Meeting Ed....?

Hugh Freaking Dillon

So, let me just state that I don't frown on people wanting to or raving about meeting him. That's their thing and I don't judge. I just don't get the big deal. He's a guy. A human male like many of us. I met Matt backstage at a SG concert back in 95, and he spoke to me as a normal person for about 20 minutes, totally humble, cool, whathaveyou, but there was nothing particularly special (no offence, Matt!) about it.

Honestly, if I saw Ed in public I'd probably turn the other way knowing he probably gets tired of being bothered all the time.

Does anyone have a profound Ed experience that might shed some light on this obsession by some PJ fans? (please keep in mind if you take this the wrong way, none of this is sarcastic or in any way knocking those who wish to or have met him and found it to be a special event).

Wilds

This statement is not about me, cause I don't really care about meeting ed, although he seems like an interesting dude, so I would enjoy talking to him I think.

With that said, his art, his words, and his music inspires people, in some cases kept them alive or at least out of some really dark, ugly places. (Same thing The Who, et. all did for Ed, and one of the reasons he is so interested in meeting his musical heroes.)

So I think a lot of people who would enjoy meeting EV would do so cause they want to thank him, and let him know what his art has meant to them.

Not so hard to understand from my POV.

Hugh Freaking Dillon

Wilds wrote:

This statement is not about me, cause I don't really care about meeting ed, although he seems like an interesting dude, so I would enjoy talking to him I think.

With that said, his art, his words, and his music inspires people, in some cases kept them alive or at least out of some really dark, ugly places. (Same thing The Who, et. all did for Ed, and one of the reasons he is so interested in meeting his musical heroes.)

So I think a lot of people who would enjoy meeting EV would do so cause they want to thank him, and let him know what his art has meant to them.

Not so hard to understand from my POV.

well, I get that, as I am a musician/songwriter myself, who gets inpired by him among others, not to mention being pulled from the depths of hell when I first heard Ten. But I guess my interest in not bothering him and making him uncomfortable supercedes my need to thank him.

KingJeremyD

I would love to meet Ed..But, I wouldn't go way out of my way to track him down..But, when your in a famous rock n' roll band...Specially, when your the lead singer...Your going to haves fans want to meet you...I think that is a given..

Jeremy

Wilds

Billy Pumpkin wrote:

Wilds wrote:

This statement is not about me, cause I don't really care about meeting ed, although he seems like an interesting dude, so I would enjoy talking to him I think.

With that said, his art, his words, and his music inspires people, in some cases kept them alive or at least out of some really dark, ugly places. (Same thing The Who, et. all did for Ed, and one of the reasons he is so interested in meeting his musical heroes.)

So I think a lot of people who would enjoy meeting EV would do so cause they want to thank him, and let him know what his art has meant to them.

Not so hard to understand from my POV.

well, I get that, as I am a musician/songwriter myself, who gets inpired by him among others, not to mention being pulled from the depths of hell when I first heard Ten. But I guess my interest in not bothering him and making him uncomfortable supercedes my need to thank him.

That is fair enough, but a different question, although you kind of alluded to it in the original post.

So how about.

If you were able to approach EV on the street, would you interrupt to meet him or let him have some peace?

My answer is it depends. If he was with someone, especially family then I would totally leave him alone. If it was in some public setting and he seemed to be approachable then I would approach.

Hard to give an exact answer as there are 100's of scenario's where you might be able to approach, and a 100 more where it would be wrong.

Just to be fair, I am interested in autographs. I'm not interested in approaching people for them, but before I turned 18 I chased 1000's of ball players at Fenway Park. Now as an adult, I don't have any desire to that.

I bought a 2004 World Series ball autographed by Mike, Jeff, and Boom, and when I first bought it, I had visions of getting Ed, Stone, and Matt on it.

So in 2008 I went early to one of EV solo shows. It was not enjoyable waiting for him, (other than hanging with my boys), but would prefer to do that whilst having drinks in an establishment. Eddie came over and said, no autographs, he then shook eveyone's hand and said a few words. I just backed away from the crowd to let some other fans close who were very, very excited.

Suffice to say, I don't think I'll be attempting to get his autograph again?


But who can say how I'll feel in the future?

electronblue

i don't want to meet eddie just be able to see them all a bit better at a pearl jam concert... good gawd, i would never ever have enough gall to meet them!

veddergirl232

I never actually MET Eddie, but in 1994 he wrote me a letter and gave me front row tickets to his April 17, 1994 concert at the Paramount Theater. So although I never met him and got to talk to him, we were right in front of eachother at the concert. He had written me after I wrote him a really long letter...I had won tickets to see them at the Live and Loud Concert In Seattle in Dec. 1993 and they didn't show up so I told him about my experience. I don't know him at all obviously but I know he is an amazing artist and Pearl Jam has gotten me through so much in my life, in my teenage years. I would actually love the opportunity to one day get to meet him and just thank him for his music and for being the amazing artist that he is. He has been my role model and inspiration throughout the 90's, I'd love to have the opportunity to be able to tell him that, as well as thank him for personally writing me and giving me those tickets. He is a regular person though just like the rest of us, who just happens to be famous. I can't even imagine how stressful and difficult and overwhelming that must be, I probably would hate it if I were in that situation. He has touched so many of our lives though with his music, that is a very powerful thing.

thefin190

I would say that at least from what he displays in public, I would probably find him a very interesting person. I would say the reasons that I would want to meet him go beyond his contribution to Pearl Jam. While Pearl Jam by far is my favorite band, I would say the work he's done for Into the Wild and his other solo work, as well as his personal political views, would be the reason that I would like to meet him. I was pretty upset when he decided not to do a solo show here in Seattle, and I didn't have a passport at the time to drive up to Vancouver to see him.

If I ever saw him in public, like the previous poster said, it would depend. If he was with his wife and kid(s), I would most likely wait until there would be an approachable moment. Again, I wouldn't want to be a bother, but I also think if anything, he would appreciate a fan going out of their way and risking embarrassment to tell him how great his work is. I would say if the conversation led in the right direction, I would probably ask him if I'd be able to buy him a beer, even though that might be borderline stalkerish. I feel like he'd be the type of person I could have a conversation for hours with, ranging from fucked up upbringings, to politics and the environment, music, and the impact that his presence could bring to any sort of noble cause.

Hugh Freaking Dillon

very good points all.

pandora

I would definitely not go up and bother him or any of them if a random sighting. The respect is great for them and their privacy . Maybe just a wave :wave: :thumbup:
I haven't attempted to meet Ed after a show like many have. The you tube videos of those meetings are cool though and maybe.... someday.
Not to sound like a crazy obsessed fan, but my feeling is I already know him so well the need is not so great to meet him face to face. And perhaps somehow he knows just how grateful I am for Pearl Jam.

AmishGuy91

Ed has been wanting to meet me for years now. I hope he gets his chance one of these days

veddergirl232

AmishGuy91 wrote:

Ed has been wanting to meet me for years now. I hope he gets his chance one of these days

Hahahahahahaha!

81

allisonk wrote:

i want to lick his hand

Cosmo

The only times I've met Eddie was in the context of a gig. Most musicians expect run in with fans at the venues they are performing at. He was always been really cool with the fans... has us line up (so the EBayer scum don't bull over the fans to get a tons of stuff signed to sell at auction), spends a little time with everyone... doesn't mind signing... doesn't like pictures. But, if it's too much of a zoo and too many fuckers flashing cameras and cell phones... he'll pass.
I asked him about the Pete Townshend Les Paul No.5... and if it was actually Pete's. No, he had it made to the exact specifications. So, we talked about that guitar and Pete's fairly recent acoustic show with Ben Harper down the street... and he told me that they had asked him and Neil Young to do one of those shows, but the timing wasn't right. I told him that they needed to get the timing right because that would be incredible.
It was cool... I didn't mind meeting him.
...
The only time I've talked to anyone outside the context of a gig was when I had lunch with Stone at that tree planting thing. We talked about everything other than Pearl Jam. I like Stone... he's always been nice to me.

Hugh Freaking Dillon

:shock:

Cosmo wrote:

The only times I've met Eddie was in the context of a gig. Most musicians expect run in with fans at the venues they are performing at. He was always been really cool with the fans... has us line up (so the EBayer scum don't bull over the fans to get a tons of stuff signed to sell at auction), spends a little time with everyone... doesn't mind signing... doesn't like pictures. But, if it's too much of a zoo and too many fuckers flashing cameras and cell phones... he'll pass.
I asked him about the Pete Townshend Les Paul No.5... and if it was actually Pete's. No, he had it made to the exact specifications. So, we talked about that guitar and Pete's fairly recent acoustic show with Ben Harper down the street... and he told me that they had asked him and Neil Young to do one of them, but the timing wasn't right. I told him that they needed to get the timing right because that would be incredible.
It was cool... I didn't mind meeting him.
...
The only time I've talked to anyone outside the context of a gig was when I had lunch with Stone at that tree planting thing. We talked about everything other than Pearl Jam. I like Stone... he's always been nice to me.

BinauralJam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlVqfC8-UI i would do this.

PureandEasy

Cosmo wrote:

The only times I've met Eddie was in the context of a gig. Most musicians expect run in with fans at the venues they are performing at. He was always been really cool with the fans... has us line up (so the EBayer scum don't bull over the fans to get a tons of stuff signed to sell at auction), spends a little time with everyone... doesn't mind signing... doesn't like pictures. But, if it's too much of a zoo and too many fuckers flashing cameras and cell phones... he'll pass.
I asked him about the Pete Townshend Les Paul No.5... and if it was actually Pete's. No, he had it made to the exact specifications. So, we talked about that guitar and Pete's fairly recent acoustic show with Ben Harper down the street... and he told me that they had asked him and Neil Young to do one of those shows, but the timing wasn't right. I told him that they needed to get the timing right because that would be incredible.
It was cool... I didn't mind meeting him.
...
The only time I've talked to anyone outside the context of a gig was when I had lunch with Stone at that tree planting thing. We talked about everything other than Pearl Jam. I like Stone... he's always been nice to me.

Cosmo, so jealous, I would love to talk to Ed about Pete. Fuck yeah!

mavi

KO282453 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlVqfC8-UI i would do this.

classy.

Backstop-440

Only a couple of times have I met someone famous. My uncle was a sportswriter and was very frequently around major stars. I go by what he's told me: by and large, famous people don't mind stopping to chat or take a snapshot. They were all fans of someone at some point so they know how it is. Someone stops by and says "Hello, I really enjoy your work and it's really nice to meet you" is just fine.

Sometimes they really have somewhere to be, they are not blowing you off to be a dick, they have to get to a plane or something. Once I met Giada de Laurentis (she is extremely tiny) and she was on her way to do a live show; she said "I really have to go but if you'll walk with me I'd be glad to talk." Very nice of her to say that, but if she'd just have said "can't talk!" and whisked off I might have thought she was rude.

What they DO mind, a lot, are the people that break in and go nuts all over them. "OMG OMG OMG YOU'RE EDDIE VEDDERRR I LOOOVE YOU OMGOMG" is not something they want to deal with. He says the worst thing they hate when someone butts in to a conversation or a meal and does the freak-out and then just stands there gawking. Like, are they waiting for the star to anoint them or something? Say your piece, chat if the star is open to it and then say your good-byes.

Mcam55

Backstop-440 wrote:

Only a couple of times have I met someone famous. My uncle was a sportswriter and was very frequently around major stars. I go by what he's told me: by and large, famous people don't mind stopping to chat or take a snapshot. They were all fans of someone at some point so they know how it is. Someone stops by and says "Hello, I really enjoy your work and it's really nice to meet you" is just fine.

Sometimes they really have somewhere to be, they are not blowing you off to be a dick, they have to get to a plane or something. Once I met Giada de Laurentis (she is extremely tiny) and she was on her way to do a live show; she said "I really have to go but if you'll walk with me I'd be glad to talk." Very nice of her to say that, but if she'd just have said "can't talk!" and whisked off I might have thought she was rude.

What they DO mind, a lot, are the people that break in and go nuts all over them. "OMG OMG OMG YOU'RE EDDIE VEDDERRR I LOOOVE YOU OMGOMG" is not something they want to deal with. He says the worst thing they hate when someone butts in to a conversation or a meal and does the freak-out and then just stands there gawking. Like, are they waiting for the star to anoint them or something? Say your piece, chat if the star is open to it and then say your good-byes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFpN8CEMUS8#t=0m32s

BinauralJam

I was in the elevator with Rob Halford one morning, very early, very hung over and i kept looking at him out of the corner of my eye, thinking , i know this guy ,who is this guy, he caught me doing it too, finally the doors open he steps off and it hits me i said "OH" snapped my fingers and everything. Just as the doors closing he says "Now you get it" door closed, i was like DAMMIT!!!

Hugh Freaking Dillon

KO282453 wrote:

I was in the elevator with Rob Halford one morning, very early, very hung over and i kept looking at him out of the corner of my eye, thinking , i know this guy ,who is this guy, he caught me doing it too, finally the doors open he steps off and it hits me i said "OH" snapped my fingers and everything. Just as the doors closing he says "Now you get it" door closed, i was like DAMMIT!!!

that's awesome that he said that just as the door was closing! Classic!

Cosmo

Backstop-440 wrote:

Only a couple of times have I met someone famous. My uncle was a sportswriter and was very frequently around major stars. I go by what he's told me: by and large, famous people don't mind stopping to chat or take a snapshot. They were all fans of someone at some point so they know how it is. Someone stops by and says "Hello, I really enjoy your work and it's really nice to meet you" is just fine.

Sometimes they really have somewhere to be, they are not blowing you off to be a dick, they have to get to a plane or something. Once I met Giada de Laurentis (she is extremely tiny) and she was on her way to do a live show; she said "I really have to go but if you'll walk with me I'd be glad to talk." Very nice of her to say that, but if she'd just have said "can't talk!" and whisked off I might have thought she was rude.

What they DO mind, a lot, are the people that break in and go nuts all over them. "OMG OMG OMG YOU'RE EDDIE VEDDERRR I LOOOVE YOU OMGOMG" is not something they want to deal with. He says the worst thing they hate when someone butts in to a conversation or a meal and does the freak-out and then just stands there gawking. Like, are they waiting for the star to anoint them or something? Say your piece, chat if the star is open to it and then say your good-byes.

...
I find that just being yourself helps...
I was at Largo in L.A. last night and finally got to meet Neil Young. I said, 'I'd just like to personally thank you for a lifetime of music' and extended my hand. He was so cool... he shook my hand and asked my name and I told him, adding I know you hear that all the time... and he said, 'Not from you, i haven't'. How fricken' cool is that? Then, we talked a little about Pegi's band, who was playing last night and I say good bye and thanx, again.
I don't need autographs and photographs... but, admit, both are pretty cool... the memory of the moment is more than I ever need.
...
Stephen Stills pretty much blew me off.