The Envelope.com -Eddie Vedder interview

PJSEMPREPJSEMPRE Posts: 687
edited December 2007 in The Porch
He talks about "Into the Wild"

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/env-en-vedder5dec05,0,6981231.story?coll=env-home-top-headlines

A MOMENT WITH ... EDDIE VEDDER
'into The Wild' in unison
Eddie Vedder identified with Chris McCandless, the subject of Sean Penn's film. So the soundtrack came easily.
By Sam Adams, Special to The Times
December 5, 2007

"Into the Wild" is the story of a young man who breaks away from his family and sets off to explore uncharted territory. The story of its soundtrack is much the same.

At 42, Eddie Vedder is not quite young (although, in a yellow leather jacket and band T-shirt, he looks it) and the family which he (temporarily) left behind is Pearl Jam, the band he has fronted for the last 17 years. But like Chris McCandless, memorably incarnated in the film by an emaciated Emile Hirsch, Vedder chose to walk a solitary road, playing every instrument on all but one of the soundtrack's 11 songs.

Vedder didn't set out to make the album on his own, but once he started to work on the songs, they came out in a rush and calling in other musicians would have slowed things down. "I kept thinking at some point Matt Cameron would come down and play drums on it," Vedder says, referring to Pearl Jam's drummer. "But we just kept everything moving forward. The quicker we went, there got to be a real energy to it."

From the beginning, Vedder connected with McCandless' story on a deeply personal level. Their lives are marked by a handful of striking similarities, including the fact that each had the way he understood his own family radically altered in his late teens. McCandless discovered that his father was a bigamist with a secret family on the opposite coast. Vedder was informed that the man he'd been raised to believe was his father was actually his stepfather, and that his real father had died years before.

Vedder does not discuss the subject at length but the parallel clearly drew him in. "I had things that I hated to go through as a young adult that just happened to serve me well for this job."

It's not hard to hear an echo of the righteous anger in Pearl Jam's songs when Vedder describes the disillusionment that sent McCandless on his journey. "The people that he trusted, and the world that he trusted, he felt betrayed by," Vedder says. "He felt like there were things in the world that were wrong, and he probably felt that at home too." He also relates to the paternalistic bond between McCandless and Hal Holbrook's widowed veteran, a mirror of his own friendship with the late Johnny Ramone.

Working on "Into the Wild" brought Vedder back to his earliest influences. The album's layered sound was inspired by Pete Townshend's demos for the Who's "Who's Next," which demonstrated that one man with a multitrack tape recorder could make as much noise as a full band. "That was a mind-blower for me," he recalls. "To hear the impetus and the core of that stuff and realize that one person could orchestrate his own music like that, that was a great case to study, plus those were my favorite songs in the world."

Vedder also took a cue from watching Neil Young turn an initial inspiration into a full-fledged song in a matter of minutes. "I've put it into practice on a song here and there, just grabbing something and turning it into something immediately," he says. "Getting a spark, grabbing it, one hour later -- song. But never on a body of songs like this one."

Vedder is reluctant, at first, to venture a guess as to why the songs came so quickly. He launches into an explanation several times, then retreats and starts over, as if seeking just the right approach.

"I haven't said this yet, for the reason that it might be taken the wrong way," Vedder says. "But I shouldn't be shy. I should be proud of it. And it's not being proud of myself. It's being proud of whatever happened."

What happened, Vedder says, is that he started to feel more like the songs' conduit than their author. "It felt like other things were at work," he says. "Things came through, musically and lyrically, that I didn't have to do too much work with. It felt more like grabbing little sparks around my head and putting them on the fire."

Although inspiration came quickly, Vedder took his time arranging the songs, changing tempos and adding instrumental verses to fit them into Penn's nearly completed movie. "I didn't want to say, 'It's a minute and a half scene, but here's a five-minute song -- take what you want,' " he says. "I wanted to make it as easy as possible, give him a piece of music that he could just play where he wanted it to start and end where he wanted it to stop. I just wanted him to be able to get it and play with his kids."

The movie already had music in it when Penn sent it to Vedder with a request to add one or two songs to the mix. Despite his confidence in his initial submissions, Vedder was prepared for rejection. "I liked what we had done but I was ready to be told, 'Thanks, and hope this doesn't jeopardize our friendship, but I'm going to stick with the other stuff.' "

Instead, after leaving the studio late one night, Vedder was awakened early the next morning. "I blearily woke up to a phone call from Sean saying he had already put two pieces in the movie, and maybe we could do five or six more and think about the theory that the singer could be the interior voice of the character," he says. He began to think of the album as a way to retell the movie's story in miniature, like the songs for "Harold and Maude," another touchstone for the teenage Vedder. When he found out the movie had no soundtrack album, Vedder bought the necessary Cat Stevens records and assembled his own.

Although the two have been friends for years, Vedder still speaks of Penn with a degree of awe. Having seen Penn regale guests with a late-night recitation from a Phil Ochs songs, Vedder strove to be worthy of such a moment. "He makes songs sound like poetry," he says. "When I was writing, I was thinking, 'This has to be good enough for him to recite to one of his friends at 4 in the morning.' "

The release of "Into the Wild" has stirred up some of the resentments that greeted the publication of Jon Krakauer's book, from those who see McCandless as a spoiled rich kid whose headstrong cockiness amounts to a death wish. But Vedder has no doubt that McCandless intended to survive his Alaskan adventure, drawing a comparison with his own preferred way to get back to nature.

"I don't think a guy goes out to surf big surf and thinks that he's not going to come back in," he says. "I think McCandless was out to catch big waves, and he wanted to challenge himself. He was going to, as all of us hopefully will do in our lives at some point, take it to the edge, to find out where the edge is, and find some truth in it all. And then you come back, not just to share your knowledge, but to become a different person, and that's how you contribute to society. These aren't just romantic journeys. They could be considered integral to becoming a more fully realized human."

Vedder's solo voyage has taken him down new paths. He has been mulling the idea of a string of solo dates, the better to experiment with ideas that might not go over as well in the stadiums Pearl Jam usually plays.

"At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say this is it. We'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth. So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."
Let's say knowledge is a tree, yeah.
It's growing up just like me.
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Comments

  • normnorm I'm always home. I'm uncool. Posts: 31,147
    We'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth.

    oh ed why did you say that? don't you know you have a fan base that wakes up everyday thinking the band is going to break up? fuel to the fire :eek: ;):)

    edit: let me be clear that i understand what ed is saying but i've also been here for a while and have seen innocuous comments like this taken way out of context....:o

    good interview...the process of how he wrote the songs is interesting....:)
  • ECMECM Posts: 1,687
    sticky?
    wishlistfoundation.org
  • wolfbearwolfbear Posts: 3,965
    Great article, except for the part mentioned above. :( Thanks for posting. :)
    "I'd rather be with an animal." "Those that can be trusted can change their mind." "The in between is mine." "If I don't lose control, explore and not explode, a preternatural other plane with the power to maintain." "Yeh this is living." "Life is what you make it."
  • sticky?


    Maybe you should snap your fingers to get their attention. lol :D
  • itsevobabyitsevobaby Posts: 1,809
    PJSEMPRE wrote:
    "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say this is it. We'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth."
    sorry ed but that's bollocks :mad:
    Look Alive,
    See These Bones
  • Whoa!
    He never ceases to amaze me. Seriously, GENIOUS!
    "I surfaced and all of my being was enlightened"
  • wolfbear wrote:
    Great article, except for the part mentioned above. :( Thanks for posting. :)
    I totally don't see it that way.
    How I read it is that they've grown, evolved and they will keep making music and play, but this is who they've become as a band :)
    "I surfaced and all of my being was enlightened"
  • normnorm I'm always home. I'm uncool. Posts: 31,147
    I totally don't see it that way.
    How I read it is that they've grown, evolved and they will keep making music and play, but this is who they've become as a band :)

    i agree....but it's the debbie downers that will interpret that as the end....:)
  • pearljamjenpearljamjen Posts: 13,578
    I totally don't see it that way.
    How I read it is that they've grown, evolved and they will keep making music and play, but this is who they've become as a band :)

    Yeah, I think so too. :)

    PJSEMPRE thanks for posting this. :)
  • LizardLizard So Cal Posts: 12,069
    cutback wrote:
    We'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth.

    oh ed why did you say that? don't you know you have a fan base that wakes up everyday thinking the band is going to break up? fuel to the fire :eek: ;):)


    good interview...the process of how he wrote the songs is interesting....:)

    JUST what I was thinking and couldn't say it better.

    So I won't.

    ...
    So I'll just lie down and wait for the dream
    Where I'm not ugly and you're lookin' at me
  • wolfbearwolfbear Posts: 3,965
    I totally don't see it that way.
    How I read it is that they've grown, evolved and they will keep making music and play, but this is who they've become as a band :)
    I just didn't like to hear him say they are done growing as a band. I think they continue to grow. :) I don't like to hear he thinks they are through growing is all. ;)
    "I'd rather be with an animal." "Those that can be trusted can change their mind." "The in between is mine." "If I don't lose control, explore and not explode, a preternatural other plane with the power to maintain." "Yeh this is living." "Life is what you make it."
  • wolfbear wrote:
    I just didn't like to hear him say they are done growing as a band. I think they continue to grow. :) I don't like to hear he thinks they are through growing is all. ;)
    Ah, you know Ed. He often jokes and says things like that
    cause he KNOWS us fans will analyze this on the pit LOL :D
    "I surfaced and all of my being was enlightened"
  • not4unot4u Posts: 513
    cutback wrote:
    We'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth.

    oh ed why did you say that? don't you know you have a fan base that wakes up everyday thinking the band is going to break up? fuel to the fire :eek: ;):)


    good interview...the process of how he wrote the songs is interesting....:)

    i think what he means is that he doesn't want to stop creating and keep playing.

    this is how i read it

    "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say - "this is it, we'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth". So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."

    -the rolling stones in pearl jam.
    we don't want war, but we still want more?
  • normnorm I'm always home. I'm uncool. Posts: 31,147
    not4u wrote:
    i think what he means is that he doesn't want to stop creating and keep playing.

    this is how i read it

    "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say - "this is it, we'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth". So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."

    -the rolling stones in pearl jam.

    i know what he means.....but i've read posts here where ed has said something like this and people think it signals the end of the band...:)
  • I don't think that Ed meant the statement that way at all. I think the writer just punctuated it wrong. Try reading it this way:

    "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say 'This is it; we'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth.' So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."

    Anybody agree?
  • bharQbharQ Posts: 1,201
    quote me later, this thread will spiral into embarrassment very soon..
    09/04/05 - Calgary, AB
    08/02/07 - LOLLA!!!
  • I don't want to alarm anyone but this whole article is an obvious dig at Matt Cameron's playing ability. And then that last line? It's obvious they're nearing the end.
  • Yeah, you're right.
    We're all so screwed :rolleyes: :D
    I'm gonna cry now :(
    "I surfaced and all of my being was enlightened"
  • bharQ wrote:
    quote me later, this thread will spiral into embarrassment very soon..

    I don't think so ;)
  • Yeah, you're right.
    We're all so screwed :rolleyes: :D
    I'm gonna cry now :(

    Maybe Ed will apologize to Matt ;)
  • Maybe Ed will apologize to Matt ;)
    But but, what is he doesnt? :eek: :p
    "I surfaced and all of my being was enlightened"
  • knittedknitted Posts: 244
    manhattan wrote:
    I don't think that Ed meant the statement that way at all. I think the writer just punctuated it wrong. Try reading it this way:

    "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say 'This is it; we'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth.' So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."

    Anybody agree?

    that's how i read it - i mean, what else could it be. it doesn't make any sense otherwise.
    http://www.sublime-retro.net

    when my ears ring, my heart beats
  • bdgavinbdgavin Posts: 123
    itsevobaby wrote:
    sorry ed but that's bollocks :mad:

    I think some of you are misinterpreting his statement. He says he wants to get better, not be like, "We'll keep playing but this is as good as we're going to get." He meant he felt the solo work would help him be better on PJ albums. He's said the equivalent in other interviews, where he said he felt his writing on Into the Wild was better than it's been in a while. He said the experience would make PJ a better band.
  • Marie CurieMarie Curie Posts: 1,250
    manhattan wrote:
    I don't think that Ed meant the statement that way at all. I think the writer just punctuated it wrong. Try reading it this way:

    "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say 'This is it; we'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth.' So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."

    Anybody agree?

    I think you are right, this makes a lot more sense
    “Life is life everywhere. Life is in ourselves and not outside us. There will be men beside me, and the important thing is to be a man among men and to remain a man always, whatever the misfortunes, not to despair and not to fall - that is the aim of life, that is its purpose.”
    Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  • PegasusPegasus Posts: 3,754
    manhattan wrote:
    I don't think that Ed meant the statement that way at all. I think the writer just punctuated it wrong. Try reading it this way:

    "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say 'This is it; we'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth.' So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."

    Anybody agree?
    yes, totally.
  • rvprvp Posts: 779
    Thanks for posting this interview PJSEMPRE, very interesting article!
    I think the reporter deliberately chose to finish his article with that line for the sake of sensationalism or "yellow journalism", and he just punctuated it wrong…
    manhattan wrote:
    I don't think that Ed meant the statement that way at all. I think the writer just punctuated it wrong. Try reading it this way:

    "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say 'This is it; we'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth.' So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."

    Anybody agree?

    I agree.
    The way I read it is: "At my age, I want to keep getting better," he says. "I don't want to say 'this is it'. I don't want to say 'We'll still keep playing but this is the end of our growth'. So this would be a way to grow a couple new branches or something."
    .
    fuera de este mundo
  • This thread has gotten me nerved up. It's too hard to imagine PJ coming to an end.
    "I wish I was the full moon... you kept your house keys on" - Wishlist (Melbourne '03)
  • itsevobabyitsevobaby Posts: 1,809
    bdgavin wrote:
    I think some of you are misinterpreting his statement. He says he wants to get better, not be like, "We'll keep playing but this is as good as we're going to get." He meant he felt the solo work would help him be better on PJ albums. He's said the equivalent in other interviews, where he said he felt his writing on Into the Wild was better than it's been in a while. He said the experience would make PJ a better band.
    yeah looking at it again & reading others interpretations i think you're right. when i first read it i thought he was saying that pearl jam can't grow anymore, hence my "that's bollocks!" :o
    Look Alive,
    See These Bones
  • Ed wears leather?

    Cruel...
  • Ed also said in one of the rolling stone interviews last year if he could imagine the band being together when he is 50... he said "That's not hard to imagine at all" :) Relax people...
    10.31.93 / 10.1.94 / 6.24.95 / 11.4.95 / 10.19-20.96 / 7.16.98 / 7.21.98 / 10.31.00 /8.4.01 Nader Rally/ 10.21.01 / 12.8-9.02 / 6.01.03 / 9.1.05 / 7.15-16,18.06 / 7.20.06 / 7.22-23.06 / Lolla 07
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