How About a Pearl Jam Obscure Fact Repository

Stone wrote a few songs for Mother Love Bone that eventually belonged to Pearl Jam (e.g. Breath). But he wasn't the only one. Mike McCready's first Pearl Jam song, 'Let me Sleep' was written during his days in Shadow.

simonster80 wrote:

pleatherman wrote:

Quote from Lou Reed in 2000, about playing basketball
"Whenever Eddie Vedder's in town we go one-on-one. He's got a murderous jump shot that he throws like a football. He's really accurate.''
R.I.P.

is this what you mean about Eddie being really accurate? watch from 7:00 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBQYJf_ZesA

Obscure fact: They used CGI to create that shot.
Just kidding

A portable waterproof listening device suitable for surfing is an invention Eddie dreamt of ever since he first saw a Walkman in 1982, worn by Mark Richards when they happened to meet at an airport. Eddie's wish came true with the specialized waterproof iPod shuffle.
Nowadays, it has become an integral component to his writing process. Embryonic songs reach another level as they play thru his headphones out in the water. So next time you hear a soaring chorus while listening to 'Lightning Bolt' you know Eddie caught a good wave that day!

Pearl Jam's unique open-marriage relationship has spawned countless side-projects, collaborations, music for film+TV, and solo work. It's the kind of thing that drives Brendan O'Brien crazy when all he wants to do is hoard the best material for PJ.

However, the band did not always operate that way and there was an adjustment period beforehand. The first Pearl Jam side-project spearheaded by Stone shortly after Lollapalooza in '92 with Shawn Smith, Regan Hagar, and Jeremy Toback led to the creation of Brad. Some of the guys in PJ did not know what to make of Stone's new venture and were not completely receptive to it. Internally, Sony decided not to promote Brad's first album 'Shame', or put out any of the videos they spent tens of thousands of dollars on. During that period, according to Regan, "the reason Brad never did anything was because Pearl Jam didn't want Stone to do it."

Of course, it was a stressful, imploding time for Pearl Jam and the Seattle scene in general. It did not take long for the concept of outside projects to take hold (e.g. Mad Season, Three Fish). Fast forward 10 years after 'Shame' and Brad are opening up for Pearl Jam at Key arena. Several years later, Brad's fourth album was even released on Pearl Jam's Monkeywrench label.

-It's hard not to notice The Who logo on Eddie's telecaster.

But those aren't the only musical heroes he pays homage to. A closer look reveals a Johnny Ramone sticker. Gabba-Gabba Hey!




-It is commonly understood why Pearl Jam hasn't performed 'Angel' since 1994. But for those needing confirmation, back in 2003 Eddie gave an interview to an underground radio station in Chicago when the DJs posed that very question. In probably the only occurrence the singer has mentioned Dave in an interview after his departure, Eddie indeed revealed they do not perform 'Angel' because the drummer who played guitar on the song is not in the band anymore. Then after they both stammered in pronouncing "Abbruzzese," Eddie joked that was a reason he was no longer part of the group, followed by a heartfelt "sorry Dave."


-If any long-time fans want to feel old, here is an interesting update on what Kelly Curtis' daughter, pictured below, has been up to.

Jessica Curtis has followed in her father's footsteps and now manages the band "The Young Evils." And the lead singer of the group happens to be Lance Mercer's (PJ's official photographer from the early days) daughter, Mackenzie Mercer. Mackenzie also participated in Fat Kid Rules the World soundtrack with Mike McCready. Oh, and just to tie things up in a nice bow, Lance Mercer took that picture of Jessica for the Jeremy single.


-Speaking of Lance Mercer, I always imagined the photo from the inside cover of Vs. with the band sitting in a circle by the campfire was taken at "The Site," an idyllic studio/living area in San Rafael, California where the album was recorded.

Turns out the picture was taken later while staying at some cabin in Olympic Peninsula for the sole purpose of a photo shoot, along with many other promotional pictures that have circulated around that time.

The original post-Dave Abbruzzese plans included a less formal arrangement for drumming duties.

The drummer story is something every fan must know if expecting to gain Ten Club citizenship. The oft-told tale of inviting the guy (name: Jack Irons) responsible for bringing Eddie in contact with Stone and Jeff almost sounds preordained. The PJ20 book offers a few more details from that period, even mentioning other drummers who auditioned (e.g. Richard Stuverud, Josh Freese). Delving even further reveals a chain of events that were taking a different turn from the eventual decision of Jack Irons officially filling the drummer's seat.

First, let's get a better understanding about the circumstances following Dave A.'s departure. Back then, the band's drumming position seemed to be continuously going through a revolving door. But also, much had changed since Dave was hired in 1991. In the latter half of '94, Pearl Jam was not an unknown band trying to convince a drummer to join. And in the subsequent months ahead, they took advantage of that luxury.

Meanwhile, unlike other times the band needed a drummer, Jack Irons was not on their radar. And judging from the excerpt below, the feeling was mutual:
'And, in 1994, Irons was too steeped in depression to pay much notice when Pearl Jam fired its latest drummer, Dave Abbruzzese. "I was just starting to put my life back together at that point,"'

But in a few months his situation changed: "I phoned Eddie and asked if I could play with them."
And he did play the Bridge School Benefit with them later that year, but was referred to as temporary, or in the case of the Spin cover story dated Jan. '95, a "fill-in drummer." That role stuck even when they booked the Far East/Australian Vitalogy tour:
"So when I first joined, they were like, 'Let's do this first tour together and see how it goes over three or four months.'"

So what took so long until he was finally dubbed Pearl Jam's "official" drummer? Well, I believe it all ties together with Pearl Jam's official statement in the Ten Club newsletter #7 regarding the drumming vacancy:
"They've spent the last couple of months rehearsing with friends with whom they'll eventually record and tour."

Keep in mind, that statement was made after Bridge School. The same newsletter even contained a picture of the band playing at the benefit without any announcement regarding Jack's presence. A few pages later, Chris Friel was pictured with the band recording "Catholic Boy," fronted by Jim Carroll. Maybe Pearl Jam decided on a different approach to avoid the pattern of another drummer quitting or getting fired. So, as far as that Ten Club statement is concerned, the band initially wanted to collaborate with a few different drummers to write, record, and play live. In hindsight, their first instinct may have been right all along . But, of course, they changed their mind by the tail end of '94. The runner-up, Josh Freese, relayed his side of the story after Stone contacted him to try-out and they jammed with him for a bit.
'Freese says he phoned Gossard at that point to ask about his standing with Pearl Jam. The answer, he said, was not definite: Gossard told him that Pearl Jam planned to work with another drummer, but it was possible that things could change and Freese would still be under consideration if they did.'

By the way, did you actually just read this entire thing??!!

ckravitz wrote:

pleatherman wrote:

By the way, did you actually just read this entire thing??!!

Damn right I did!

I come on here every day hoping to see this thread bumped with more tidbits!

Cool. I don't know what got into me with that last one. Next time, it will be much shorter. And perhaps, in my mind, the biggest obscure fact ever!! How's that for hype