Jeff Ament spoke to my class yesterday
Evil Beaver
Posts: 84
Hey everyone!
I’m a first-time poster here. I’m mostly a lurker over at Red Mosquito but that message board’s been down for several days.
Anyway, something happened yesterday that I just can’t keep to myself. I’m a life-long Pearl Jam fan who’s seen them numerous times dating back to 1993 and as recently as two shows in 2006, but I won’t bore you with any more fandom stories …
Anyway, I’m currently a student at the University of Montana and we had a guest speaker in my Entertainment Management class yesterday (Oct. 23) and it was none other Jeff Ament. All semester our syllabus had listed “Featuring Special Guest TBA” and we were not told who it was until he walked into our classroom.
He spoke for almost an hour and a half and fielded questions for most of that time. Jeff is originally from Montana and keeps a home around the Missoula area, where the University of Montana is located.
Anyway, knowing that I was witnessing something rare, I started taking notes and thought I’d share what Jeff had to say to our class. There was no media present, and I think his appearance was kept secret so that there wouldn't be a circus.
These are paraphrased comments, so don’t interpret this as direct quotes. He was very candid, and I don’t think he’d mind me sharing this, otherwise I wouldn’t post it.
- The first real gig Jeff ever played was with some friends at a bar in downtown Missoula called the “Top Hat.”
- He was an art student here for a short time in the early 80s before dropping out and moving to Seattle to start his music career.
- He said he had only $60 to his name when he arrived in Seattle.
- Because he was speaking to an entertainment management class, he said networking was vital to his career. He described having a network of about 150 people in the Seattle punk scene.
- Jeff said Pearl Jam has maintained a lot of control over their work through the years and has never really worked with any heavy-handed producers.
- He talked a little bit about the evolving music industry and mentioned that some producers and managers are steering their bands toward providing music for commercials. For some bands it’s hard to turn down that kind of money. He said Pearl Jam is fortunate that it hasn’t had to do that and he said the band is approached all the time about providing material for ads, but they turn them down.
- Jeff was asked about how Pearl Jam formed and he told a short story about picking Ed up at the airport and going directly into a room and playing music for five or six hours, then they shared a bottle of wine and immediately started to get to know each other. He said at that point he and Stone wanted to be in a band that was serious about music and wasn’t about partying all the time and getting chicks. He said Pearl Jam was all business right from the get-go.
- He said there are three members of the band who are “super heavily opinionated.” He did not elaborate, but I’m sure you can guess who those three are.
- He said the band is very good to its crew, which numbers between 40 and 50 during tours. He says they have profit-sharing programs and some of the crew members who have been around for a long time have made good livings.
- He said “Stone and I have our own little language” because they’ve collaborated together for so long. He says this sometimes confuses other band members during jams or the music-writing process.
- Jeff noted that he used to do all the artwork for the band but it became too demanding as they rose to fame. He said the record company would call him some days and say “we need artwork for the single – you’ve got two days” and then he decided he couldn’t do it all anymore.
- He talked a bit about his upbringing in Big Sandy, Montana and that being a “jock, a punk rocker and a basketball player” didn’t go well together. He drew a lot of laughter when he said this.
- He said the names “Mookie Blaylock” and “Pearl Jam” were last-minute names. Somebody asked him how they came up with Pearl Jam and it was interesting to hear his explanation after it was such a secret for so many years. He told the same story that’s only recently come to light. He said many names were floating around and everyone in the band liked “Pearl” and thought something needed to go with it. Then Ed, Stone and Jeff went to New York to sign a deal with Sony/Epic and they went to a Neil Young show where Young only played about eight songs but they were all “20 minute jams.” Jeff said he thinks he said suggested “how about Jam?” to Ed and Stone and that’s how it was added to make Pearl Jam.
- He added a funny anecdote to this story. Three years later when Pearl Jam played the Bridge School Benefit and met Neil Young for the first time Young showed up in a ’55 Cadillac with a customized license plate that said “Pearl 10.” It was a total coincidence, but it gave the band members shivers.
- Jeff thinks YouTube is great and doesn’t mind seeing Pearl Jam stuff up there. He just hopes that a five minute video of him playing with his fly unzipped never shows up there.
- He talked about the band’s official bootlegs and told a funny story about being in a record store in New York years ago before MP3s were around and REAL BOOTLEGED COPIES of their shows were being sold for $30 or $40. He said there were three rows of Pearl Jam bootlegs and Mike McCready grabbed a copy of each one, walked up to the cash register and said something to the effect of, “I’m in this band. You are selling these illegally and I’m taking them and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Everyone in our class laughed, and I don’t know how much of that story is true, and how much of it is a joke or whether Mike really walked out with them.
- Jeff was asked about fame and said that Pearl Jam really got big here in the states when they were touring in Europe for the first time and it caught them by surprise when they got home. He said when the band got back from Europe they played a show in Columbus, Ohio for a pretty big crowd by their standards at the time. He said that after the show the band could barely get to their bus because so many people were loitering outside wanting to meet them. That’s when they first realized that their music was catching on.
- He said the whole Nirvana feud was generated by the media, and there was a time when they couldn’t get through an interview without a reporter pushing the issue. He said it got ridiculous.
- Continuing his discussion of fame, he said there was a time when he couldn’t go to the grocery store without it being weird and the band eventually had to pull back. He said it was good for the band.
- Somebody asked him who he listens to and he said Kings of Leon, The Strokes and My Morning Jacket and lots of others. He says people often complain to him that there’s no good music coming out anymore and he responds that that’s crazy. He said there’s lots of great stuff out there and technology has made it more accessible.
- Somebody asked him what’s next for the band and he said he didn’t really know. He said they’re on “hiatus,” but they have one show already booked for next year. He says eventually band members will start calling each other and get the itch to start working together again. He said Ed usually is the last one to come into the fold.
- Jeff said Ed’s work on Into the Wild is awesome and he appreciated it even more after seeing how it fit into the movie.
- Someone asked him how many songs surface during the recording process but don’t make it onto the albums, and he said everyone usually brings 4 or 5 songs to the table and gets one or two of them on the album. He said a song doesn’t make the cut unless someone else in the band champions it. So if you’re a member of Pearl Jam and you want one of your songs on the next record, at least one other band member needs to be a big fan of it. He said there are songs that people have gotten onto the record that in retrospect probably didn’t belong, “myself included.”
- Someone asked Jeff what he does during these “hiatuses.” He said the breaks are great and he still spends a lot of time jamming and recording music. He’s also very involved in the Missoula community and has championed local efforts to build skate parks and other things for the community.
- The final question asked of Jeff was “Red Sox or Rockies.” His answer: Red Sox.
There you have it. Hope you enjoyed.
- Evil Beaver
I’m a first-time poster here. I’m mostly a lurker over at Red Mosquito but that message board’s been down for several days.
Anyway, something happened yesterday that I just can’t keep to myself. I’m a life-long Pearl Jam fan who’s seen them numerous times dating back to 1993 and as recently as two shows in 2006, but I won’t bore you with any more fandom stories …
Anyway, I’m currently a student at the University of Montana and we had a guest speaker in my Entertainment Management class yesterday (Oct. 23) and it was none other Jeff Ament. All semester our syllabus had listed “Featuring Special Guest TBA” and we were not told who it was until he walked into our classroom.
He spoke for almost an hour and a half and fielded questions for most of that time. Jeff is originally from Montana and keeps a home around the Missoula area, where the University of Montana is located.
Anyway, knowing that I was witnessing something rare, I started taking notes and thought I’d share what Jeff had to say to our class. There was no media present, and I think his appearance was kept secret so that there wouldn't be a circus.
These are paraphrased comments, so don’t interpret this as direct quotes. He was very candid, and I don’t think he’d mind me sharing this, otherwise I wouldn’t post it.
- The first real gig Jeff ever played was with some friends at a bar in downtown Missoula called the “Top Hat.”
- He was an art student here for a short time in the early 80s before dropping out and moving to Seattle to start his music career.
- He said he had only $60 to his name when he arrived in Seattle.
- Because he was speaking to an entertainment management class, he said networking was vital to his career. He described having a network of about 150 people in the Seattle punk scene.
- Jeff said Pearl Jam has maintained a lot of control over their work through the years and has never really worked with any heavy-handed producers.
- He talked a little bit about the evolving music industry and mentioned that some producers and managers are steering their bands toward providing music for commercials. For some bands it’s hard to turn down that kind of money. He said Pearl Jam is fortunate that it hasn’t had to do that and he said the band is approached all the time about providing material for ads, but they turn them down.
- Jeff was asked about how Pearl Jam formed and he told a short story about picking Ed up at the airport and going directly into a room and playing music for five or six hours, then they shared a bottle of wine and immediately started to get to know each other. He said at that point he and Stone wanted to be in a band that was serious about music and wasn’t about partying all the time and getting chicks. He said Pearl Jam was all business right from the get-go.
- He said there are three members of the band who are “super heavily opinionated.” He did not elaborate, but I’m sure you can guess who those three are.
- He said the band is very good to its crew, which numbers between 40 and 50 during tours. He says they have profit-sharing programs and some of the crew members who have been around for a long time have made good livings.
- He said “Stone and I have our own little language” because they’ve collaborated together for so long. He says this sometimes confuses other band members during jams or the music-writing process.
- Jeff noted that he used to do all the artwork for the band but it became too demanding as they rose to fame. He said the record company would call him some days and say “we need artwork for the single – you’ve got two days” and then he decided he couldn’t do it all anymore.
- He talked a bit about his upbringing in Big Sandy, Montana and that being a “jock, a punk rocker and a basketball player” didn’t go well together. He drew a lot of laughter when he said this.
- He said the names “Mookie Blaylock” and “Pearl Jam” were last-minute names. Somebody asked him how they came up with Pearl Jam and it was interesting to hear his explanation after it was such a secret for so many years. He told the same story that’s only recently come to light. He said many names were floating around and everyone in the band liked “Pearl” and thought something needed to go with it. Then Ed, Stone and Jeff went to New York to sign a deal with Sony/Epic and they went to a Neil Young show where Young only played about eight songs but they were all “20 minute jams.” Jeff said he thinks he said suggested “how about Jam?” to Ed and Stone and that’s how it was added to make Pearl Jam.
- He added a funny anecdote to this story. Three years later when Pearl Jam played the Bridge School Benefit and met Neil Young for the first time Young showed up in a ’55 Cadillac with a customized license plate that said “Pearl 10.” It was a total coincidence, but it gave the band members shivers.
- Jeff thinks YouTube is great and doesn’t mind seeing Pearl Jam stuff up there. He just hopes that a five minute video of him playing with his fly unzipped never shows up there.
- He talked about the band’s official bootlegs and told a funny story about being in a record store in New York years ago before MP3s were around and REAL BOOTLEGED COPIES of their shows were being sold for $30 or $40. He said there were three rows of Pearl Jam bootlegs and Mike McCready grabbed a copy of each one, walked up to the cash register and said something to the effect of, “I’m in this band. You are selling these illegally and I’m taking them and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Everyone in our class laughed, and I don’t know how much of that story is true, and how much of it is a joke or whether Mike really walked out with them.
- Jeff was asked about fame and said that Pearl Jam really got big here in the states when they were touring in Europe for the first time and it caught them by surprise when they got home. He said when the band got back from Europe they played a show in Columbus, Ohio for a pretty big crowd by their standards at the time. He said that after the show the band could barely get to their bus because so many people were loitering outside wanting to meet them. That’s when they first realized that their music was catching on.
- He said the whole Nirvana feud was generated by the media, and there was a time when they couldn’t get through an interview without a reporter pushing the issue. He said it got ridiculous.
- Continuing his discussion of fame, he said there was a time when he couldn’t go to the grocery store without it being weird and the band eventually had to pull back. He said it was good for the band.
- Somebody asked him who he listens to and he said Kings of Leon, The Strokes and My Morning Jacket and lots of others. He says people often complain to him that there’s no good music coming out anymore and he responds that that’s crazy. He said there’s lots of great stuff out there and technology has made it more accessible.
- Somebody asked him what’s next for the band and he said he didn’t really know. He said they’re on “hiatus,” but they have one show already booked for next year. He says eventually band members will start calling each other and get the itch to start working together again. He said Ed usually is the last one to come into the fold.
- Jeff said Ed’s work on Into the Wild is awesome and he appreciated it even more after seeing how it fit into the movie.
- Someone asked him how many songs surface during the recording process but don’t make it onto the albums, and he said everyone usually brings 4 or 5 songs to the table and gets one or two of them on the album. He said a song doesn’t make the cut unless someone else in the band champions it. So if you’re a member of Pearl Jam and you want one of your songs on the next record, at least one other band member needs to be a big fan of it. He said there are songs that people have gotten onto the record that in retrospect probably didn’t belong, “myself included.”
- Someone asked Jeff what he does during these “hiatuses.” He said the breaks are great and he still spends a lot of time jamming and recording music. He’s also very involved in the Missoula community and has championed local efforts to build skate parks and other things for the community.
- The final question asked of Jeff was “Red Sox or Rockies.” His answer: Red Sox.
There you have it. Hope you enjoyed.
- Evil Beaver
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
Thanks so much for sharing that with us.
Welcome.
You heard it here first.
But who am I? Just some jerk university student who happened to be in the same room where Jeff gave a speech yesterday.
thats totally awesome!
MSG - NYC - 9-10-1998
MSG - NYC - 9-11-1998 (BEST FKING SHOW!)
Jones Beach - 8-25-2000
Nassau Coliseum - 4-30-2003
Irving Plaza - 5-5-06 (another great show)
New Jersey - 6-1-06
MSG - NYC - 6.24.08
Thanks again for everything!
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
Well...that explains a few things.
Riot Act...I'm looking at you.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
and yes RED SOX!!!
http://www.myspace.com/lizardkings1
(This Post May Have Been Edited By AT&T)
nevermind....
holla!
Somehow I dont see Jeff coming to a university to talk about the history of pearl jam. And also, there is nothing new here. All these stories can be found in various interviews and articles. This is all too familiar....
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
The show was at Portland Meadows in Portland, Oregon.
Pearl Jam was opening for Neil Young. Blind Melon also played at that show. PJ joined Neil at the very end for Rockin' In The Free World. It was just a week or so after the MTV Music Awards.
Man that was a long time ago. Why do you ask?
you don't know how old you were in 93?
and now you're in college at 30+?
14 year plan huh?
I''m sure Jeff would be glad you posted it. I know I enjoyed reading it - felt like the Actor's Studio interviews.
thank again....and I haven't been to Bonnaroo since the first two....we'll see.
to me, that speaks volumes that they take the time to reach out and have always stayed true to their fans and the community.
IMO these guys have to be the most "human"/down to earth musicians on the planet.
thanks for sharing that great experience.
Why contain yourself like any other book on the shelf?
Subtle voices in the wind hear the truth they're telling.
A world begins where the road ends.
Watch me leave it all behind.
I was 15 at the time, if you absolutely must know.
Everything you have read here by me is true.
Bye.
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
First Bridge school was actually in '92...
Set 1 Footsteps, Jeremy, Black, Alive, Daughter, Angel, I Am A Patriot
...if he comes back, will you ask him if he'll go on a date with me?
Is this really true?
no wonder why Pearl Jam fans have a bad rep outside the "circle of fans"
some of you people are just plain jerks
I have no reason whatsoever not to believe this person and neither do any of you.
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
god I'm very, very frightening
and I'll overdo it'