plus, fans love it, what’s not to like? The only thing that sucks is that it’s so hard to find merch for people that don’t have a day to devote to it or want to plunk down way over inflated prices

bootlegger10 · October 2018

AmishGuy91 said:

I'm glad 2018 AmishGuy91 doesn't share all the same thoughts as 1991 AmishGuy91

Yeah. I don't think there is a magic age where you know everything. At one point in time I probably thought the world was flat because it looks flat, and then someone showed me a globe and a picture. We keep evolving as a person.

But yeah, I'm sure my 2 year old self thinks I'm a dick for believing the earth is round.

Zod · October 2018

Honestly, I think he'd get pretty excited about where they were playing opposed to what merch was being sold. Telling the before Pearl Jam broke out Eddie Vedder that he'll get to do a small tour of US stadiums including Wrigley field. He'd probably get pretty stoked. All bands sell merch. They even sold merch in the 90s. It's expanded, and PJ fans are insanely crazy about it, but would he care that much. I honestly think he'd look right past it, because in the same breath you've told him his dreams come true.

tempo_n_groove · October 2018

goldrush said:

bootlegger10 said:

ryph raph said:

At what point did 1991 Ed turn into 2018 Ed ?
After losing to ticketmaster ?

I think when the social contract of artist produces music and listener purchases music fell apart. When bands can't make a lot of money selling their music, they have to turn to other revenue generators like touring and merchandising.

Right now this thread is directly above one titled “2018 Halloween shirt? Please make them as we LOVE them!!!”
It’s supply and demand - there is a huge demand for PJ merch, and they are happy to satisfy that. They all have families now and tour merch sales only go part of the way to replacing lost album sales.

We aren't getting a new album so a cool shirt will suffice for now.

Back in 91 I never bought shirts at shows.

What would the 1991 Ed think of PJ merchandise in 2018?

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