Such is the custom-made cross-to-bear that Pearl Jam carry on their backs. And when they wondered aloud if being on top was so great after all, things got worse even still. When they outsold, outdrew, and then outlasted their contemporaries, the resentment grew further. When Pearl Jam’s AOR-friendly grunge followed Nirvana’s purer version to the top of the charts, they were cast as villains by the indie-rock underground. That Pearl Jam expressed more musical solidarity with the latter than the former outraged those who resented the connection. Gossard and Ament helped draw up the blueprints for grunge, first with the Stooges-like Green River, then with the more glam Mother Love Bone, but revisionists have dubbed them opportunists, not pioneers, overlooking the fact that the Seattle sound was always equal parts Black Flag and Bad Company. Pearl Jam have always presented an easy target for snipers. For a moment-a long moment-you can’t help but believe those damning reports about Vedder’s dour disposition. It’s an altogether unwelcoming look, and it’s immediately amplified by a steely glare and furrowed brow. It brings to mind disbelieving girlfriends, mean teachers, and Satan. When Eddie Vedder asks a question of you, or you of him, or when he makes an important point, or when he shares something with you and wants a reaction, his eyebrows shoot up so they’re suddenly at right angles to each other. “How many members of Pearl Jam does it take to change a lightbulb?” It wasn’t the only joke he told, but it was probably the best, and it bears repeating.

Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament Talks Anniversaries and I Should Be Outside

Pearl of Wisdom: Our 1991 Pearl Jam Featureģ0 Artists Reflect on 30 Years of Pearl Jam’s Ten In honor of No Code turning 25, we’re republishing this article here.

This article originally appeared in the February 1997 issue of SPIN. Click here to read the full article on SPIN.

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