Q&A with Eric Johnson (PJ's orig. Tour Manager)

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Comments

  • pleatherman
    pleatherman Posts: 472
    Eric was given the moniker "Paragon of Inspiration" during the end credits of PJ20.  I would like to hear him discuss how he attained that title.
  • Firecloud
    Firecloud Posts: 516
    pleatherman said:
    Eric was given the moniker "Paragon of Inspiration" during the end credits of PJ20.  I would like to hear him discuss how he attained that title.
    That one's already on the list! Gotta be something behind that...
  • pleatherman
    pleatherman Posts: 472
    Firecloud said:
    pleatherman said:
    Eric was given the moniker "Paragon of Inspiration" during the end credits of PJ20.  I would like to hear him discuss how he attained that title.
    That one's already on the list! Gotta be something behind that...

    Awesome, here are a couple other things that might be fun to inquire about.

    There was this clip from the Pearl Jam Australia '95 film of Eric interrogating a press photographer for trying to upsell some PJ tickets to a couple fans.  After watching that, I almost want to ask him how many scalpers he has made cry.

    Throughout his tenure with Pearl Jam, sometimes shows/tours have been postponed or even cancelled.  Does anything stick out in his mind of times that, against all odds, a Pearl Jam concert he did not think was going to happen or end well, somehow emerged triumphant?

    And here is a longshot, but Eric mentioned in past instances of the reverence Neil Young holds for Pearl Jam.  Although it has been 26 years since they recorded Mirrorball, does he recall Neil ever speaking about the prospects of future projects with the band?


  • Silvox
    Silvox Posts: 7
    I was in Drama class with Eric at Ballard High School in Seattle. Richard Stuverud was at Ballard at the same time and played drums in the Ballard Stage Band. Eric and Richard are friends. Perhaps you can ask Eric questions on how his interest in drama and the arts led him to work in concert production. Eddie Vedder commented that his own drama teacher had a big impact on him. Did Eric and Eddie bond over a common interest in drama and music? Was Eric directly involved in getting Richard an audition with PJ or introducing him to Jeff?

    if you ask him any of these questions, pass on a hello from Ken.
  • KL159781
    KL159781 Posts: 118
    Oops, I just realized I posted the above comments while it was logged in as my wife.
  • cockage
    cockage Posts: 465


  • JH6056
    JH6056 Posts: 2,437
    cockage said:


    Ummm... I don't know where you got these pics, but I am instantly permanently indebted to you for posting them!!  Eric is fantastic enough in these, but gotta love Stone in the background on 1st.  Why did these outfits never make it onstage?? They are so "on brand" for PJ!  =)
  • Firecloud
    Firecloud Posts: 516
    Thank you guys so much for your input! As you'll hear, quite a bit of it had an impact on our conversation. Eric gets straight up emotional when I thanked him on behalf of the fans he helped keep safe (you guys/us) over those years.

    Here's the interview, discussing the earliest Pearl Jam & Soundgarden days, as well as great stories about Neil Young, Metallica & more. Really loved doing this one. I hope I did y'all proud  B)

    http://antiquiet.com/aq-podcast/2021/03/eric-johnson-tour-manager-to-metallica-pearl-jam-soundgarden-more/
  • StardogChamp79
    StardogChamp79 Posts: 1,210
    @Firecloud, you did a phenomenal job on this Pod. Fantastic interview and Eric’s stories were very entertaining. It seems like it was so long ago but so much has changed. Eric is truly a great individual and has a passion for anything he does! Great job!
    Alpine Valley Music Theatre East Troy, Wisconsin (September 03, 2011); Alpine Valley Music Theatre East Troy, Wisconsin (September 04, 2011); Deluna Fest Pensacola, FL (September 21, 2012); Wrigley Field (July 19, 2013); Milwaukee, WI (October 20, 2014); Wrigley Field I (August 20, 2016); Wrigley Field II (August 22, 2016); Home Shows Seattle Night 1 (August 08, 2018); Home Shows Seattle Night 2 (August 10, 2018); Ohana Festival Dana Point (September 27th - 29th, 2019); Apollo Theater (September 10, 2022); Madison Square Garden (September 11, 2022), Bourbon & Beyond Louisville (September 17th, 2022); Las Vegas (May 16th, 2024); Las Vegas (May 18th, 2024).
  • demetrios
    demetrios Posts: 98,320
    Thanks @Firecloud :)
  • JH6056
    JH6056 Posts: 2,437
    edited March 2021
    I had to deal with something and only got 2/3 of the way through so far but going to finish it now.  So far I'm totally blown away though!  And thanks so much, you got a few of my points in there and *I* started to tear up when *he* got emotional about the point about security. As much as it was always obvious that he cared, took it completely seriously, and worked his ass off to make sure things were as secure as possible, it never occurred to me just how deeply he cared. Thanks for saying that to him, and it was so good to hear like about the fan in Poland and that he's had other people tell him along the way.  That was special.

    Also, you've got an AWESOME radio voice @Firecloud !  I've never heard anything by you before but because you actually LISTEN to your interview subject when they talk (as opposed to interrupting ALL the time, which too many interviewers do and it makes me nuts), and you ask great questions (including ones I didn't suggest ;) ), I'll definitely be checking out more of your pods! Thanks for putting so much thought into it, so far it's been fascinating!
    Post edited by JH6056 on
  • PJNB
    PJNB Posts: 13,890
    JH6056 said:
    I had to deal with something and only got 2/3 of the way through so far but going to finish it now.  So far I'm totally blown away though!  And thanks so much, you got a few of my points in there and *I* started to tear up when *he* got emotional about the point about security. As much as it was always obvious that he cared, took it completely seriously, and worked his ass off to make sure things were as secure as possible, it never occurred to me just how deeply he cared. Thanks for saying that to him, and it was so good to hear like about the fan in Poland and that he's had other people tell him along the way.  That was special.

    Also, you've got an AWESOME radio voice @Firecloud !  I've never heard anything by you before but because you actually LISTEN to your interview subject when they talk (as opposed to interrupting ALL the time, which too many interviewers do and it makes me nuts), and you ask great questions (including ones I didn't suggest ;) ), I'll definitely be checking out more of your pods! Thanks for putting so much thought into it, so far it's been fascinating!
    Well said and great job Firecloud! 
  • JH6056
    JH6056 Posts: 2,437
    edited March 2021
    I finished it, what a fantastic and fascinating interview! Thank you!
    Post edited by JH6056 on
  • Firecloud
    Firecloud Posts: 516
    StardogChamp79 said:
    @Firecloud, you did a phenomenal job on this Pod. Fantastic interview and Eric’s stories were very entertaining. It seems like it was so long ago but so much has changed. Eric is truly a great individual and has a passion for anything he does! Great job!
    Hell yeah! Thanks very much for listening!
  • jjflash
    jjflash Posts: 5,049
    Great job, @Firecloud! Perfect blend of professionalism and fandom, and very cool of you to reach out on the boards to get fellow fans' perspectives re: good questions. Loved Neil's humor about the refrigerator door :lol: Will definitely check out some of your other episodes.
  • im an ear
    im an ear San Diego, CA Posts: 245
    Great interview! I met Eric at a bookstore in San Diego a few years ago. I rang him up and he was shocked I knew who he was haha! Seems like a solid dude.
    San Diego, CA - 10/25/00, San Diego, CA - 7/7/06, Los Angeles, CA - 7/9/06, San Diego, CA - 4/15/08 (EV), San Diego, CA - 10/9/09, San Diego, CA - 7/5/11 (EV), San Diego, CA - 11/21/13
  • Firecloud
    Firecloud Posts: 516
    jjflash said:
    Great job, @Firecloud! Perfect blend of professionalism and fandom, and very cool of you to reach out on the boards to get fellow fans' perspectives re: good questions. Loved Neil's humor about the refrigerator door :lol: Will definitely check out some of your other episodes.
    Thanks flash! So happy with how it all turned out. The Hummer story was funny, and definitely a testament to Neil's dry wit. I'm a 30+ year PJ diehard, so there's a TON of Pearl Jam stuff on the AQ podcast. And honestly, to feed the new subscribers what they probably want, I'll probably do something PJ-centric in the next episode or two. 
  • Firecloud
    Firecloud Posts: 516
    Big thanks to everybody who listened and contributed! I want to go through and thank everyone individually but there would be about 20 Firecloud posts in a row, and nobody needs that. Made a couple new friends from this thread and the podcast, and for that I'm most grateful of all. That was so awesome. 

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