Intro
My Pearl Jam Life[I'm the happy girl with the black hair,
I'm sitting next to amazing fans on the front row
in V.B Aug.'00- Best Days of My Life]I've been a Pearl Jam fan for almost 8 years now. There was about a year of stages to become a fan between 1993 and 1994.
First, I just listened to the music, but as the time passed I was interested more and more in everything that's related to Pearl Jam. When Vitalogy came out in Dec. 1994, I was already a diehard fan, loving everything Pearl Jammy in the world.
As I explored PJ, listened to their music, talked to fans and spend a lot of time thinking about the band- It became a life style and an identity.
On this page I will share with you the story of how I became a fan and the rest of my Pearl Jam Life.
The First Time
The first time I've seen or heard Pearl Jam was on MTV in January 1993.It was Pearl Jam Weekend on MTV and they were showing some short interviews, the Unplugged, music videos and short live clips. I've only seen a bit of the Unplugged and a minute of interview and it really caught my attention.
I felt that this band is nothing like other bands I've seen before, they looked serious and real.Eddie was sitting on a stool with his beautiful hair and amazing voice. Next to him, Mike, Stone and Jeff were playing acoustic guitars, also on stools, and Dave on drums.
I didn't know their names back then or anything about the band. When Eddie was interviewed he looked all sweaty and I couldn't understand a word he was saying or singing, but I liked the way he was.
I jumped out of the sofa and called Kate, who was my best friend back then."Kate! Kate! Are you watching?" I asked her excitedly on the phone. "Sure I am!" she answered me from the other side of the line. I asked her if she knows this band or anything about them and she told me that guy was called Eddie Vedder or something and she thinks they're called 'Pearl Jam'. After I told her that I think they are really cool, she told me her brother has their CD called Ten. I was pretty disappointed of her knowing an amazing band like this and never mentioning anything about it to me.
By the next day I was listening to Ten over and over on a tape she taped me. That tape was in pretty bad quality, "Once" was cut, starting from the first chorus and it ended in the middle of "Garden". Despite all that, I loved it very much and I listened to it all the time. Back then I didn't know the names of the band members, the words or how the look like, because what I've seen on TV that day was really short and fast, and since I was talking to Kate on the phone, I wasn't concentrating. Anyway, what I did understand- I loved. And I just had to know the lyrics. I couldn't wait till Kate let me see her brother's CD so I rushed one day to the closest CD store just to see the lyrics.
I didn't think they'd have it but fortunately, they did. I opened it, unfolded the lyric sheet and tried to understand Eddie's handwriting. I really loved the way it looked but I could curse the band for making it fold like that and that it was written so small and illegible. I didn't know if the storekeeper allowed this or not, so I tried to do this secretly just in case- and that was hard! I just had to know the lyrics! Especially the lyrics of Jeremy! I thought it was "Jeremy spoken... class today" and I just didn't get it! Then I saw it was "Jeremy spoke IN class today" and that was a different story! I got some of Oceans' lyrics before the storekeeper was about to kick me out. I had to fold that CD and rush back home to listen to what I found. I was so happy. that's the only thing I heard that month.
My First CDS Ever
I ordered Ten and Vs. in the price of one from a magazine. These were my first CDs ever! I am so proud! I got the CDs only in April for my birthday. I was very excited about it especially because Vs. was new to me then. I listened to 'Daughter' and 'Glorified G' and I really liked it. I remember studying the lyrics on the Vs and Ten booklets. By then it was obvious: I love this band!
The first PJ article I've Read
One day, a friend of mine gave me an article about them. Eddie was interviewed. He talked about abortions and "Pro-Choice".This article was 'Not Your Fucking Messiah' translated to Hebrew and edited. The title was "Ed:'only someone who's fucked up could adore me'". I was like- 'OK, I won't adore him I'll just appreciate him'?? Then, I vowed I'd never put their posters or pictures or anything. It'll be only music. Just like Eddie said in that interview. Only music.
In that article Eddie also said that he doesn't like interviews and MTV and stuff, that he doesn't want to be a star and that everyone should leave him alone.I got all that in the first article. That's how I got to "know" Eddie. The things Ed said sounded weird to me because I didn't know Pearl Jam were famous and so popular. I have never heard about them before that MTV show, and I didn't know anyone who knew about them except Kater and her brother who were English. I liked everything Eddie Vedder said. I didn't have any posters or anything. Only music.
The first Poster, Bootleg and Shirt
One day this friend of mine had a poster to give me. At first I said "No thanks, I shouldn't have a PJ poster its against my ideology" or something, but after a while I changed my mind and took it. "it's only one..." I thought to myself.
Next thing I know I found myself going to the CD stand of the letter "P" in every CD store I get into. I was checking whether this store is worthy- if they have PJ CDs.Once, in June, I did that and I found a PJ bootleg called "Flashpoint". I didn't know boots existed then, it just looked like an official live CD. I bought it straight away. This CD featured Eddie with the Doors.
One summer day, I found a PJ shirt in a music store and bought it immediately. I pretty much hate it now 'coz it's with Ed's face all over it and it makes me feel bad. I imagine he'd shoot me if he saw me walking on the street with his face all over my t-shirt, but that's all I could find back then. Another day I found the "stickman" shirt and I wore it all summer.
By that time my room was *covered* with like 30 or 40 large size PJ posters and lots of pictures. As the days passed, I got more and more boots and I was so very excited about every new thing I've found! I knew all the words by heart and I listened to TEN and VS in my walkman wherever I went. I got a folder with about 20 Israeli articles and 20 more American or English or whatever more articles and pictures of the band. I didn't know of the Ten Club then.
The first time I was expecting a new Album
On November 1994 I was on my way from school on the bus when I looked out the window and saw a gray ad saying: "pearl jam- the new album" something like that. It said absolutely nothing else... just that. I was so excited I didn't know what to do! At home, I read an article I found on the Israeli Friday paper about that new album. The article was talking about the book Eddie found called Vitalogy, which means "the Logic (or theory) of life". They said the next album would also be called 'Vitalogy' and that it's inspired by the book. A 36-page-booklet is to be added to the new album, they wrote. I was even more excited now and I had to have that CD!
On Dec 1st 1994 I was in London with my mom, on holiday. I couldn't wait any longer! I thought of the album all day, every day. I just had to have it!! On the day of the Album release to the stores, I was walking really fast on Oxford Street, leaving my mom kind of behind. I got into the first HMV store I found and almost fainted to see a whole stand for Vitalogy vinyl, CDs and tapes! I almost swallowed them all! I grabbed one CD and rushed to the cashier- before the world would explode leaving me Vitalogy less! Once I had it in my hands I opened it w/ excitement. Then I rushed to the CD stand of the letter 'P' and found: "Temple of the Dog" "Mother Love Bone" and a load of PJ singles I never knew existed (In my country, singles aren't really sold.). I got the "M.L.B" the "Temple Of The Dog" CDs and the "go" single which had a 'new song'- "alone" and more.
The big problem was that I didn't have a CD Player with me, so I couldn't hear those until I got back home! It was really depressing. So, after like a whole day of smiling non-stop, making my mom think I might have inhaled something illegal, I was depressed. I read the 36-page Vitalogy booklet over and over but I never heard a sound. I wanted to cry.
First thing I did when I got home is TO RUSH to my room and push "play" on my CD player. (Those days I had only like 5 CDs Total: PJ CDs and Soundgarden Superunknown...). Vitalogy was really weird for the first hearing. I was really afraid of it, actually. I thought Eddie was going to die. I thought he'd end up like Kurt Cobain, so it was scary. But, after like the 3rd time I listened to it- I knew it's all right. I love that CD forever.
Being a Lonely Pearl Jamholic
The days passed and things got more and more Pearl Jammic. I learned a lot by reading the biographies I bought in London: PJ Bio by Mick Wall, PJ Bio by Melody Maker, and another small one. By then I knew almost everything there was to know. My friends were getting tired of hearing me talk about Pearl Jam all day. I had a million stories no one wanted to hear.
Meeting One of My Kind
One summer day in 1995, I met Zohar Mor who saved me from this PJ loneliness. Zohar put an ad in a magazine that she'd like to 'buy' PJ lyrics- so I called her, thinking of the fortune I'm gonna get. After talking to her on the phone I understood she was looking for 'Yellow Ledbetter's lyrics and not all PJ songs- the ad was incorrect.
We started to talk on the phone about Pearl Jam and other Seattle bands and it was really fun. We met and shared our PJ stuff.Around march 1996 Zohar got connected to the Internet and started telling me all this stuff she found out about PJ that I never knew. She also gave me the versions of yellow Ledbetter from the net.
Joining the Online Community
I got connected to the Internet only on June 1996, and immediately started chatting in the PJ chat and surfing PJ sites.
Sometime around 1996-7 I've decided I want to create my own Pearl Jam site. I named it 'Smallest Oceans'.I wanted to share information with other fans that couldn't be found anywhere else: Song Interpretations.This was the subject that interested me the most in Pearl Jam: What do the songs mean? What are they about? What do people feel when they hear them? How do they affect our lives?Looking for these answers on the web I didn't find a clue so I figured I should start my own page with all this info.
By now, there are many pages who have a section dedicated to Interpretations, but I haven't found a homepage that is dedicated to know everything there is to know about each song, like mine.
My first PJ shows
On July 21st and 22nd I've seen Pearl Jam live in the Memorial Stadium in Seattle Washington. I came to Seattle especially for that with my best friend, Zohar, and my boyfriend, Ran. I think it was exciting for all of us in the same way.
We spent a week in Seattle with our friends Anat and Gad, who lived there that year and had many amazing experiences.They met almost all the cool Seattle bands personally, and got to see amazing concerts. (Nirvana members, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Goodness and many more..)
The first show, we got pushed violently in the mosh pit so we escaped it and stood on the side of the stadium- not too far, but not very close. The mosh pit violence has really ruined my mood and I lost my concentration and spiritual feelings. We enjoyed the show very much and were pretty excited. I don't have anything written about it so I don't remember a lot more.
The second show, which was the day after, was much better because we didn't get into the mosh pit from the start, and when we did it was already calmed down and we got to be in front row. It was very crowded and uncomfortable and people were constantly smoking and pushing but it was still great to be so close and see Pearl Jam live.
The songs they played were great! I was so happy that they didn't play only album songs but rare ones too. And Eddie came before the show and sang two songs. It was very exciting off course.
Anat, Gad and Zohar had tickets for the Aftershow Party and met Pearl Jam members. Ran and I were left behind and were pretty jealous. Anat has won those tickets on a radio show and shared them with Zohar and Gad. I gave Zohar a long letter so she can give it to the band, but it didn't work out that great at the end.They met everyone except Eddie, because he didn't show up. They talked mostly to Stone and had fun.
It seemed the guys weren't really in the mood to be in that party, maybe the record company made them be there. The people who were at that party weren't fans but some rich people walking around with champagne, that's what they told us. So the guys left the party really quickly trying to avoid my friends who they probably assumed were asking for autographs. Zohar ended up giving the letter I wrote to one of the body-guards asking him to give it to the band. Who knows if he did?
The best shows I've Been To
2 years later, 3rd of Aug 2000 I've attended to PJ concert in Virginia Beach, VA. This was the best show of my life!
On 21st,22nd, and23rd I've attended 3 more shows in Jones Beach, NY. These were as good as the VA show.I've got a lot to tell about these shows and that whole month but I will add it later. Generally, it was the best month in my life! The shows were the most uplifting experience I've ever had, I've met amazing people, great fans, and had a lot of fun!
These pics were taken before the Pearl Jam concert in Virginia Beach on the 3rd of Aug. 2000.
I've met all these fans in a youth hostel in V.B and we had the best times of our lives.
Each of us comes from a different country so it was so interesting!Jez, Karsten, Pip and Andy Phil, pip, Catherin, Jez, Karsten Dan Grenough & Jez (from www.pearl-jam.com) We sat together in the show. I had an extra fan-club ticket and Dan was the lucky one to sit first row in the middle, with me.
