Eddie Vedder compares Taylor Swift to punk rock
Although he might have found fame at a time much different from the contemporary era, with a sound that defined Generation X’s existence, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has revealed that he sees similarities between the punk scene he grew up in and Taylor Swift’s shows.
Vedder was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1964. In the mid-1970s, his family relocated to San Diego, California, where he developed musically after being bought a guitar for his 12th birthday. Galvanised by classic moments such as The Who’s Quadrophenia, and the birth of punk, he played in groups such as Surf and Destroy and the Butts. One of his early acts was Indian Style, which featured future Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk.
In 1988, Vedder became the vocalist for the group Bad Radio. Through playing in this funk-rock outfit, he became friends with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons. Then, in 1990, Irons gave him the demo tape by a promising Seattle band looking for a vocalist. He recorded vocals for three eventual Pearl Jam songs, ‘Alive’, ‘Once’ and ‘Footsteps’.
After hearing the recording, former Mother Love Bone guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament invited Vedder up the coast to Seattle to audition. His unique ability instantly blew them away.
Things moved quickly, and Pearl Jam was founded in 1990, with Vedder also singing on some Temple of the Dog tracks. The former act became one of the foremost grunge forces, releasing their debut album Ten, the following year to critical acclaim. It remains a staple of the sound and era, fusing punk and classic rock textures.
In a new interview with Mojo, Vedder compared hanging out with “the misfits” at punk shows when a teenager to the communal spirit that Taylor Swift creates at her shows. Despite the pop star’s music being far removed from the often furious sound that Vedder grew up listening to and later developed, her concerts also represent something “galvanising and powerful”.
He mainly concentrated on the excitement in the run-up to the show with his daughter, which included “making friendship bracelets with her and the generosity of these young girls and boys, trading these bracelets with different messages on them – lyrics, song titles, just acts of good will on these little bracelets.”
“They had found their tribe, they were all agreeing on something,” he added. “The craziest thing was it reminded me of punk rock crowds, of being aligned with all of the misfits in our town, back in the day.”
In other Pearl Jam news, the grunge band recently announced their return, with their 12th album, Dark Matter, arriving on April 19th. The group have already shared the title track and said in a statement: “We hopefully think is our best work. No hyperbole, I think this is our best work.”
Following the record’s release, the quintet will be embarking on a world tour of Europe, Australia, North America and the UK.
Elsewhere, in February, Vedder and Post Malone united at a charity concert in Tennessee to perform a collection of Pearl Jam and Tom Petty tracks, including the latter’s ‘I Won’t Back Down’.
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