cc_blogcover2I was a lucky man to meet and work with Pearl Jam early on.  Not at the beginning, but pretty damn close.  I met them in NYC on July 13th in NYC at The Marquee Room after the show.  I was all set to shoot them the next day for Epic Records.  They were amazing from day one and so nice to me.  I have a hundred stories, but here’s my 10 favorite moments with the band.  I will always be grateful to the band and management for the access & trust.

  1. “Jeremy” – Of course directing my first music video with the band.  It was a life changing experience on so many levels.  I will always be grateful to the band for trusting me and letting me direct my first video.  I believe it still holds up today as a great video.
  2. Fugazi at Jawbone Canyon – Huh?  WTF has that got to do with Pearl Jam?  On September 6th, 1991 Fugazi played a show in the middle of the desert for Flipside Magazine.  Eddie Vedder, his grrl friend Beth and I drove out to the middle of nowhere to see this show.  It was fucking amazing and so raw.  We had an amazing time.  Stayed up all night watching a bunch of punk rock bands playing till sunrise.  Seriously this was one of the great music moments of my life and the one fucking time I did not take pictures.  Ugh.
  3. Roseland Ballroom – They did two shows on November 11th & 12th, 1991 and they both were fucking amazing!!!  They were opening for The Smashing Pumpkins & the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  What I remember most about these shows was how much fun everyone was having on stage and backstage.  The band was totally fucking brilliant live!
  4. Soundgarden at RKCNDY – September 6th, 1991… Soundgarden does a surprise show before Badmotorfinger is released.  Eddie, his grrl friend Beth and I go to the show.  Its at this show that I decide I want too direct a music video and ask Eddie what he thought.  He thought it was a good idea and said he would run it by the band.  It was a great night and one that I will never forget.
  5. Seattle Shoot – August 29th, 1991 in Seattle I shot the band for Epic Records publicity.  Their publicist Julie Farman set this up and we went to Discovery Park (where they shot the Hunger Strike video) to do the shoot.  An easy shoot with the band and the results ended up being used for publicity for the album Ten.
  6. Sports Arena, Los Angeles – December 27th, 1991 show with the Chili Peppers & Nirvana.  I didn’t get to see the show (broke my elbow the day before), but before the show I got to interview them for ABC’s In Concert.  Actually got to interview ALL three bands.  A good day for sure.  I still have the footage and it is awesome to watch.
  7. Singles Release Party – September 10th, 1992 in Los Angeles at the Park Plaza Hotel.  What a night!!  Fucking crazy fun for everyone.  I’m sure you heard the stories of Eddie being drunk and everyone in a bad mood.  What I remember is meeting and interviewing Ann & Nancy Wilson for ABC’s In Concert, getting a big hug from Ben Shepard (Soundgarden) and having a few too many drinks myself.
  8. The “Poncier Tape” – Chris Cornell made a tape with 5 demo songs for the movie Singles.  Eddie played the tape for me and it was so good.  Songs you know now by now… Spoonman, Seasons and so on.  I was blown away and wanted a copy so bad.  SO, I saw Chris & asked him for a copy.  He told me he couldn’t (like I believed that).  The day I shot Pearl Jam for my Jeremy video Eddie showed up and handed me a copy of the tape.  Eddie said he got it from Chris and it was for me to enjoy.  I still have it to this day!!!  SO fucking good.
  9. Dallas, TX – The bands publicist Julie Farman hired me to shoot the band for one more publicity session.  They were running out of photos and needed some new art.  I flew to Dallas and shot them in a small studio.  It was a great shoot, but the best part was watching Eddie stare at the rafters of the studio all day.  Then when I was shooting the band he decided to climb them and have his fun.  I swear Eddie was a rock climber in his previous life.  SO good!!!
  10. Lollapalooza – August 28th, 1991…  The first tour in 1991 ended in Seattle.  I had already been to 5 shows by then.  By this time everyone was tired and ready for it to end.  SO, Eddie, his grrl friend Beth and I drove to this last show from to Seattle to the King County Fairgrounds.  It was a great road trip filled with good music and King Cobra 40’s!  We got there in time and of course I took care of passes for us all.  Eddie loved Jane’s almost as much as I did.  I took him around and introduced him to the band.  It was funny cuz at this time nobody really knew who Pearl Jam was, so it was really low key.  A year later they would be playing the main stage!!!  Funny how things work out.  We had a great day filled with great music and friendship.  #GoodTimes
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