i wonder what Jeremy's parents thought of "Jeremy"

81

Eddie Vedder wrote:

No, I wrote, I mean I literally wrote the song that night, I think...I don't know that much. I actually even thought about... I'm really divulging a lot here... and I should explain it...the fact that I thought of even calling up and finding out more, like I wonder why that happened? I wonder why he did it and it seemed like Richardson sounded to me like a decent suburb, middle if not upper class. The fact is, I didn't want to. I thought that was intruding completely and so... I actually knew somebody in junior high school, in San Diego, California, that did the same thing, just about, didn't take his life but ended up shooting up an oceanography room. I remember being in the halls and hearing it and I had actually had altercations with this kid in the past. I was kind of a rebellious fifth-grader and I think we got in fights and stuff. So it's a bit about this kid named Jeremy and it's also a bit about a kid named Brian that I knew and I don't know...the song, I think it says a lot. I think it goes somewhere...and a lot of people interpret it different ways and it's just been recently that I've been talking about the true meaning behind it and I hope no one's offended and believe me, I think of Jeremy when I sing it. "

Ledbetterman10

Another question that needs to be posed here is how many kids may have committed suicide BECAUSE OF Jeremy? He is portrayed as almost heroic in the music video. While I'm sure it may have helped teens on the brink of suicide, it very well could have pushed others over the edge.

Another song that I've always felt was a huge double-edged sword was "Rape Me" by Nirvana. Just imagine being a rape victim. You've put it behind you and you're getting on with your life. Sometimes you think about it but you try not to. Then one day you're driving in your car listening to the local alternative rock station and all of a sudden there's this dude screaming "rape me" at the top his lungs blasting out of the speakers. That could be fucking traumatizing for a girl.

Gems and Rhinestones

i saw them rocking out at the Spectrum so they must have been okay with it.

FenwayFaithful

Wow, this thread could go on for a while. Good stuff guys.

CJMST3K

Gems and Rhinestones wrote:

i saw them rocking out at the Spectrum so they must have been okay with it.

who's "them"? PJ or Jeremy's family?

...'cause PJ has be fine with singing this song for two decades.

songforholly

81 wrote:

http://www.sshep.com/jeremynew.htm

made me think ... reading this.... thanks for the link.
Seem Ed was hit by a chord as a very similar story happened to him when he was a kid... (well child with a gun shooting up a classroom)
It would stay with you forever.

blondieblue227

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Another question that needs to be posed here is how many kids may have committed suicide BECAUSE OF Jeremy? He is portrayed as almost heroic in the music video. While I'm sure it may have helped teens on the brink of suicide, it very well could have pushed others over the edge

that reminds me of ozzy.
remember?
a kid killed himself and the parents blamed the music. 'get the gun. shoot shoot shoot.'

na uh. ain't buying it.
it's not because of the music.

Ironic. It’s Christmas time and I’ve noticed two threads on here about suicide.

FenwayFaithful

blondieblue227 wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Another question that needs to be posed here is how many kids may have committed suicide BECAUSE OF Jeremy? He is portrayed as almost heroic in the music video. While I'm sure it may have helped teens on the brink of suicide, it very well could have pushed others over the edge

that reminds me of ozzy.
remember?
a kid killed himself and the parents blamed the music. 'get the gun. shoot shoot shoot.'

na uh. ain't buying it.

+1

songforholly

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Another song that I've always felt was a huge double-edged sword was "Rape Me" by Nirvana. Just imagine being a rape victim. You've put it behind you and you're getting on with your life. Sometimes you think about it but you try not to. Then one day you're driving in your car listening to the local alternative rock station and all of a sudden there's this dude screaming "rape me" at the top his lungs blasting out of the speakers. That could be fucking traumatizing for a girl.

I always thought this song was about smoking... :shock:

blondieblue227

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Another song that I've always felt was a huge double-edged sword was "Rape Me" by Nirvana.

Hey I’m a girl and you have a point.
I DID NOT like that song.
But I never liked Nirvana anyway, so...

but that song really made me not like them.

Ledbetterman10

blondieblue227 wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Another question that needs to be posed here is how many kids may have committed suicide BECAUSE OF Jeremy? He is portrayed as almost heroic in the music video. While I'm sure it may have helped teens on the brink of suicide, it very well could have pushed others over the edge

that reminds me of ozzy.
remember?
a kid killed himself and the parents blamed the music. 'get the gun. shoot shoot shoot.'

na uh. ain't buying it.
it's not because of the music.

Ironic. It’s Christmas time and I’ve noticed two threads on here about suicide.

I totally agree that people like Ozzy or Marilyn Manson can't be held responsible in case like that. But I also know that music does have a tremendous deal on impact on people had when interpreted wrong by mentally unstable people, bad things could happen. Take Charlie Manson trying to say that he killed people because he thought Helter Skelter was about the Apocalypse and that The Beatles were four prophets. Well Helter Sketler is an amusement park ride and the Beatles are four musicians. But that's not how he saw it.

blondieblue227

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

But I also know that music does have a tremendous deal on impact on people had when interpreted wrong by mentally unstable people, bad things could happen.

i agree.
but music isn't the only reason.
it shouldn't become the easy scapegoat.

Ledbetterman10

songforholly wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Another song that I've always felt was a huge double-edged sword was "Rape Me" by Nirvana. Just imagine being a rape victim. You've put it behind you and you're getting on with your life. Sometimes you think about it but you try not to. Then one day you're driving in your car listening to the local alternative rock station and all of a sudden there's this dude screaming "rape me" at the top his lungs blasting out of the speakers. That could be fucking traumatizing for a girl.

I always thought this song was about smoking... :shock:

Well I guess it could be about whatever you want it to be about....just like any song. But I just shudder to think what this song could me to some of the Catch A Predator types out there. Again, I called it a double-edged sword because it's an awesome alternative rock song....but in the same token it's a suicide victim screaming "rape me" over and over.

Gems and Rhinestones

CJMST3K wrote:

Gems and Rhinestones wrote:

i saw them rocking out at the Spectrum so they must have been okay with it.

who's "them"? PJ or Jeremy's family?

...'cause PJ has be fine with singing this song for two decades.

jeremy's parents

TravisTheSky

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Another song that I've always felt was a huge double-edged sword was "Rape Me" by Nirvana. Just imagine being a rape victim. You've put it behind you and you're getting on with your life. Sometimes you think about it but you try not to. Then one day you're driving in your car listening to the local alternative rock station and all of a sudden there's this dude screaming "rape me" at the top his lungs blasting out of the speakers. That could be fucking traumatizing for a girl.

It's a man screaming, "Rape Me!" in that song. Could be fucking traumatizing for a boy.

loopjd

Holy shit. I was just reading an article about Jeremy, and although i knew he was from Texas, what I didn't know was that he lived in the town that I lived in when I was three! If my family hadn't moved to California, its possible that I would be enrolled in that school at this very moment. Wow.

wait up in the dark

If I remember correctly, Rape Me was about the music industry and how Kurt felt about it.

FenwayFaithful

wait up in the dark wrote:

If I remember correctly, Rape Me was about the music industry and how Kurt felt about it.

Yes thank you.

vital5

FenwayFaithful wrote:

.... "I wonder what happened to the Vs. sheep" ...

What happened to the sheep?! tell me!

helplessdancer

IMakeUSmile wrote:

When I was 18, I lost a great friend to suicide. At the time of his funeral, we young kids that knew EVERYTHING sneered at his parents, were downright a-holes and blamed them for Tony's death. I guess at 18, we didn't know how the f* else to deal with such agonizing grief.

Fifteen years later I think of Tony still probably almost every day of my life. Now though, I think of his family, his brother, his parents and how much I can't even begin to wrap my head around how much they must have hurt, still hurt and how much of the blame they probably heaped on themselves without all of us young jerks adding to it.

I've thought a long time about sending Tony's family a letter, not so much as an apology, but more of a hey, he was a great friend I miss him and I think of him and you often.

But, I have NO idea how they processed the suicide of their son. This letter would be my Jeremy of sorts... Cathartic for me in dealing with the pain, but without the piece of info about how they are healing, it could be a sting that they just can't deal with still all these years later or maybe a welcome relief?

We can never read what is truly on someone else's heart I guess..

thanks for sharing that with us. i can't imagine what it must be like for you but please know that time does heal wounds.

in a ways its kinda like what chris's(into the wild) parents went through. the guilt that they must have carried around, whether justified or not, must be incredibly saddening for them...always thinking if it was them that caused chris to leave them unannounced, or? that movie was so powerful. just trying to understand/comprehend what chris's parents went through in the process is incredibly haunting to me.

thanks all who posted good thoughts/reads/links in this thread. it has been a real good read and i'm glad the OP made the post...mostly caused im sick of people selling/trading shit here,x20(but thats for another thread)

to bad about kayne...meh