Pearl Jam 20

[sunvalleylaw]

I DVR'd it from PBS and have been watching it a bit at a time. I am liking it. It gives a good history of the Seattle music scene, and so far (I am probably half way through or less), successfully shows a little bit of what was going on in Seattle before the national media phenomenon labeled the scene "grunge". I particularly like the Mother Love Bone stuff and wonder what would have happened had Andrew Wood (lead singer, showman) lived. He seems like he was such a showman, and Vedder is much more "heart on the sleeve" Neil Young style by comparison it seems.

I also really like the interviews with Chris Cornell, and the depiction of how Vedder found his way into his stride up in Seattle after coming from California. I liked the old Vedder interview stuff from his early days. In the newer stuff, Vedder seems guarded or something, and given all that went down, I guess that is not surprising. The other band members are frankly easier to listen to when they speak.

Lastly, it reminds me that all of that was a long, long time ago now. Glad to see some of the scene still rocking including Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. BTW, last week or so, you could stream it free on netflix in case you cannot catch it on TV.

 

[R_of_G]

Great documentary about a great band. I enjoyed seeing all of the horrible fashion from the 90s again. I'm glad the band endured but I am equally glad the "style" of the 90s faded.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Having lived through it, seemingly not that long ago, I'd forgotten that the "style" existed or was so goofy looking.

 

[Eric]

That looks interesting. I find Eddie Vedder to be pretty annoying, but some of the things he's done have been fairly admirable.

 

[cheapgtrs]

I really enjoyed it. I grew up in the 90s so Pearl Jam is one of those bands very near and dear to my heart. =)

 

[Radioboy950]

Funny...I never cared that much for Pearl Jam and that whole "scene"...but the doc was very, very good. Enjoyed it.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Cameron Crowe does some good work I think. Also, I think the nation and world's perception of the "grunge" scene as it was labelled was not all that accurate. Once Time and Newsweek got ahold of things, they got distorted, and i think that distorted the bands in return. That's one of the reasons I like all the footage of the early years.

 

[deeaa]

Yeah, gotta watch that at some point for sure---I was such a Pear Jam fan right from the start and it's probably been the single greatest influence for my music stuff by a wide margin.

 

[Katastrophe]

I've got Netflix, and will probably watch it tomorrow night, based on your recommendation. It's interesting to me to read / hear / watch stories about different bands and their trials, tribulations, and successes over the years.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

---I was such a Pear Jam fan right from the start and it's probably been the single greatest influence for my music stuff by a wide margin.

Mmm! Pear Jam!

http://southernfood.about.com/od/jamsjellies/r/r80810h.htm


Good, southern cooking!

 

[deeaa]

I've got Netflix, and will probably watch it tomorrow night, based on your recommendation. It's interesting to me to read / hear / watch stories about different bands and their trials, tribulations, and successes over the years.

It's started to interest me only more recently. I never cared much about the bands themselves, and for instance even though I was a huge PJ fan I didn't know the names of the guys in the band or would have recognized any of them except maybe Vedder because I saw some video of theirs at some point. But of late I've developed some interest in the lives of the musicians as well as the music itself.

 

[R_of_G]

Cameron Crowe does some good work I think.

Crowe himself refers to the film as his "two hour love letter" to Pearl Jam and I think it's accurate. He's able to deftly straddle the gap between documentarian and fan without falling headfirst into it like others have. It's honest in its portrayal of the band but still shot and cut with the knowledge a fan brings to the table.

Also, I think the nation and world's perception of the "grunge" scene as it was labelled was not all that accurate. Once Time and Newsweek got ahold of things, they got distorted, and i think that distorted the bands in return. That's one of the reasons I like all the footage of the early years.

You definitely make a good point there Steve. I've known several people from the Pacific Northwest who were quite into that music scene but didn't call it "grunge" or think of the bands as being just a bunch of different bands all playing the same general style of music. Whatever label one wants to put on the music scene coming out of that area in the late 80s/early 90s, it was a very organic movement by the people in these bands that grew out of the things they were listening to themselves. A healthy live music scene in a city/region can create the conditions for something like that.

I'm glad my own experience with discovering Pearl Jam pre-dated the "grunge explosion" or it may have colored my perceptions. I saw them just prior to the release of Ten when they opened for the RHCP. Very few people in the room knew who Pearl Jam was when they came onstage. Very few of us ever forgot them after. They're a great band with a vast catalog and one of the best live bands I've ever seen.

 

[Retro Hound]

I'd heard this was too much of a love letter and Crowe too close as a fan to have any decent analysis, but I'll check it out after what I've read here.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I may not be the best judge as to whether it is too much a love letter, because I loved the time in music in Seattle and really enjoyed the band. But I still think it is worth a watch.