Life on the edge
Kathy McCabe

April 27, 2006

ED VEDDER'S quest to take himself out of the comfort zone can land him in life-threatening situations.

The Pearl Jam frontman, who is also an avid surfer, has been dramatically rescued twice in rough conditions – once off the New Zealand coast and more recently in Hawaii – pursuing his quest to "stay out there for a while".

"At least in New Zealand there were lifeguards," Vedder chuckles.

"I probably could have got out of that riptide myself but we'd played the night before and drank 'til late and I had another gig in a few hours so I said 'Please help'."

There has been some dispute over whether Vedder was suitably thankful for being rescued.

"I thought I'd thanked them," he says. "But apparently they were pissed off with me. Maybe I was so happy, I just ran off the beach. Of course I was thankful."

To continue the analogy, Vedder says he has taken himself out further than he has ever been before to write the songs on the band's self-titled eighth studio album – although this time there has been no need to call for lifeguards.

"If I swam out a couple of miles on the last few records, this time I was way out in the middle. In a way, I'm at home out there," he says, explaining that songs simply do not spring from his comfort zones.

"Life in general and responsibilities and your daily goings-on, I don't write from that place. I have to go somewhere else and that place is pretty far away. It's not something you can go do for an hour. I just need to stay out there for a while and luckily the ones that I live with and love with, they understand this and they are pretty patient."

Pearl Jam has carved a reputation for being uncompromising when it comes to their art and their fans.

At times during their career, the fans' fierce loyalty has been put to the test, whether it was the band's brave attempt to take on Ticketmaster's control of venues in the US or the wavering form they've shown on their past couple of albums.

The new album Pearl Jam finds the band back to its best; an eclectic collection of songs which straddle the punk attack of new single World Wide Suicide and Comatose and the heartwrenching balladry of Come Back and Parachutes.

Assembled at the band's new warehouse just outside Seattle, the five members – Vedder, guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Matt Cameron – seem to be quietly confident about the album and eager to take it out on the road.

The state of world politics and its impact on the everyman dominates. But Vedder's newfound happiness with partner Jill McCormick and their daughter Olivia has probably informed the uncharacteristic love songs which pepper the album.

While the band retain a stoic democracy on all decisions related to their career, one senses that the singer probably has the casting vote on what songs are eventually recorded for Pearl Jam albums.

That vote is primarily for practical purposes – he has to write lyrics to the musical ideas and sing them.

Mike McCready wrote the lion's share of music for the album. He and Gossard say the litmus test for a musical idea to be fleshed out is if Vedder can sing something over the top of it instantly.

"You hope Ed latches on to what you've come up with, that he will get excited about it," McCready says.

Gossard adds: "Every time you write a song that gets Ed excited to sing over the top, you feel good about that. We recorded Parachutes in one day and he threw a vocal over it the next day. He has an amazing ability to write lyrics on the fly."

Before talking to the band members, interviewers are shown a short video during which Pearl Jam individually discuss recording the album and their relationship with each other.

More than a few times, the volatility of their communication in the early years comes up. You get the idea they had some epic shouting matches.

Vedder, Gossard and McCready don't want to make too much about it but – older now, wiser and still together – they have obviously found a way to redirect their passionate natures into the music.

"We've gotten better at it, I think. We sit down and have meetings about that. If we have issues we sit down and talk it out. I'm less neurotic and crazy than when I was 26. Now I'm close to 40 – and feel like a preserved moose," McCready laughs.

Gossard continues: "We are all getting close to middle age and looking back you realise how lucky you are to have our friendships intact and our band intact.

"We are very grateful we worked it out with each other, can write songs together and people still care. It keeps us wanting to work it out with each other. What would we be doing individually that would be as much fun as this?"

And it is about the fun, the creative expression and the day job.Even with a new one-off label deal with Clive Davis' esteemed J records, matching the album sales of their monstrous first three albums – Ten, Vs. and Vitalogy – is not a goal.

"I can honestly say I don't give a flying f--- for any kind of commercial success. That has no relevance to my participation in the band whatsoever," Vedder says. "The idea is to maintain relevance and feel like your work is valid so you can play shows with new material that has current emotion, that you can share it all with an audience that continues to grow, not necessarily in numbers but as human beings and you are sharing this experience together."

Vedder and his band mates will have no choice in the matter of success in any case. Relevance seems to be assured as the first single World Wide Suicide and five other tracks have already leaked on the internet, the postmodern indicator to demand for a band. The fans are flooding forums with discussion about the songs and are more keen than ever to see Pearl Jam's name next to a No.1.

But Vedder maintains he doesn't want that.

"The commercial success, if it got out of hand like it did early on, we would be right back in a position we worked really hard to get out of. And survive it. The band that was everywhere and people got sick of it."

Pearl Jam is out on Saturday. The band will announce their November tour of Australia next week, and tickets will go on sale in May

November tour of Australia, eh?

Goddammit, when are they coming to the South?

well done Oz. Lucky it wasn't 6 yrs.

Some of these album reviews really don't talk much about the album, do they?

But that was nice to read.

Hell of a good read.

I'm not saying the band quotes ARE fake in this read, but they SOUND fake to me. The quotes somewhat contradict what I've heard in other recent interviews/reviews. Strange.

We had the best time at your party. The wife and I thank you very much.

Link, please.

http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/stor ... 42,00.html

If the link is legit and the quotes are real, then Eddie Vedder is a fucking schizophrenic. Not to mention, he's working against (rather than for) the band's said common goal: to influence the masses.

Those Ed quotes are interesting.

Even the one about "giving a flying fuck about commercial success"

I am not saying he does or doesn't but I agree that he is rarely this candid with his comments.

i dont think they will announce the tour next week, at least i hope, i have mo money!!!

The paper is legit. It's The Courier Mail, Brisbane's daily. And Holy shit tickets on sale in May? Thats in like 4 days. I gotta get my shit together.

its real, christ people. ill try and find the link tot he newspaper.

and that comment about the band being out there and the band eveyrone is sick of is what ed has been saying his entire career.

I just read that in the Adelaide Advertiser (south aus, aus paper). I cant wait for tix to go on sale, let alone november! i think im gunna wet myself