When did you become a fan?

Started listening heavily around 92-93 (well, as heavily as a 11-12 year old with chronic ADD can, haha), but my favorite band at that time was Soundgarden. I grew up in Olympia, Washington, so it was pretty hard to escape the Seattle sound, thankfully. Somewhere between Yield and Binaural Pearl Jam really took a forefront in my life and Binaural sealed the deal and Pearl jam became my favorite band hands down...

...with that timeline, makes me wonder if I just have some odd fascination with Matt Cameron. :?

1993

Late winter/early spring 1992. A friend had left a copy of Ten at my house, along with Nevermind. I was 15 at the time. I actually didn't like Ten at first... it sounded too different from what I was used to (which was Van Halen, Guns n' Roses and Def Leppard). I liked Nirvana right away. But something about Ten (well, a lot of things about it, really) made me keep going back to it. I didn't return it to my friend until about a week later, and I listened to it at least once every day that I had his copy. I then joined Columbia House because that's how he had gotten his CDs. My first 8 CDs from Columbia House were Ten, Metallica's ...And Justice For All, both of GnR's Use Your Illusion albums, Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Motley Crue's Decade of Decadence, Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet and... uh... Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway. My taste in music was still in adolescence, although I still get a kick out of all of that shit.

Winter, 1992 ... i'm in 10th grade, new kid, new school.

I'd come from a school where the "alternative" kids were a freak sideshow, and i'd never really paid attention to their music -- especially the CD with the naked baby in the water chasing the $1 bill.

But while alone and trying to find my way, i got my first car -- a 1982 Ford Fairmont. My stepdad talked me into accepting this most uncool of vehicles by putting in a killer sound system. Anyway ...

While flipping through the radio dial one afternoon i came into a song that's already halfway through, but i can tell has built to this amazing crescendo and was going places i'd never heard before. The radio DJ told me that it was Pearl Jam with their latest, "Jeremy."

I get home and went straight to MTV. Within minutes -- "an affluent suburb" ... old newspaper clippings ... "64 degrees and cloudy" ...

By the end of that song, i had chills down my back and tears in my eyes. "Ten" was purchased with the next paycheck that i earned cashiering at the local grocery store.

I've never looked back ...

idrapr wrote:

I still remember where and when I first heard PJ. I was hooked instantly. It's kind of a lame story but in '92 my high school girlfriend had just gone away to college to major in art and my heart was broken. We were still dating but figured that with 2500 miles between us it would never last. So I am at a bonfire party a few days after she left and what do I hear blaring on the radio "Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay..." I was hooked immediately. That song and that album got me through many hard times. Almost 20 years later they still blow me away. And as for the girl, in May we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary with our two children. For all the young people out there some words of wisdom. All you need is love and Pearl Jam.

Awwww.......nice story.

1991

my brother's girlfriend Liz worked at a San Francisco radio station and sent me a cassette of live PJ stuff

it's been on since then

Round about here:



'93

During the early 90's (92 or 93), seeing the Jeremy video in a bar. Since this day, PJ became my favourite band.

i spent the day with that cousin actually.... i was singing the fixer to her baby with different lyrics... "when someone's poooooped, we gotta put a little diaper on it.." and then with educational lyrics "when someone's drumming, we gotta put matt cameron on it... when someone's stone... we gotta put a little gossard on it.."


baby seemed to like it....

In autumn 1991, when I was 16 years old. My dad had heard of a new band from the states that musically reminded of rock from the late sixties. He asked me to buy the album while I was at a record fair. It hadn't been released i Sweden yet, but there was a guy who sold imports. I was lucky to get one of three copies. Later that evening, wan dad played "Ten" I was paralyzed in front of the speakers and stood there 'til the last song. It was love at the first sound and I'm more in love now than ever.
So thank you dad for introducing me and congratulations (he's turning 60 next week)!