Big,bad & brooding
14 February 2007
Femina
Eddie Vedder
Big, bad & brooding
The boys are back. Pearl Jam’s self-titled, critically acclaimed eight album is making waves across the rock circuit. Diana Kotwal explores the life and times of Eddie Vedder, the band’s sexy front man
He’s the original rocker. The rebel with a serious cause. Born Edward Louis Severson III, he prefers to go by the name, Eddie Vedder. This man is all about the angst. He exploded on the scene in the early 1990s as the front man of the popular rock band Pearl Jam. His deep baritone vocals, crazy head banging style and intensely confessional lyrics made him an instant cult figure. He’s hot too. That probably helped a little.
This Jim Morrison of the 1990s, as he was once called, carries a chip on his shoulder like a badge of honour. He’s rarely seen without a permanent scowl tattooed on his face and a trademark brooding expression. Using his own inner turmoil and pathos, he gave beautifully penned lyrics to a generation unable to articulate their own pain and confusion. No sugar coated words or chocolate covered pain. Vedder sings it like he is. Raw and edgy. Every rocker worth his salt has tried to copy his unique singing style. Which, if you don’t speak Vedder, might sound more like a mouthful of angry grunting and animal-like growls, instead of the lyrical poetry it truly is.
Powerful, intense songs like, ‘Alive’, ‘Even Flow’ and the anthem, ‘Jeremy’ established Vedder as a reluctant spokesperson of his generation. And the face of teenage angst by Time magazine. Despite their sudden success, Pearl Jam was a non-conformist band. They point blank refused to make too many videos to promote their albums. They refused to release songs that might mislead the public into thinking the song reflects the tone of the album. Vedder even refused to smile.
As the band’s meteoric rise continued, Vedder became more and more possessive about his music. Often berating radio stations for overplaying the hauntingly beautiful ‘Black’. He wanted his music to remain pure, untouched by crass commercialisation, even at the expense of selling fewer records. In his own words, "We’d rather challenge our fans and make them listen to our songs than give them something that’s easy to digest. There is a lot of music out there that is very easy to digest but we never wanted to be part of it."
Naturally, this did not go down well with the record company. But Vedder, being Vedder, really didn't care. He became notoriously uncooperative with the record label, and his public relations company too. He used the concerts as a platform to discuss his political views, often urging the youth to take a stand against the system. The music, too, reflected his anti-war stance and anti-establishment views. Fiercely critical of George Bush’s government, Vedder was a frontrunner in the ‘Vote For Change Tour’ against Bush's re-election campaign.
Predictably, the awards meant nothing to him. Four MTV Music Award trophies later, Vedder scratched his head and questioned aloud how anyone could judge art objectively. When Pearl Jam won the Grammy for ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’, Vedder accepted the award with as much enthusiasm as if he was accepting a cigarette. He even treated his iconic status like a bad skin rash.
The media branded him difficult and eccentric. Which, in all honestly, he really was. But his strident individualism and crazy artistic temperament is precisely what made Vedder such a cult figure among his fans.
He always had to do things his own way. His stubborn determination is evident in the famous legal battle between him and Ticketmaster. Here’s what happened in a nutshell. Vedder insisted the rates for the concerts were too expensive for his young fans to afford. And demanded that they be lowered. The case went to court, but Pearl Jam lost. However, they went down in history as the only band to defy the ticket selling company, in order to make their music more accessible to the fans.
In 1994, Vedder married Beth Liebling, whom he had dated since he was a teenager. The couple divorced in 2000, and the split devastated him. The rare times he spoke about his wife, he said that without her, he was like a kite without a string.
A few years later, he met Jill McCormick, a model, who gave birth to his first child, Olivia. Fatherhood considerably softened Vedder, but further aggravated his political beliefs. He staunchly declared he won’t let his daughter grow up and fight another man’s war.
The band actively supported women’s issues. Often performing at concerts to raise money for organisations that campaigned on abortion rights and ending violence against women. Songs like ‘Why Go’ and ‘Daughter’ portray women positively, unlike the normal trend in rock music. While the highly popular song, ‘Betterman’, highlights the grave issue of domestic violence from the woman’s perspective.
Vedder was very vocal about women objectifying themselves. During concerts, he heavily criticised women who flashed the rockers. He once said, "If only every girl who pulled her top up educated herself and voted!"
In 2006, the band released Pearl Jam, their eighth studio album. In true Vedder style, he rages on in the power packed numbers like, ‘World Wide Suicide’. But a softer side emerges too. Pearl Jam has mellowed with age, as it’s pretty evident in songs like ‘Come back’ and ‘Gone’.
It’s been over a decade since the band’s inception. More than 50 millions albums have been sold. But Eddie Vedder continues to wear flannel. He’s still making music that matters. And at the ripe age of 42, he still effortlessly commands the collective attention of a stadium packed with enthralled fans. Did we mention, he’s still hot?
"We’d rather challenge our fans and make them listen to our songs, than give them something that’s easy to digest"
