PEARL JAM ON
August 08, 2009

Jonathan Cohen

Preparing To Tour:

Matt Cameron: "I've got my list going. Last summer we played 'Who You Are' and 'WMA' and things like that. I think we're going to continue with some of those Jack Irons-era songs, which have been really fun for me to play. Then 'Rival,' and I'd like Stone to do 'Mankind.' For the upcoming shows, if we can play 'The Fixer' and maybe a couple other new ones, I think that'd be fun."

Playing Matt Cameron's Songs:

Stone Gossard: " 'Johnny Guitar' is almost an homage to Elvis Costello in terms of Ed's phrasing. That is another Matt Cameron song with a crazy beat, but Ed glues it together with his vocal melody. It never feels uncomfortable, because he winds this story all the way through it. He doesn't let you think too much about the odd time signature. He found the right path to make it not too complex."

Shopping At Target

Cameron: "The first thing that sprung to my mind was, 'As a parent, do we shop there?' It's affordable and stylish. I always like going there. I'm not a big shopper, so for me to actually like a store is really saying something. That was my first practical reaction: 'Hey, I shop at Target!' "

Their Favorite Bootlegs

Eddie Vedder: "Bruce Springsteen, 'Piece de Resistance.' I just gave it away to the guy who runs Easy Street in West Seattle. The first time I saw him was '77, I think. I saw him on 'The River,' so that was '81? He played 'Trapped' and it took me a while to track down a version of the song."

Balancing Art And Commerce

Gossard: "Trying to balance in your business, in terms of where you are trying to make money and how you do it, with how to be an artist, and how to be philanthropic and good for the whole, it's not a perfect equation. This is a one-off deal, so we'll see what transpires next time. The way I look at it, Wal-Mart is twice as big as Target, so we're supporting the No. 2 guy."