PJ20 Co-Author Jonathan Cohen Talks Pearl Jam

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This week we were lucky enough to connect with Jonathan Cohen, who has a long list of credentials to his name, to discuss his experience being backstage and side stage at Wrigley 2013. But there was so much more to talk about. We’ll get some details about what it was like writing and collecting info for the PJ20 book and what mysteries of the band he was looking to solve, we ask about tequila swigging Ed at the Gigaton listening party and some moments that Ed personally loved from the album. But my favorite part of the conversation is talking about when he booked Pearl Jam week for the Tonight Show because he gets to talk a little bit about what it was like for Chris to perform Footsteps and also reveals a special guest that was originally suppose to perform that week. It could’ve been an unforgettable moment had it happened, but just hearing that it was a possibility comes as a total shock.

anyway, it’s a great conversation with someone who’s followed the band since the very beginning and has close ties with them. Listen to it here:

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I just think this is really interesting so I’m gonna quote directly from the episode. Here’s the massive act that was initially booked for PJ week:

JC: “I’m not sure if I’ve ever told anyone this before but Bruce Springsteen was confirmed to participate that week... unfortunately he was not able to for personal reasons, but there was a short period of time where you could probably picture me jumping up and down in my office trying to picture what it would be like.“

LO4L: “Had he picked a song yet?”

JC: “He had not picked a song yet. So the mystery is even more deep in that respect.”

LO4L: “Was there one you were kind of hoping for?”

JC: “I was thinking Better Man because he had played it before, so that seemed like the logical one”