Eddie Vedder AOL Sessions 2006

Filmen handlar om 22-åriga Christopher McCandless som precis gått ut college som är ung, frisk, intelligent och har sparkapital till högskolan - vägen är bäddad för framgång. Han gör dock något som de flesta av oss iallafall någon gång drömmer om - att bara dra. Han är inspirerad av de stora anarkosympatiska författarna Thoreau, London, Kerouac och drömmer om att leva i vildmarken totalt oberoende - frikopplad från civilisationen.

Mer än så vill jag inte berätta om filmen för annars spoilar jag den, men det var verkligen en film som präntade sig in i skallen på mig. Vår allas USA-hatare #1 Sean Penn står för regin och unge Emile Hirsch gör en fantastisk gestaltning av en pojke på väg att bli man under filmens gång. Hirsch, som tidigare bl.a medverkat i "Lord of Dogtown" samt "The Girl Next Door",har jag alltid tyckt varit en intressant skådespelare med mångsidighet trots sin ringa ålder (23). Soundtracket är specialskrivet av Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jams frontfigur) och även det är lysande bra. Det finns en harmonisk symbios i filmen, där bild, ljud, intryck, musik - allt blir levande tillsammans. Detta är en film som också sänder ett viktigt budskap med tanke på den tid vi lever i som präglas av kommersialism, kändisbesatthet och fanatism. Även den fina listan över birollsinnehavare gör filmen värd en extra applåd, speciellt Hal Holbrook som blev Oscarsnominerad för prestationen.

Filmen är baserad på en sann historia efter boken "Into The Wild" av John Krakauer. Jag rekommenderar alla att både se filmen och läsa boken - bägge delar är värda sin beskärda tid.

Nedan finns en trailer för de som känner för det, men jag tycker att den spoilar en hel del (som trailers vanligtvis alltid gör).

TOO TOUGH TO DIE: A TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY RAMONE (2006)
This documentary-slash-concert film has a few nice moments and and a handful of good performances but is a little too sacharine and melancholy for me. Sentimentalizing the Ramones (arguably the best rock n' roll band in the history of same) in this way does a disservice to their legacy. The performances that make up the meat of TTtD are from a 2006 concert commemerating the 30th anniversary of the band as well as a tribute o Johnny Ramone who was dying of cancer at the time and too sick to attend. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers do a few adequate-to-weak covers of fave Ramones hits, punk heros The Dickies play a few of what they consider to be THEIR "Ramones" songs (which I suppose is fine if you're a fan of The Dickies) and the usually wonderful Pete Yorn ill-advisedly warbles through a few more classics. Eddie Vedder is most surprising in his interpretations that are actually quite good. There are lots of interview clips with friends of Johnny, including Lisa Marie Presley, Deborah Harry, Henry Rollins and the typically self-absorbed Rob Zombie. Some of it is insightful but too much of it is melancholy tear bait. Clips of a memorial service shortly after Johnny's death is worst of all in that we're forced to endure choked up eulogies from Nicholas Cage(!), Vedder and more. This could have been fun and would have been far more enjoyable had it been a straight-up concert film. Mostly it made me want to pop in Rock 'n' Roll High School for the zillionth time. TTtD, directed by Mandy Stein, is currently not available on DVD. HEY-HO...hum.
**

sento già dire qualcuno che "non è che che se ascolti buona musica sei un buon musicista" (sento anche un accento un po' calante) ma questa versione non è affatto male.

e poi pensare a quel disco, southern accents, è strano perchè lo ricordo come un macigno incomprensibile che non ho mai digerito del tutto. tutta colpa della produzione di dave stewart troppo fuori tiro per canzoni che rimangono bellissime. la title track è uno di quegli esempi che operano violente selezioni tra cantautori di serie a e gli altri. su un commento di youtube scrivono che johnny cash avrebbe detto che il brano dovrebbe sostituire dixie (l'inno del sud durante la guerra civile). non ho idea se sia vero ma in ogni caso l'ha incisa nel secondo degli american recordings: Unchainded, proprio quello in cui fa da backing band tompettyandtheheartbreakers.

credo che riascolterò almeno una volta i vampire weekend con attenzione e poi andrò a riesumare la cassettina originale di southern accents comprata bucata (la spiegazione magari ad un altro post) sul catalogo top ten a 4900 lire per poi scaricare con tutti i diritti il disco in questione e cercare di capirlo. (come avete capito sono tante le cose che non capisco e questo è un post circolare)

ma per finire e rompere l'equilibro una pubblicità progresso. siccome in italia funziona che tutti quelli che suonano, mangiano, si fotografano o appaiono sul palco con i pearl jam guadagnano fan ecco il mio personale contributo all'entrata in società di tom petty:

Eddie Vedder - Soceity

Eddie Vedder - Long Nights

Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun

Eddie Vedder - No Ceiling

I can see how my life has changed by looking only at those daydreams.

When I was a kid, I daydreamed that unhealthy, tasty things such as candy would suddenly turn out to be healthy.

When I was in my early teens, I used to daydream about guys and romance.

Around 15-16, I daydreamed about making smart statements or doing great discoveries.

Now I daydream about meeting Eddie Vedder...

So, BZ is coming together nicely.

EDIT: I downloaded the demo for NHL 2k9 from the XBLM today, and JESUS CHRIST IT SUCKS ASS. I'll be getting NHL 09, after all. Sorry, Rick Nash. Maybe if you guys win the Cup, you can be on EA's cover!!!

In questo post vorrei presentarvi una piccola recensione sull'album di Eddie Vedder, in seguito avremo modo di approfondire i testi.

Dopo un primo ascolto distratto avevo classificato quest'album soltanto come "orecchiabile" ma nei successivi ascolti mi sono dovuto ricredere: più lo ascoltavo e meno mi annoiava e ne cominciavo a gustare i particolari e le piccole perle in esso contenute.
Nell'album si alternano pezzi che evocano i Pearl Jam (Setting Forth, Far Behind e End of the Road, quest'ultima con una seconda parte strumentale ricca di sonorità mai scontatate) a brani strumentali (Tuolulmne, The Wolf) intervallati da canzoni dove qualche strumento acustico (benjo, ukulele) e poco altro accompagnano la ruvida e ispirata voce di Vedder (No Ceiling, Rise, Long Nights e Guaranteed, quest'ultima una sorta di inno alla libertà).
A metà del disco troviamo Hard Sun, una cover di un pezzo dell'89 di Gordon Peterson, ballata solare scelta da Vedder come singolo.

Che aggiungere se non... Buon ascolto!

Two of my favorite songs were ruined because he screwed up the lyrics.  They were very serious in tone so the mood was destroyed and the mistakes careless.  The obvious omissions were disappointing as several standards were left out.

The most disappointing part of finally getting to attend his concert was realizing a person I highly respected for his music, candor and activism, has become quite pompous, careless and arrogant, the very thing he criticizes.

I can't say the entire performance was a disaster!  There were a few songs and times where Ed was incredible, leaving a positive impression but unfortunately, they were few and far between. Still love his unique, baritone voice but doubt the music will ever sound quite the same again.

Am I disappointed?  Yes, but I had the chance to see him perform at least once in my lifetime.  It was my first and last date with the legendary musician.

Oh. my. God...

How the mighty have fallen. Chris Cornell, former lead singer of Soundgarden has hit rock bottom. And I'm not talking alcoholism or drug abuse rock bottom. No, I'm talking about artistic bankruptcy rock bottom. For those not "in the know," Chris Cornell has recorded his new album Scream with the help of uber-urban street cred studio guru Timbaland. The results are piss-poor at best.

Now I realize that since Soundgarden called it quites back in '97 Chris hasn't had the most illustrious career. His post SG solo record Euphoria Morning was a decent offering but didn't exactly set the world on fire (not including the underrated "Sunshower" from the Great Expectations soundtrack didn't help things in my opinion). And his collaborations with the former-now-current guys from Rage Against the Machine in Audioslave, though lucrative, didn't match the heights of Soundgarden. Part of the problem is that Cornell was either unable or unwilling to let loose with his fantastic metal wail, the way he would in classics like "Outshined" or "Rusty Cage." The whole project seemed so laboured compared to the cathartic nature of Soundgarden's best work. This resulted in a band, one that could have been a real creative standout on rock radio, instead opting to simply be another angry band with a pretty-boy lead singer. The only thing that separated Audioslave from those ass-hats in Creed was the group members' former glories.

When looking at Cornell and his career it's hard not to compare it with his peers from early-90s Seattle. Unlike Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley or Eddie Vedder, Cornell always seemed destined for bigger things. He had the looks the body and the voice (Mudhoney figured this out early on and wrote the song "Overblown"). And regardless of where his career leads he was fortunate not to follow the paths Cobain and Staley chose. Still from leading one of the the early-90s most loved and respected bands to writing sub-par One Repbulic rip-offs is a leap worthy of Rod Stewart when he abandoned his Mod, blues-rock roots in favour of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" panty-waving excess. It's worse when you juxtapose Cornell with Vedder. Vedder was the grunge poster boy, the one on the cover of Time Magazine, and Pearl Jam were the genre's bread winners. By all rights, they should be the ones desperately trying to hold on to relevance in a rapidly changing cultural landscape. But instead they chose to forge ahead on their own path. It seemed tenuous at first (does anybody else remember the first time they heard "Who You Are"?) But in the process the group garned a new-found respect from their detractors, the kind that of respect that builds careers, not hit singles. They still get played on the radio (how awesome was it to hear "World WIde Suidcide") and Vedder received some of his highest accolades for his soundtrack to Into the Wild.

Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is this Christmas do everyone a favour and buy your teenage neices and nephews copies of Superunknown and Badmotorfinger and keep the dream alive. And while your at it, maybe buy your single aunt a Faces record...you never know...

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

Photo by Timothy Norris

Eddie Vedder on tour 8/16/08 in Washington, DC Warner Theatre

Long Nights

Society

Hard Sun

Massey Hall, Toronto - August 13, 2008
By JASON MacNEIL - Sun Media

He was in Neil’s house but in the end even “Uncle” Neil Young would have said it was a job well done.

Eddie Vedder’s first of a two-night, solo sold-out stand Tuesday evening at Toronto’s Massey Hall was an engaging, amusing and high quality 160-minute affair.

Photo by Timothy Norris

And while it perhaps didn’t carry the same historical clout as Young’s groundbreaking 1971 performance at the venue, several times Vedder tapped into that special magic only an old, intimate venue is capable of containing.

Heck, the 43-year-old singer got a standing ovation even before putting fingers to the fret board. Stating that there was “a fairly interesting evening planned so let’s get into it,” Vedder opened with a cover of Daniel Johnston’s Walking The Cow before showing his powerful pipes during Trouble, the latter causing him some trouble and resulting in a false start.

But the slight miscues or occasional stumbles to find the next lyric endeared him to fans and even critics alike. Whether it was the foot-stomping Sometimes or the swaying I Am Mine that created a large sing-along, Vedder could rarely do much wrong.

Not to say that he didn’t try to toss a few barbs at the audience, especially those shouting requests much to Vedder’s annoyance. When a lady asked him to play at her wedding during one bit of banter between songs, Vedder replied quickly and pointedly.

“Maybe you should just be thankful that you’re getting married.”

Vedder later dedicated the simple Picture In A Frame to the woman as an olive branch but playfully gave as much as he got. When one smartass asked what band he was a member of, Vedder said Stone Temple Pilots which quickly led to requests for Sour Girl and other Stone Temple Pilots hits.

Nonetheless, Vedder, who also mispronounced the name of the Elgin Theatre, spent the 26-song set delivering material from the Into The Wild film such as No Ceiling, Rise and Far Behind as well as Pearl Jam material such as Driftin’, I Am Mine and the main set closer Porch.

Photo by Timothy Norris

Throughout it all, one could sense Vedder feeling Young’s spirit hovering around the hall.

Prior to Man Of The Hour, Vedder mentioned how Neil Young and Massey Hall was sort of like Johnny Cash and Folsom Prison. “I’d much rather be here than at Folsom Prison although a few of you look like convicts,” Vedder said.

He also covered the Young (and Stephen Stills) nugget Long May You Run which Vedder said he only performed before at his mother’s birthday.

Photo by Timothy Norris

Other highlights of the night included The Beatles’ rousing You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away that caused a loud sing-along as did Last Kiss. Vedder also showed a Dylan-esque troubadour side during Guaranteed before the blistering reworking of Phil Ochs’ Here’s To The State Of Mississippi which called out George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and the late Jerry Falwell.

After layering his own vocals for a weird but effective a cappella piece, Vedder, who recounted a story about urinating on a nearby dumpster last year during the Toronto International Film Festival instead of the exterior of Massey Hall, returned for No More and the fine Hard Sun (with support act Liam Finn and Eliza Jane Barnes helping out) to close the show.

Prior to the second encore, Vedder left the stage suggesting the crowd’s response was giving him chills or goose bumps. For much of the night, his performance was doing the same thing to the audience.

jason.macneil@sunmedia.ca

Link here

So, here's to Eddie Vedder. I just received this email from the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee...

"* we took back over 100 tickets from scalpers who were charging up to $2000 for Eddie Vedder tickets.
* we refunded their money (except for service fees) & charged them a restocking fee.
* the restocking fee was donated to a charity defined by Eddie.
* now we wanna sell the tickets that we took back, to you, the real fans, on our eMembers list."

The email goes on the tell me how I can purchase these tickets at face value (the sale already happened).

This is why Eddie Vedder's stand against scalpers and Ticketmaster have endeared me to him. Not only that, but he's embraced another idea I've had for years - releasing every Pearl Jam live show during one of the recent tours on CD. They were doing this before other companies started selling (on an extremely and too limited basis) a copy of the show you just saw at live events.

This is one case where what the man stands for is more important and exciting to me than his music (which I also like, but not one of my favorites).

Go Eddie!

*Except, I hate the Cubs, so he's still got room for improvement.

Today, Brobot spotted Eddie Vedder performing a private “inside-the-tube” concert for Laird Hamilton. Onlooker Dave Kalama confirms this feat, adding, “They were getting huge shacks! Laird was slotting into massive, heaving waves with ease, mesmerized by Eddie. And, Vedder’s vocals in the barrel were unstoppable.”

At one point in the never-before-performed “concert,” Laird stopped dragging his paddle on the roof of the tube long enough to use the paddle for a cranking air guitar solo. Vedder smiled at the oarsman, so synced in with his host that Vedder could seemly hear the riff that Laird was laying down.

Natives of this Polynesian secret spot fell out of trees, so entranced by the sweet music that the act of harvesting coconuts proved impossible.

The two men first met on the set of “Iconoclasts,” a Sundance Channel documentary series that places two disparate celebrities face to face. In 2007 Vedder traveled to Hamilton’s island home and the pair quickly became friends. Vedder painted Hamilton’s over-size likeness, and they eventually hugged (http://www.sundancechannel.com/iconoclasts/#/episode/210227772). 

During a beautiful drive together, Vedder pontificated on what keeps Hamilton in the moment when he’s riding giant waves. Hamilton quickly suggested, “Having a good song in my head, that’ll be helpful.”

Full of praise for his new friend, Vedder said, “Laird is realizing what kind of magic this planet holds.” And knowing a bit of magic himself, Vedder shrunk himself to baby-sized proportions.  Amazingly, this had no effect on his vocal range. Not only did Vedder write a song to keep Hamilton’s next big-wave season grounded, he wrote a whole concert. But the miniature Vedder decided to go one better, and allowed himself to be placed on the nose of Hamilton’s stand-up paddle board (SUP) for the first big session of the year. 

News of their success quickly reached the island of Bali, however, where the Rip Curl Search WCT event was taking place. Eight-time world champion Kelly Slater stood the possibility of furthering his bid for a ninth title at this venue, but word of Vedder and Hamilton’s duet apparently rattled the champ and he went down to a low seed competitor by the name of Tiago Peres. “Slater and Vedder were friends first,” explains one knowledgeable source. “Probably closer at one point than Hamilton and Vedder are now, and Vedder never did anything like this for Slater. That kind of news can definitely affect your game.”

It could be that professional jealousy isn’t only confined to Slater, as Hamilton’s one-time tow partner Dave Kalama has reportedly contacted Slater for a tow event of their own.

Though there was a small percentage of the crowd that was still in PearlJam mode and had to add their 2 cents between songs, the rest of the evening was a seated affair with mellow unplugged renditions of his solo material, covers, and even some PearlJam songs thrown in. Just Eddie + a guitar.

Not sure why people have the urge to shout out words in between songs. For example, when Eddie Vedder pulled out a mandolin for his next song, someone in the crowd had to shout out, "ukulele!"....ooook.

Overall, a great night! Massey Hall is the best place to watch a show. Might even convince me to go to another concert.

Funky Photo, Massey Hall Lounge before show:

Disobey my own decisions
I deserve all your suspicions
First it's yes and then it's no
I dilly-dally down to you, oh
But I've got no secrets that I battle in my sleep
I won't make promises to you that I can't keep

And you know that I love you
Here and now, not forever
I can give you the present
I don't know about the future
That's all stuff and nonsense

I once lived for the future
Everyday was one day closer
Greener on the other side
Yes I believe before I met you
But I soon learned your love burned
Brighter than the stars in my eyes
Now I know how and when
I know where and why

And you know that I love you
Here and now not forever
I can give you the present
I don't know about the future
That's all stuff and nonsense ...

Anyhow, I love how writer of The National Ledger piece notes Eddie's nuances and movements. From reading it, I really wished I was at the Newark show.  

Read the story here: Rearview mirror: A look back at my week with Eddie Vedder