"It was one of the days where you think you might not go out but I had the music in my head..."
Very famous singer/songwriter Eddie Vedder and his affection for the surfing life are already well and truly known. The baritone is close friends with Kelly Slater, barrelled at his Surf Ranch and even attended the Eddie Aikau opening ceremony. Legendary lensman Steve Sherman was there, in 2006, to capture the moment and shared with Surfer Magazine:
To everyone’s surprise, Kelly cruises to the event with Eddie borrowing one of his guns to paddle out for the ceremony. It was quite a moment. I’m on the beach shooting as all the invitees walk into the water when Kelly and Eddie stroll up getting ready to paddle out, just then Taylor Knox walks up to Eddie and surprises him! Taylor and Kelly are super good friends with Ed, so this is a great moment.
Later that night Pearl Jam played a small gig for 200 people up in the valley at the park while security roamed the bushes all around keeping people from sneaking in , it was like seeing Pearl Jam at a high school dance. They rocked the joint with Kelly sitting in on the last couple songs. Kelly had just won his eighth world title and they presented him with a guitar with the number eight painted on it. It was a musical night the North Shore won’t forget.
Entirely wonderful though did you know Vedder did not hail from the Pacific Northwest and instead came to Pearl Jam via a surf-inspired song?
The rugged 60-year-old sat down with CBS Sunday Morning, not terribly long ago, and shared his origin story, doing midnight shifts as a San Diego security guard, going for a foggy surf, becoming inspired whilst floating in the brine, running home, pressing record et voila.
History made.
But where does Pearl Jam rank on your favorite grunge-era bands of all time?
Please don’t forget to include Melvins.
Eddie shilled the Vax. He’s dead to me.
Slint.
(not grunge)
I find EV insufferable as a performer. Never got into that stuff at all.
Not saying he’s ‘bad’, just not my bag.
+1
That bleating vibrato.
2006. The night before the pipe masters opening day was the night pearl jam opened for u2 in Honolulu. I was living near log cabins on n shore near cholo Steve’s pool where he held the north shore bowl jam that night. Epic skate event attended by everyone you can imagine ( slater, Florence’s etc ).
I was burnt from work and didn’t can’t go go but my friend insisted. Chris miller won.
A few days later Andy irons best slater at the buzzer with a perfect 10 to win pipe masters.
Sorry fat fingered spelling errors.
Funny the things you remember. As Andy stood on stage with the trophy we walked away from the madness. I remember as we made our way out towards ke iki road to walk home mick fanning came walking around the corner with a wild look in his eye. Dressed in black slacks and a new silk aloha shirt at 3 in the afternoon ready to PARTY.
I told my friend “that’s Eugene not Mick”
I can’t rank grunge bands, but I can def rank Melvins albums!
1: The Maggot
2: Bullhead
3: Houdini
4: Hostile Ambient Takeover
5: Pigs of the Roman Empire (w/Lustmord)
Honorable mentions to Eggnog and Dale Crover….but honestly so many albums, I know I’m forgetting some….Melvins rule
Kaimuki FTW. (my old neighbourhood)
Nice! Yeah it’s a great neighborhood
1. Stag
2. Stoner Witch
3. Houdini
4. The Jello Biafra one!
Xox
Bless you dear Chas. In epic Melvins style they rarely play their “hit” Honeybucket so I was chuffed to score tix the Houdini show at Ding Dong Lounge. Not only did they open with it, they closed with it. So bizarre, so Melvins!
Talked to Buzz with my band mate Elissa beforehand and he was a real sweety.
Xox
I watched them open for Nirvana in a sweaty Salem, Oregon space and will never forget.
I am forever wishing for your review of Nirvana.
But while you are here, have you read Mark Lanegans biography?
For me reading will never be the same again.
Beyond anything.
Xox
I usually hate muso bio’s. It’s that good huh? I do love bubblegum, and his involvement in the Queens.
Oh mate it shits on everything, it’s crazy good. A case study on how even the strongest men hurt, perhaps more. All of his solo work will seep into your skin given enough chance.
The cunt can really write which shouldn’t be so much of a surprise.
Xox
I had returned to the PNW around the time these guys came out. I was listening to so cal punk for the prior 6-8 years, I thought it was just a shitty copy of cali punk but the losers in washington had to call it something else. I appreciate PJ as musicians and some of their stuff is good but I didn’t get the whole grunge thing, it was just depressing rock music…
Pearl jam s finest hour – the live in atlanta triple cd
Soundgarden’s badmotorfinger / superunknown era takes the crown. Although id say Alice in chains was the epitome of grunge.
Pearl Jam were a SHIT pop band when they started.
They were a SHIT pop band when they went worldwide.
Continued being a SHIT pop band ever since.
And will always be a SHIT pop band.
P.S.
Vedder sucks SHIT, like his Crowded House mates et al.
And by all accounts he’s always surfed like it too.
Fuckin’ pop stars, ya might as well listen to Katy, Miley, Grohl, Bieber and any others of their ilk.
P.P.S.
Kelly (I ran out of boring things to say on a podcast so I lied about almost killing myself and calling a mate to tell me how cool I was and talk me out of it) Slater is EVENWORSETHANSHIT…
seems like you have made some guarded comments above….tell us really what ya think,LOL?
Sounds like he listens to em on headphones in the closet to me!
Xox
Pfffftttttt
On ya bike sicko
Nuthin’ but Leif Garrett and Andy Gibb on my closet headphones.
With The Captain And Tenile and Manhattan Transfer on the lounge speakers…
Haha well played
Xox
I’d agree with you, but how dare you desparage Crowded House
Douche of a guy, too.
Mudhoney
The best, yes
And Tad who can forget Tad !
Great doco on Tad!
Xox
I’ll look that up .thanks
good book
Good book, better movie.
Top 100 Grunge bands
1. Morphine
2-100. Morphine
i’m not sure grunge would have a saxophone, let alone multiple saxophones
dunno. Not a fan of grunge music.
Hence Morphine being my top 100 favorite grunge bands.
they came out of the same Seattle bowel movement.
“Implied grunge” is a term that Sandman tongue-in-cheekedly coined to describe Morphine’s wall-of-guitarless sound. But the grabbing lineup is just a small part of the story. As Tower Pulse wrote in a review of GOOD: “Like a generous shot of single-malt scotch on an overcast afternoon in a corner ’50s-style cocktail lounge….Morphine starts by warming the belly, then moves to the brain and loins. Its evocative songs rumble through rainy nightime streets like a ’61 Plymouth Fury
Q. why are grungies anti woodwind?
by way of Boston
that’s big bowel movement
the grunge music was an era when surfing was being let loose on the world…..grunge epitomized , great musicians/raw rock n’ roll….disheveled humans just wanting to play original music …super creative and went back to the late 60’s and early 70’s Jimi/Janis/Jim doors/ Led Z, Stones etc …..music has had an enormous affect on surfing and especially designing shaping ….still listen to Alice N Chains/Nirvana/Soundgarden/ mettalica/
Stone temple pilots………….inspiring stuff and yeah pearl jams 10……
The Alice In Chains Unplugged set is incredible and somewhat the setting sun on the whole era.
Xox
Agree Brutus. I was 29 in 1993 and skeptical of all the hype from Seattle. But…. once I really listened and dropped my late 70’s Pink Floyd led zep bias I realized we were living in a special era.
Top floor bottom buzzer – killer bassline, fun lyrics. Love it
Wouldnt call em grunge, but brilliant. The Night is a masterpiece
You Speak My Language
I as living in Tokyo when GOOD came out.
Such perfect Tokyo music.
almost everything they’ve done is great.
Skunked the spaz a few times at Del Mar…
Do not put this blame on San Diego, on behalf of San Dieagans.
Pearl Jam was originally featured on the Headbangers Ball late at night on Mtv….I guess cuz they wore flannels…didn’t really par up with Slayer and Morbid Angel. T’was quite confusing as a youngster.
remember getting a copy of Soundgarden’s Bad motor Finger in my travels early 90s. Listened to it a thousand times. Them, AIC and Lannigan for me
Fucken Lanegan hey. The soundtrack to my torturous existence and rebuild. I lent the book out three times and always lost it is that amazing.
Just received my edition en Francaise! Steal this one cunts!
Xox
Some forever art made xox
The audio book, read by Lannegan is great.
You at least need the first chapter to set your inner monologue hey!!
Xox
lemme guess, googled cbs Sunday morning to check out the Belichick awkward interview, Vedder clip showed up in the search, voila, BG article inspiration
If only his grandaughter he’s dating were a tranny, then that would also be BG adjacent enough.
No! But man, found and watched that Belichick business and oooooeee. Awkward city!
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Give Dark Matter (2024) a couple of spins. It’s an excellent album, for people who like Rock n’Roll music.
Also, as crazy as it seems, there are hundreds of thousands of PJ fans whose favourite album is No Code (1996); the album directly after Vitalogy. But I do see your point. I wasn’t into it either.
Vitalogy was a fine album.
Eddie also gave props to Mick last year, during the Gold Coast concert, for being indicted into the Aussie Hall of Fame.
remove “After Vitalogy” and just put always, outside of the unplugged version of Black. Still think Eddie’s version of Society, though, is underrated political commentary.
Thumbs up for Crowder
YouTube just threw me up this.
Fuckin Ryan Phillipe narrating a surf film about travelling to remote spots.
Would make sense that such an unlikable L.A. fella was a surfer.
https://youtu.be/OOOEO9VTXwY?si=Woa7yCEXpE-QPPqV
Memories…we’re moving further into nostalgia as we all get older. Now are 80s only radio stations. Soon we’ll all be reminisicing about Morey Boogie Mach Ones and whatnot. At least Bunyip Dreaming stands the test of time. Grunge–the sound someone makes when retaining their semen?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUb450Alpps
I don’t mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence- still a great line.
Chris cornell yelling it out – one of rocks greatest screamers