Selai Mutiara, blog buat para jammers Indonesia yang dalam doa selalu terselip pertanyaan: 'Ya Tuhan, kapan ya pearl jam konser di Indonesia?' atau bertanya pada diri sendiri 'kapan ya bisa ke seattle nonton konsernya Pearl Jam?' Lewat blog ini, jammer bisa posting komentar, tulisan foto atau link buat donlot video atau mp3 pearl jam gratisan. Biar tambah seru, gabung juga di milisnya jammer indonesia: tenclub-indonesia@yahoogroups.com VIVA LA PEARL JAM
Kamis, Maret 10, 2005
Jeff Ament
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMENT!!!!!!!!!
AKA Jeffrey Allen Ament
Born: 10-Mar-1963
Birthplace: Big Sandy, MT
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Musician
Level of fame: Niche
Executive summary: Pearl Jam
He is proprietor, together with brother, of Ames Bros., responsible company for posters of the PJ
He like Basket, suport Seattle Supersonics
He wrot the biography of the band
Green River Bassist
Mother Love Bone Bassist
Pearl Jam Bassist
Temple of the Dog Bassist
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Dogtown and Z-Boys (19-Jan-2001) Himself
Singles (18-Sep-1992) Himself
Al Weisel
Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam
By Al Weisel
Rolling Stone, August 8, 1996, p. 28
Jeff Ament seems to have discovered soul asylum. After several years under the pop microscope as Pearl Jam’s chapeau-lovin’ bassist, the 33-year-old California resident has taken refuge in Three Fish, a side project with friends Robbi Robb, formerly of Tribe After Tribe, and Richard Sturverud. Borrowing their name from a poem about three fish of varying intelligence by Rumi, a 13th-century mystic, the band recently recorded a debut of free-form spiritual melodies that owes more to 70s prog rock than to Pearl jam’s late ’70s arena-rock inspiration. A reinvigorated Ament stopped by New York recently on his way to Turkey and Egypt to see local musicians. (Three Fish are currently on tour. Needless to say, they’re not using Ticketmaster.)
Which fish are you: the intelligent fish, the half-intelligent fish or the stupid fish?
I’m probably the stupid fish. Sometimes I feel lucky to be one. I get lost in my right brain, especially in creative things. When I moved to Seattle, I was the epitome of one because I came from Montana. I was hanging out with kids who were five or six years younger who knew much more about living in the city. They had done drugs, had sex a million times. I look at them now and realize their childhood was taken away. I wasn’t pressured to be an adult - even though at the time I was pissed at my parents because they made me grow up in Bumfuck, Montana.
Why did you pick Seattle to move to?
I had a friend who moved there. I went to visit him, and I was like, “I have to go someplace where I can soak myself in a creative atmosphere.” There were shows that had huge impacts: Black Flag, Bad Brains, X, Dead Kennedys. We opened for Black Flag, and none of the bands had dressing rooms, but Henry Rollins had his own. He had struck me as different from that.
So you’re saying he was a punk diva?
[Laughs] You said that. He’s an interesting guy. I don’t relate to him necessarily.
How’d you get involved with Three Fish?
Tom Petty gave me a tape of Tribe After Tribe. Pearl Jam was out touring, so we asked Tribe After Tribe to come out. Robbi and I hit it off: He grew up in a Tibetan Buddhist community, and I grew up in a hard-core Catholic one. It’s interesting how similar the experiences were: sheltered, quiet and introspective. Then when I was in Cairo and Turkey last year, I saw dervishes and incredible musicians performing rituals. It was one of the most captivating experiences I’ve ever had.
What do you get to do with Three Fish that you don’t get to do with Pearl Jam?
I played djembe, percussion, keyboards and I sang. With Pearl Jam, everybody is so good at what they do, it’s hard to get up the courage to say, “Can I sing this part,” or, “I want to play guitar.” I feel like I have more courage to do that.
When did you first play with Robb?
We went to Big Sur about three years ago and hung out at the Esalen Institute. Neil Young had invited Pearl Jam to his place for a barbecue. I said to Robb, “We can go if you want.” Everybody picked up instruments and started playing.
Who was there?
Eddie [Vedder], Dave [Abbruzzese], Robbi, Neil, managers and family. Robbi had some of the same qualities as Neil. I was watching these two musicians being completely uninhibited There was no fear, so the rest of us just fell in. At that point I knew I wanted to play music with Robbi. When did Pearl Jam last get together? Two weeks ago. We just finished making a record I imagine it’ll come out in late summer or early fall: Everybody wants to play shows so we’re going to after that.
What is the new record like?
The fact that everybody got away from what Pearl Jam are supposed to be brought a new feeling. Mike [McCready] did things with Mad Season that allowed him to bring back some confidence. Stone [Gossard] brought back hip-hop elements. Jack [Irons] went into the studio and created these drum songs, and he wrote based on that. Eddie did things with Mike Watt and with Nusrat [Fateh Ali Khan]. Not that this record is going to be a drastic left turn, ‘cause we’re still a rock band, but it’s been allowed to wander a bit.
Did you win anything in your fight over service charges with Ticketmaster?
Yeah. People understand better where their money is going. And we’ve gotten incredible support from fans. A lot of bands said after the fact, “We totally support you.” The only people who really supported us were Tim Collins and Bertis Downs, who are Aerosmith’s and RE.M.’s respective managers.
Do you feel like you were left in the lurch?
To an extent, but nobody had the power we had or the support from our record company. We’ve always been a band that stood up for what we thought was right.
Some thought Pearl Jam were ungrateful in their acceptance speech at the Grammys this year.
Every few years I’ll party way too much to remind myself what an idiot I am, and going to the Grammys was a little like that. It was all these high-society people coming up to us and acting like they were related to us. I think Eddie explained himself really well. It was like, “C’mon, people, wake the fuck up.” Maybe one of us should have expanded on that. The reason we’re there is to hang out with our peers. This little award saying we’re better than somebody else is ridiculous.
You get the impression Vedder’s not very happy. Do you ever feel like telling him, “Hey, lighten up a little”?
Oh, sure. But there’s probably times when he says, “Jeff, lighten up.” He’s a really sensitive guy. I can’t say you’re a jerk because you’re too sensitive. People see him for 20 seconds at the Grammys and think, “Goddamn, he must be like this all the time. I feel sorry for his friends.” I’ve been out in the middle of the ocean with him just being ecstatic on a surfboard. So, you know he has his moments.■
Q & A With Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament
Aidin Vaziri
Sanfransisco Cronicle, Sunday, October 29, 2000
Last month, stalwart Seattle grunge band Pearl Jam flooded record stores with 25 unedited two- CD live sets documenting the band's entire 2000 European tour (minus their tragic festival appearance in Roskilde, Denmark, where nine people were crushed to death when fans rushed the stage). The official bootlegs, as they're called, set an unusual challenge for the group's die-hard fans, who gobbled up so many copies that the band became the first in history to have more than one live album on the charts at once. It also set a record by debuting five albums on the charts in the same week. We spoke with band founder and bassist Jeff Ament, 36, about this unusual circumstance. Pearl Jam plays the Shoreline Amphitheatre on Tuesday.
Q: Have you sat down and listened to all these recordings?
A: Oh, no. No way.
Q: Would your head explode?
A: I don't know. One reviewer was actually going to review all the records over one weekend, but he only got through six or seven of them. I guess the review was a little diary, and he started out being a huge fan, then he got a little frustrated and, by the end, hated us.
Q: At what point did he want to kill Eddie Vedder?
A: I don't know.
Q: Do you think someone who listens to all these has to be kind of crazy?
A: A little bit, but I guess when I was a kid and if I would have seen the Who or Aerosmith or the Beatles at a live show, I would have bought a few of their bootlegs.
Q: You think you could make it through 25 double- sided live albums by your favorite band?
A: I guess if I was a collector, I could imagine it.
Q: Just how many versions of ``Even Flow'' does the average person need?
A: Well, I don't think we expected anybody to buy all of the CDs. It was more like, ``Let's just do this. The bootlegs are out there anyway, and they're all crappy quality. Let's just put this out there and charge the least amount we can and have them be of consistent quality.''
Q: A lot of people think you're just ripping off the kids.
A: If you're a collector and you bought seven or eight normal bootlegs, it would be the same as buying all 25 of ours. It's almost a three-for-one deal.
Q: But even if some kid buys five of these things, he's making you rich.
A: We didn't set out to make money. I remember walking into Tower Records in New York and these two guys were talking about it. One of them was saying what corporate money-grubbers we were, and the other guy was like, ``Yeah, but you're getting two CDs for only 13 bucks.'' So it was almost like an argument with our conscience in front of us. They were arguing about all the stuff we talked about before we put them out. It was pretty weird.
Q: Why didn't you just put them all in one cheap box set?
A: I don't think there's any way you can release 50 discs for $150. At the end of the day, we're making a lot less on this than we do on a normal
Q: Is Pearl Jam a greedy band?
A: I know how much this band has grossed and I know the net is a very small figure compared to what we've grossed. I know all the different ways we haven't been greedy. Merchandising companies tell us we can charge 30 bucks for a T-shirt, and we choose to charge 18 bucks. We always try to undercut whatever a comparable band is doing. I know in our own hearts we haven't been as greedy as we could have.
Q: Is Pearl Jam an arrogant band?
A: I don't think we've ever been the critics' darling, so there's a part of that that's always been a motivating factor. There are some things early on that Kurt Cobain and some other local people said about us that pigeonholed us as being rock stars or whatever. For some reason, that stuff never left my craw. The fact of the matter is, I was born in a pretty poor family and I've always had to have a day job up until 10 years ago. Maybe some of that drive that people see is maybe me not wanting to work in a restaurant for the rest of my life.
Q: Do you sometimes wish Pearl Jam were more of a fun type band like Sugar Ray, so you could have spent the past 10 years partying and hanging out with young girls?
A: You know, I think the primate in me sometimes wishes that, but when you really think about your growth as a human being, I'm completely satisfied with who we are as a band. Even the mistakes that we made and the failures that we endured, which have been many, we learned so much from those things. Whether it's trying to not use Ticketmaster, the drummers, or whatever, we've made tons of mistakes. But those have all been great mistakes. They've allowed us to know better the next time.
Don't call me "Rock Star"
by Mike Keefe-Feldman
Missoulian Pearl Jammer Jeff Ament sounds off on music, politics and the art of aging gracefully
For a few days leading up to my interview with Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, I got a small taste of what it might be like playing in a band with a media darling like Eddie Vedder.
“I’m going to interview one of the Pearl Jam guys,” I’d say.
“Eddie Vedder?” would be the common response, eyes aglow.
“No. Jeff Ament.”
“Oh. That’s cool.”
The “That’s cool” part was always intoned with a poorly-veiled tinge of disappointment.
But, if Vedder gets all the attention, that’s just fine with part-time Missoulian Jeff Ament.
“More than anything, I feel bad for him,” says Ament. “With the good aspect of being the face of the band or the voice of the band, there’s a lot more negative stuff that goes with that. He can’t go anywhere and be anonymous. I don’t have that big of a problem with that.”
Indeed, Ament obviously didn’t choose to live in Missoula to be adored by fans on the street—it’s clearly in opposition to the unwritten Montana credo of “let thy neighbor do his own thing.” In truth, Ament almost shudders at the mention of the term “rock star.”
“I associate ‘rock star’ with driving around in limos and doing drugs and that’s never really been my deal,” Ament says. “But in terms of a town where you might be a little bit recognizable, it’s fine. I have my little routine and I think the places that I go people are kind of bored with my face, so it’s not really that big a deal.”
A little bit recognizable? Not that big a deal? Okay, Mr. Modest Guy, I guess I’ll have to do your bragging for you like the parents of a shy valedictorian.
Even if Ament had become a comatose vegetable in 1992, he would still have been remembered as the young man who’d written the music to the song “Jeremy,” which ranks right up there with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Under the Bridge” as one of the most influential songs of ’90s rock music. It also marks the last time MTV put a video into heavy rotation that was challenging enough to possibly cause the conservative viewer to—gasp!—change the channel. Ament still has a soft spot for the song in his heart, but he and the band are careful not to wear the old favorites out.
“That’s one of those ‘once every five shows’ songs. The only way it’s fun to play some of those older songs is if you give them a break for a while.”
After over a decade of touring, one might think that Pearl Jam has experienced all there is to encounter at a live show. One would be wrong. In fact, the band just received its first significant round of boos on the initial leg of its North American Riot Act tour. The press picked up on a Denver show in which Vedder impaled a mask of George W. Bush on a microphone stand and then stepped on the plastic Bush face (upping the ante on the Dixie Chicks considerably!) after singing the song “Bush Leaguer,” which contains Mark Twain-style social commentary: “He’s not a leader/He’s a Texas Leaguer/Drilling for fear makes the job simple/Born on third/Thinks he hit a triple.” However, says Ament, “It was a total non-event that the media kind of took and ran with.”
What was an event, and what caused the boos, according to Ament, was a Nassau show in which Vedder got into a political discussion with the audience after singing “Bush Leaguer.”
“About twenty or thirty percent of the people were booing loudly,” Ament says, “So it was definitely something that none of us had experienced before.”
Ament says that he was not troubled by the boos, particularly since he is in line with Vedder’s politics of being against the Iraq war and most other aspects of the Bush administration.
Plus, Ament notes, he was vindicated the following night. “I went to see Bright Eyes and Arab Strap at this little theater in New York and between bands I went to the bathroom and there were six young men, 18 to 22, and they were like, ‘Hey dude, great show last night.’ I was like, ‘Really? It got a little bit testy there at the end.’ And they were like, ‘Fuck those Long Island guys. That’s why we like you guys.’”
Not everyone in the band was as comfortable with Vedder’s statements.
“I know [guitarist] Mike [McCreedy] was pretty upset about it and said some things about not wanting to play [‘Bush Leaguer’] again. I think the booing kind of got to him a little bit harder. And maybe he isn’t totally in line with the way that Ed thinks and the way I think, and that’s all part of being in a band or a relationship: communicating your differences. But I’m ready to play that song every night.”
The political poses Pearl Jam strikes on its latest release, Riot Act, are nothing new to the band, but it has been several albums since politics showed up on the Jammers’ tablet.
“I think that had to do with everyone going through more personal shit at that time,” Ament says. “You write what you know.”
Over the years, Ament has put his money where his mouth is with contributions to Ralph Nader and Missoula’s Blue Mountain Clinic, to name a few beneficiaries, but the band’s next likely charitable gift to the Garden City will avoid the political realm. Ament, an avid skateboarder, wants to build a world-class skate park in Missoula. He’s worked with the Redevelopment Council and Parks and Rec to secure a piece of land between the Orange St. Bridge and McCormick Park. If the city agrees to use quality builders and designers, Ament says Pearl Jam plans to donate a considerable amount of money to the project.
“I think kids kind of get the shaft when the government decides that they’re going to spend all the tax money on bombs instead of education. Any little thing we can do to give kids and young adults things to do that are positive is good.”
Clearly the shutterbug of the Pearl Jam crew, Ament’s photography adorns most of the band’s seven major studio releases. The bassist explains that his shooting began as a cost-saving measure. These days, Pearl Jam can afford a whole corps of photographers, but Ament, who took photo classes at the University of Montana in the early ‘80s, continues to be a main source for album art. Still, for a guy into photography, Ament is remarkably unconcerned with posterity.
“Maybe after we’re all dead, some of our music will have a little bit of a life, but I can’t imagine people, other than my family, really giving a shit. I think how you live and the things that you do that help preserve the Earth or preserve a good way of living, those are the things that you want to be remembered for. And the music is part of that, too. But I don’t get too hung up on the immortality thing. It’s weird when you hear people who are alive talking about wanting to secure their place in history.”
Ament and Pearl Jam have already secured their place in history. And unlike so much of the rock and roll that has been played on MTV over the course of the last twenty years, this band has staying power. When Seven Mary Three and Creed and Bush and a thousand other bands pitched themselves to labels saying, “We sound sort of like Pearl Jam, but with a (insert your minor variation here) twist,” Pearl Jam continued to evolve, constantly fighting static cling.
On the past two albums, Pearl Jam has burgeoned not only as musicians, but as a team. Lyric-writing responsibilities, once residing solely with Vedder, are now dispersed throughout the band. Ament penned lyrics for two of the tracks on Riot Act and views writing words for another person to sing as something of an “art project.”
“It makes it more fun for us, too,” Ament says. “It’s always exciting when you’re writing a song wondering, ‘I wonder how Ed will sing this or how Mike will play guitar on this.’”
Congealing as a team, Pearl Jam shows no signs of degenerating any time soon, which is agreeable to Ament, who points to a few artists who provide Pearl Jam with a road map to aging with style.
“I think there’s older guys that are doing it right,” he says. “Anybody who loves music doesn’t get down on Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash or Neil Young. I think where people start to have problems is with Aerosmith or maybe a certain aspect of the Rolling Stones. If you can do it gracefully that’s great, but if you’re 50 years old and you’re talking about screwing a girl in an elevator, that gets tough, you know? So, I can look at those [latter] examples and say, ‘Okay. Don’t go there.’”
With the magnitude of the arena-rock shows Ament is accustomed to playing, it’s a forward task to imagine the transition of a sick-of-school young man picking up his first bass at UM in the early ’80s inside of “Jesse Hall, room six-o-something” and playing Ramones and Sex Pistols covers at the Top Hat. Yet from these meager beginnings, Ament has realized his dream. But he worries that record labels are making it difficult for other creative musicians to reach similar goals.
“[The major labels] were looking for the next Nirvana…and then for the next ten years all you got was copies. They weren’t looking for bands that were doing new things. So we kind of got locked into what Ed calls ‘karaoke bands.’ People say there’s not great music out there and I disagree, but I don’t think there’s great music being pushed into the mainstream right now. And that’s the sad thing. There is really great music out there but nobody knows about it.”
Fortunately for people such as myself, who thought Amy Grant was about as good as it got in sixth grade, Pearl Jam was pushed into the mainstream. Since that Seattle boom, mainstream rock has experienced a considerable drought of challenging, daring newcomers. Yet, with any luck, Pearl Jam will carry the torch until rock labels finally give up on the hopeless expedition of finding “the next Pearl Jam.” With the seldom-predictable evolution of this band, it’s already clear where to find “the next Pearl Jam” anyhow: on Pearl Jam’s own next album.
Minggu, Maret 06, 2005
Five Against One: The Pearl Jam Story
Teman-teman, Five Against One sejauh ini adalah biografi Pearl Jam yang cukup komprehensif. Ditulis oleh Kim Neely, wartawan senior Rollingstones yang mengikuti perjalanan karir Pearl Jam selama 10 tahun. Seru juga kalau kita omongin ini buku, sebagai jammers pasti punya pendapat lain setelah baca buku ini.
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dari akmal:
seperti yg sudah saya ceritakan sebelumnya, blum lama ini saya membeli buku "5 Against 1" yg merupakan semacam biografi tentang Pearl Jam, dari awal karir sampai kira2 album vitalogy... nama "5 Against 1" diambil dari sebaris lirik pada lagu "Animal" di Album Vs... tadinya album ini juga akan dikasi nama "5 Against 1", tapi akhirnya diubah
jadi Vs...
Salah satu bab dalam buku tsb mengungkap masa lalunya Eddie Vedder (nama aslinya adalah Edward Jerome Mueller, Vedder adalah nama keluarga ibunya)... kenapa perlu diceritakan? karena masa lalu si Ed ini rupanya begitu sering "muncul" dalam lirik2 lagu PJ... wajar, karena memang dia lah yg bertanggung jawab menangani lirik dari 90%
lagu PJ...
ternyata memang sedikit sekali yg saya pahami dari hidup si Ed ini (sebelum membaca buku ini)... setelah membaca 5 Against 1, kesimpulan saya adalah : "Ed Ved juga manusia"
betul sekali... akhirnya fanatisme saya langsung berkurang drastis, meskipun sejak awal juga gak fanatik2 amat sih... memang beliau ini cuma manusia biasa, gak lebih dan gak kurang dari orang lain... dia juga punya sisi2 buruk yg gak perlu lah ditiru-tiru oleh orang lain... dia punya sisi2 gelap yg jangan sampe deh kita mencicipinya!
memang selama ini kita liat dia sebagai figur yg care sama isu2 sosial, dan mungkin dlm hal itu kita harus menirunya, bahkan kalo bisa lebih baik dari dia... tapi ada hal2 lain yg mesti kita tolak, bahkan jangan sampe deh menirunya...
apakah saya jadi benci si Ed? gak juga sih... seperti saya bilang tadi, dia cuma manusia... jadi wajar lah punya sisi2 buruk...
namanya juga manusia... sekali2 bikin kesalahan juga kan? yg jelas, kita gak perlu fanatik sama pribadi para personel PJ... kagum sama musiknya itu satu hal, sedangkan fanatik sama pribadi mereka adalah hal yg lain lagi...
so, buat temen2 yg merasa fanatik... mending proporsional aja deh, daripada kecewa berat nantinya...
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dari tarlen:
setelah baca 5 against 1, kita emang jadi dapat gambaran vedder pun manusia biasa yang kebeneran jadi vokalis band gede kaya pearl jam. yang menarik di buku itu sebenernya, sepak terjang mereka dalam meniti karir sebagai band besar. gimana cara mereka menyelesaikan konflik dan terutama giman vedder menyelesaikan persoalan-persoalan kehidupannya yang
memberi warna pada pearl jam. Ga tau ya... saya emang ga suka sama sesuatu yang sempurna. makanya setelah baca 5 against 1, saya justru makin suka sama pearl jam, karena mereka ga sempurna, mereka manusia biasa yang juga punya banyak kesalahan dan sisi gelap. tapi yang perlu di catat, sebenernya bagaiamana mereka kemudian terus menerus berproses untuk menjadapatkan pemahaman yang lebih baik tentang kehidupan dan prinsip yang mereka jalani dalam meniti karir. saya pribadi banyak banget belajar dari mereka. bagaimana mereka bernegosiasi antara idelisme dan realita.. saya pikir point itulah yang kemudian membedakan pj dengan band lain. karena ga semua band yang kemudian jadi besar, bisa tetap enjoy dengan apa yang mereka jalani dan bisa bertahan dengan idealisme yang diyakininya.
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akmal lagi:
up memang benar kata mbak tarlen... setelah mbaca buku 5 against 1, saya melihat mereka dari kacamata empati... terus terang saya gak ngeliat mrk sebagai super band atau gimana gitu, tapi justru jadi kasihan juga...
kasihan karena mereka cuma manusia yg terbatas kemampuannya, tapi punya mimpi yg begitu canggih sehingga sangat sulit diwujudkan... di sisi lain, ketenaran membawa mereka pada level tertinggi dimana mrk bisa menjumpai banyak fans yg begitu histeris melihat mereka seolah melihat manusia 1/2 dewa... ini pun jadi penderitaan tersendiri buat mereka (dan terutama, eddie vedder himself!), karena, berbeda dgn sebagian selebritis lainnya, mrk benar-benar sadar bahwa mereka cuma manusia... mereka merasa berjalan di atas sebuah kontradiksi.. di satu sisi mereka ingin menghibur banyak org, di sisi lain mrk tdk bisa menghindar dari pandangan para fans thd mrk yg suka berlebihan...
antara album Ten dan Vs., di buku 5 against 1, jelas terlihat bahwa mereka benar2 menghadapi tekanan semacam itu... tentu aneh rasanya jika ada org yg mengelu-elukan mereka begitu hebatnya sementara mereka sendiri merasa tidak sebegitu hebatnya... jadi sebagai seorang fans PJ, i feel deeply sorry for them... and i hope they can handle it well, or at least, better than before...
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dari awang
fenomena penokohan ini ada dimana aja, nggak cuman di bidang musik, tetapi apa saja, dan dimana aja. dengan
berbagai alasan dan pembenaran kita pasti kita bilang kita akan suka ini dan itu.dan tentunya ada kecenderungan tiap manusia akan melakukan keberpihakan terhadap orang lain.dan itupun tidak dapat disalahkan.artinya kalo sesuatu ada yang cocok, ada kencerungan kita suka. so wajar lelaki naksir perempuan karena dia cantik, baik, perhatian dan ini cocok dianggap sebagai kriteria cewek idaman untuk dinikahi; wajar juga laki laki "menyukai" laki2 lain karena dia sabar, tegas, penuh kasih sayang sesama, suka menolong penuh kedamaian dan ini pun dianggap cocok karena selama ini itulah lelaki sejati.---jangan mikir macem2 ya---
sama halnya dengan pearl jam. dari sekian banyak penggemar pearl jam pastilah banyak alasan2 yang dimiliki penggemarnya. pasti ada saja alsannya: suka karena denger musiknya/ liriknya,suka karena eddie vedder cakep, suka denger solo gitar mccready, suka liat gaya gitarnya stone, suka, handwritingnya eddie, suka matt..suka jeff..dan..blah...blah....artinya tiap orang punya imajinasi sendiri2 dalam pikirannya, apa aja yang dianggap suka.dan itu sah saja, "tanpa ada batasan". karna aku beranggap apa yang kita tangkap ini adalah visual dan audio...jadi masih bersyukur kita bisa merasakan keindahan dari imajinasi kita sndiri2,apa yang kita liat dan kita dengar. yang menurut saya jadi masalah hanyalah penyikapannya. penyikapannya seperti apa yang dianggap prporsional?, saya pikir tiap manusia bisa berfikir dengan keyakinan yang ada:apa yang bisa dan boleh, dan apa saja juga yang tidak boleh.....kita mesti trus belajar dan yakin....
"hail..hail...the lucky ones. I refer to those in love."
jadi kalo kita suka sama seseorang karena kelebihannya dan itu dianggap kebaikannya..itu adalah nilai kewajiban,
tapi kalau kita membenci seseorang karena sedikit keterbatasaanya/kekeurangannya walaupun kelebihannya lebih bermaafaat, sehingga mengalahkan rasa cinta daripada bencinya, itu saya anggap "naif"...sehingga keberpihakan/ kecocokan tidak "harus" berdasar pada agama, suku, bangsa dan gender.
bagi saya PJ bukanlah sekedar musik. saya rasa akan banyak alasan2 yang saya miliki seperti halnya jammers lainnya.walaupun kita tahu PJ sendiri yang terdiri dari kumpulan manusia...bukan setengah dewa..bahkan bukan setengah nabi.....
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(aduhhhh gantengnya stoneyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
dari Gede Manggala
Hai semua...saya anggota milis yg agak pasif nih...:)Tapi untuk 5 against 1'nya Kim Neely..saya ikut komentar...sori di depan,ini pasti jadi panjang....pertama tentu saja krn pertanyaan saya "ini cerita ttg pearl jam" atautentang "ed vedder?" Walaupun saya juga suka banget dengan Ed Vedder, tapisebuah buku tentang PJ yang mengulas hidup Ed sedetil-detilnya (dipilih ygjelek2 lagi) tanpa proporsi yang sama untuk Stone, Jeff, Mike dan Matt(serta Dave & Jack) tentu mengurangi bobot buku itu sendiri. Yang kedua, adalah timeline buku ini sendiri adalah sampai pre Yield album;padahal kita tahu semua, Yield adalah sebuah "kebangkitan kembali" dari PJ,thanks to Jack Irons. Saya membaca "5 Against One" ini sekitar tahun 2000(bela-belain order khusus lewat QB), dan mungkin merasakan "kekalutan" yangsama dengan Akmal kemarin (hehehe...) dan memang jujur aja cukup terpukul.Tapi di lain pihak, seperti juga yang disebutkan Akmal dan Tarlen, ada tokenlain yang saya dapatkan dari buku ini (jadi tetap terima kasih juga sih utkKim Neely), karena saya malah bisa menerima PJ apa adanya, seperti yangmemang mereka inginkan, toh mereka juga ingin diterima sbg org biasa(Mengutip kata Ed, "I am not your fucking messiah").
Sebuah relieve besar saya dapatkan setelah seorang teman memberikanoleh-oleh VCD "Single Video Theory" sekitaran 2001 dan saya jadi tahu betapabesar arti album Yield ini buat PJ sebagai sebuah band, yg sejak itu sepertimenemukan lagi spirit mereka , atau seperti kata Jeff Ament di video itu "Ithink we should change our name". Menyaksikan "Single Video Theory" serta dvd2 konser PJ "Touring Band 2000",dan "Live in the Garden" saya akhirnya, dalam retrospective, menyimpulkanbahwa "PJ is PJ, whatever they are", dan Kim Neely is wrong about so manythings (hahaha...). Mendengarkan beberapa bootleg konser tahun 2000 dan2002/3 (termasuk menonton sebuah konser di 2003) membuat saya yakin, bahwaanggota PJ "menikmati" momen mereka sebagai band; itu sudah lebih dari cukupbuat saya, dan tentu saja...heyyy..the music is great!
Kembali ke "5 Against One" sebagai buku untuk dikoleksi lumayanlah (tapimending beli bekas, pinjem atau kopi aja sih...), punya kronologis yanglengkap pada saat awal-awal PJ, pertama tour dengan Red Hot ChilliPepper,dll serta detail yang lengkap utk stori tiap lagu di album Ten.Selain itu buku ini membuat cerita cukup lengkap sekitar PJ vs.Ticketmaster...Yang paling saya kurang sukai dari buku ini adalah krn Kim Neely merupakanwartawan Rollingstones (sekarang mantan?) yang kita tahu majalah ini punyahubungan buruk dengan Ed sejak RS memuat cerita yang menurut Ed di pelintirberat (saya pernah baca bahwa Corduroy, adalah related ttg cerita ini.."takemy hand, not my picture, spill my tincture" katanya ungkapan protes Edterhadap wartawan Rollingstone..bener ga?)Di luar itu Kim sepertinya punya obsesi tersendiri terhadap Ed (ge er?) yangkalau ngebaca cerita dia, seakan-akan Ed suka ama doi...lihat bagaimanadetailnya Kim menceritakan sesi interview mereka...yang di akhir cerita Kimmendapat kiriman bola lampu (diambil dr Space Needle, ini nama stadion?)yang isinya surat dr EV: "Miss Neely, I've currently a vision of your face,and you are smiling...bla bla bla... diakhiri love, Eddie."I mean, why in the world she wrote this thing so details..compare to thefriendship between Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard which only slightlymentioned? Padahal PJ berhutang banyak atas Jeff-Stone friendship...ya kan?
So, my opinion (like many PJ fans agreed) Kim's observation about Ed ishighly biased...mungkin Kim nulisnya antara cinta tapi benci..karena pernahdibikin ge er tapi ternyata dicuekin..(baca juga gimana Kim mendeskripsikanBeth, pacar Ed waktu itu). Terus kenapa juga untuk mencari keterangan ttgEd, dia meluangkan banyak detail dari cerita Shari(pacarnya Dave) yg jelasaja pasti banyak ga enaknya dibanding yg baik2...Kalau baca buku ini mungkinkesimpulan kita bahwa Ed is the evil in the band...banyak org yang di tahun1999-2000 wishfully said "time will tell"...dan sekarang kita lihat sendiribagaimana PJ is getting better and bolder with ages. Again, Kim is wrongabout Ed...big times! (ini opini masih ada faktor fanatik mati ke PJyah...hahaha). Tapi bener lho...di akhir buku Kim menulis "Maybe they would peddlethemselves silly this year, and tour with Ticketmaster, and shower MTV withvideos"...bla bla...
Kita liat semua sekarang (hope Kim SEES too): PJsurvives without MTV...mungkin mereka berdamai dengan Ticketmaster, tapiraksasa pertunjukan ini juga sudah menyerah krn di tiketnya sudah menuliskanlebih detail berapa charge yg diambil ticketmaster utk setiap tiket, sepertiyg dituntut PJ... dan harga tiket PJ hampir 50% dibanding tiket band touryang sama lakunya seperti Dave Matthews Band...dan PJ hampir selalu bayarcurfew penalty tiap malam tour krn main lewat jam yg ditentukan... dari sinikita lihat, mungkin utk periode pre Yield, bukunya Kim Neely lumayanlahterutama bagian terbentuknya PJ...utk update jmn sekarang mungkin versionline kayak posting di fivehorizon.com dan theskyiscrape.com lebihmewakili..
Ok gitu aja..maaf kalau kepanjangan nih...tapi mungkin bisa dilihat betapabesar PJ bagi saya (truly, guys)..dan betapa senang akhirnya saya menemukankomunitas besar di Indonesia dengan true fans seperti Reza, Tarlen, dan yangmengejutkan banyak member yang di tahun 90-an ternyata masih sd..(wow!).Saya mah di jaman itu "lagi jaya2nya" kemana2 pake jeans robek2..bajuflannel..en rambut guondrong...tapi sayang ngga bisa nyanyi en ga bisa mainmusik satupun (keciaaan deh...heheh)...tapi lewat milis ini kita penggemarPJ bisa ngumpul segala umur & dr berbagai lokasi (termasuk yg jauh kayaksaya)...semoga saya bisa gabung pada salah satu gathering...viva la pearljam..!!
Ps. Thx for listening me blabbering this far
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dari tarlen lagi
saya sepakat tuh kalo PJ berhutang pada persahabatan jeff-stone (heheheh bukan karena saya lebih ngefans sama stoney dan ament ya...). Bukan cuma di 5 against 1 hal itu ga disinggung, tapi hampir di semua buku yang mengulas tentang PJ (kebeneran saya udah baca 3 buku tentang PJ), selalu dan selalu jika menyangkut jeff-stone hanya sebatas green river, ga pernah sedalam kalo mereka (para penulis itu) mengulas kehidupan eddie. informasi tentang jeff hanya sepotong-sepotong, dan kalo search di google, kayanya site tentang jeff ament paling sedikit diantara anggota yang lain.
Tapi begitulah media. yang jadi sorotan selalu front man, vokalis. padahal semua punya jasa besar. Dan seolah posisi vokalis menentukan seluruh kehidupan band. Kalo saya perhatiin sepak terjang PJ dan bagaiman masing-masing personil berinteraksi dan saling mempengaruhi (dari potongan-potongan informasi yang saya dapet), mastermindnya pj tetaplah stone gossard. ament pernah merasa inferior dihadapan vedder (bayangkan padahal kalo bisa dibilang ament kan 'yang punya' band), mc cready cenderung mengikuti apa yang diputuskan (mengingat sebelum yield dia bermasalah dengan ketergantungan terhadap heroin) dan vedder sendiri punya masalah dengan 'hype' (publikasi yang berlebihan) atas dirinya. sampai sebelum yield, stoney punya posisi yang menentukan. dia menjadi jembatan antar personil yang pada bermasalah itu.
saya ngeliat, kalo media emang sengaja mengekspos masa lalu vedder sedemikian rupa, setelah kurt cobain mati, media butuh ikon lain dan saat itu siapa lagi yang paling cocok, selain vedder. Karena grunge diidentik dengan kegetiran hidup (setidaknya lewat lirik-lirik lagu, penampilan dan kisah hidup para pelakunya), otomatis strategi yang paling tepat bagi media adalah dengan mengangkat sisi vedder yagn paling gelap. ibaratnya buat media kan semakin gelap semakin menjual. itu sebabnya kalo kita ikutin berita-berita disemua media internasional tentang vedder di masa (ten-vs-vitalogy) selalu kisah tentang masa lalu vedder yagn menjadi inspirasi bagi sebagian besar lirik pj.
Setelah vitalogy, vedder dan pj memutuskan untuk menutup diri dari media, setau saya hampir ga ada media yagn membuat ulasan kritis tentang mereka. dalam arti, kenapa mereka kemudian mengambil sikap seperti itu? kenapa album no code minim publiksi? kenapa lirik-liriknya bisa jadi seperti itu? jg musiknya? ga ada yang bikin ulasan mendalam tentang itu. jadi saya kira cerita tentang pj, seolah-olah terpotong sampai masa vitalogy.
Jika Pj ga bikin home video STV (Single Video Theory) saya pikir orang juga ga bakal dapet informasi dari sumber primer mengenai apa yang telah terjadi dan bagaimana perkembangan setelah album no code. buat saya STV jadi semacam pernyataan yang dibuat PJ, untuk menyatakan diri setelah mereka menarik diri dari media dan menyelesaikan persoalan diantara mereka sendiri.
balik lagi ke 5 against 1, kalo kemudian vedder yagn dapet porsi lebih banyak, kaya yang saya bilang tadi, di mata media vedder jauh lebih menjual.. jadi ya kasian vedder.. kehidupan pribadinya kemudian di eksploitasi oleh media...
belakangan dari berita-berita yang saya dapet, ament dan stoney malah masih bisa menikmati kehidupan layaknya orang biasa. bersepeda kemana- mana, jalan-jalan dan nongkrong-nongkrong di cafe (mungkin juga karena ament tinggal di montana, kotanya tidak sebesar seattle dan stoney antara santa monica dan seattle). ya selalu ada konsekuensi dari setiap pencapaian.. tentunya vedder ga akan pernah bisa menjalani kehidupan dia yang dulu.
tapi terlepas dari itu semua, saya kira mereka sekarang terlihat menikmati kehidupan yang mereka pilih. Dan salutnya, mereka justru memilih untuk jauh-jauh meninggalkan kehidupan rockstar yang glamour.
heheheheh sori ya... jadi panjang lebar gini tanggepannya...
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dari mas tito
Tidak ada manusia yang sempurna.... saya kagum dengan ed dari segi kepekaan sosialnya, bagaimana dia meramu cerita
dan kehiduapan sosial disekelilingnya menjadi lirik yangkeren dan menyentuh, bagaimana dia menumpahkan emosinya dipanggung, bagaimana kesederhanaannya, sampai ngetop kaya sekarang masih pakai mobil bututnya.
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dari mas reza
untuk menambah polemik 5VS1, saya mau bilang I LUV PJ krn:
eddie is so sexy ! :) matanya, rambutnya, kulitnya, bulunya....gak tahan...apalagi suaranya
stone kayak bebek baris !
jeff si kolektor topi
mike yg always happy
boom yg kayak org purba
matt yg bikin bengong kalo udah main drum
Sori gak bisa balas panjang lebar, lagi banyak kerjaan...sok lah sing rame
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dari CJ
Nambahin dikit, emang dari awal saya ngga tertarik sama kehidupan PJ. Sama sekali. Saya jauh lebih tertarik sama musik mereka. Mau mereka alim kek, mau teroris kek, apapun, I just love the music. Dan kayaknya inilah bentuk nge-fans yang paling obyektif (hihihihi, egois dikit ah...) mungkin pemikiran ini timbul karena dari awal saya suka mereka dari sound. Jujur aja, waktu pertama denger lagu mereka (Go) saya sampe merinding, semangat banget soalnya! Padahal tampang mereka ngga pernah saya tau. Alhasil saya menggemari sebuah band yang saya ngga tau siapa mereka. Dari sanalah kenapa saya berpendapat seperti di atas. So, just turn on the volume, close your eyes and listen to their music..!! Rasakan sensasinya..!!
untuk poin 10, ed ama mike juga ndut...!!! hihihihihi....
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dari akmal lagi
SPIN ME 'ROUND... ROLL ME OVER... FUCKIN' SIRCUS...STAB IT DOWN... ONE WAY NEEDLE... PULL SO SLOWLY...DAMN!
i really love that song! haha akhir2 ini saya lagi banyak rejeki fellas, jadi saya beliberturut-turut dlm waktu singkat CD rearviewmirror, CD Ten dan CDVs... sayang sekali di rearviewmirror gak ada lagu Blood danIndifference, padahal menurut saya yg dua itu salah satu karyaterbagus mereka... tapi ya itu sih hak mereka lah... hak ciptanyakan punya mereka hehehe...soal 5 against 1 yang dianggap kurang objektif....
1. lalu yg mana yg objektif? apakah dgn menonton sebuah VCD lalu kitalebih objektif? sebenarnya tidak ada yg objektif, karena kita menilaipun sudah pasti subjektif... si Kim Neely juga jelas subjektifdonk... dia kan manusia juga... eddie vedder juga subjektif... semua org juga subjektif lah...
2. paling tidak, biografi ini bisa dianggap lebih objektif karenatidak ditulis oleh para personel PJ sendiri... kalau mereka membuatautobiografi, justru itu yg lebih gak objektif...
3. ok memang benar rolling stones punya hubungan jelek sama pearljam... paling tidak dgn adanya 5 against 1, kita bisa dpt view dariangle para 'musuh PJ'... itu juga kalo asumsi kita benar, yaitu bahwarolling stones memang musuhan sama PJ...
4. melalui tulisan2 saya sebelumnya, saya gak ngajak utk membenci PJya... krn saya pun gak jadi benci... saya cuma ngajak kita semua utkobjektif, bahwa mereka juga manusia... suka mabok, kadang2 marah,kadang2 emosi, kadang2 kelepasan, kadang2 salah omong... wajar kan...dan para personil PJ sendiri lebih suka diperlakukan sbg teman, bukansbg pujaan... jadi supaya mereka gak tambah stres dgn ketenarannya,marilah kita perlakukan mrk sbg seorang manusia... OK?
5. I still think that Dave Abbruzzese is the best drummer ever playedin Pearl Jam... hahahahhahahahahahahha ngotot nih... namanya jugaselera...
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dari wisnu
pearl jam memang sebuah gambaran band yang...they know them self..more than we know our self!
susah tuh punya band yang punya kedalaman berpikir dan mengaktualisasikan ke-human being-nya itu. mana ada band jaman sekarang yang nolak untuk jadi rockstar!!!!
tapi pearl jam bisa membuktikan itu...dan sikap kaya gini yang mesti dicerna oleh para fans-nya...
pearl jam juga manusia...memang bener banget. memperlakukan sebuah band secara manusiawi..juga adalah kebenaran yang lain lagi.hehehehe
Gathering PJ V, Bandung
Commonroom,12-02-2005
Siang yang teduh di Kyai Gede Utama no.8.Seorang lelaki bertubuh besar tengah tekun membaca koran. Tak terganggu hingga saya datang mengagetkannya. "CJ!!!" sapa saya. Senyumannya menandakan putusnya penantiannya."Gila baru gua aja
sendirian,"kata CJ. Dia memang datang paling awal dibanding siapapun juga.
Bahkan lebih awal dari Tarlen sendiri!hahaha.Sekitar pukul satu kurang Tarlen muncul dengan banyak tentengan.Proyektor salah satunya. Beres Tarlen, Akmal--yang aktivis Salman ITB itu muncul (hahahaha).Akmal tampak senang bersua dengan CJ sang teman lama. Tak lama, si Taft kuning datang.Uh,bos kita. "Selamat datang mas Reza!!!" Senyuman mas reza masih sama dengan senyuman G IV(senyuman lepas dari rutinitas tea geuning hehehe)
Bawaan di tangannya tak kalah banyak.Harta karun para jammer tuh.Akmal sempat berseloroh, "gimana kalau mas reza kita rampok di jalan?" hahaha.anak salman kok ngomongnya kayak gitu. (becanda bos hehehe).Berturut-turut setelah itu muncul Amin,Ian (tampangnya makin grunge lho) dan Kriz (+cewek manis berkaus putih) "Kirain Jammer!" kata Amin."Kalo jammer memang mau apain min?" hahaha. Amien merasa segar melihatnya, terlebih dia belum cukup tidur siang itu.
Jammernya hanya itu? tunggu dulu. Setelah masuk Commonroom, ternyata ada beberapa temen baru yang hadir.
Maklum mbak Tarlen mengumumkan acara G V ini di radio!!!!!keren kan??? jadinya acara dibuka oleh Mas Rez dengan memperkenalkan Tenclub_Indonesia. Mas Rez semangat sekali. Teman-teman baru kita pun antusias menanggapinya.
Selepas cuap-cuap dan sedikit perkenalan diri, matapun dialihkan ke tembok di depan. Nonton bigscreen man!!!!
Menu pertama PJ Cronicles dari tahun 92-2000-an.lezat semua mata terpukau ketika eddie dengan bengal loncat dari tower!
Semua terpingkal-pingkal saat Eddie berkelakuan aneh saat diwawancara TV. Semua merasa baru ngeh ketika:Ternyata Eddie itu pendek!!!! wuahahahahahaha.
Seru!Selagi nonton, tuan rumah menydiakan sirup jeruk!Udara yang aga panas langsung cair. sruuuuuuppppp....!!!!!Yang datang makin banyak aja. Kesempatan ini dipakai temen Tarlen untuk jualan badge pearljam!laris manis tuh! Sekitar pukul tiga,acara nonton bareng break sejenak.Ada suguhan yang lebih menarik lagi;Accoustic Sesions.Un Exotica Noise!!!! Trio gitaris ini dengan segala keramahannya (yang membuat CJ pengen nangis karena keseringan minta maaf!) bermain dengan rancak.
Mereka buka suguhan dengan Jeremy!lalu Black!And then..Betterman! terus Immoertality,lalu ada Alive!Puuhhhh keren jack!!!
Tak ada lagu yang tak diberi tepuk tangan. sayang Jammer malu-malu buat ikut nyanyi (mas reza sampe kesel hahaha).Mungkin jammer itu pemalu pada dasarnya!hihihiii.
sayang juga UEN hanya ngasih kita lima lagu.uh sedih...padahal kan kami belum panas(CJ juga termasuk geregetan pengen ikut nge-jembreng gitar hahaha) !BTW Salut buat UEN!
Waktu terus merangkak.nonton bareng mulai lagi.Meski kini harus berganti tivi.
Mas Reza juga masih sudi meluangkan waktu lagi buat cuap-cuap soal milis.Ian dengan kesadaran yang demikian tinggi membawa gitar kopong. buat nge-jam!!!!!maka selepas adzan maghrinb,malam itu, Commonroom malah bertambah riuh. temen-temen kang vedder_stap asik menggenjreng gitar.suasana jamming mulai terasa.
Temen-temen mulai berkumpul di ruang depan. Kriz dengan kesadaran yang sangat tinggi, segera mengambil alih satu gitar. ajakannya untuk memainkan lagu-lagu PJ ditanggapi dengan semangat oleh kami (yang asik memperhatikan),tapi kurang ditanggapi balik oleh teman-teman lain yang pegang gitar.Hahahaha. solusinya, lagu-lagu lama PJ lah yang sukses digeber.Wow..semua ikut bernyanyi. " Jadi juga kita manggung," kata Akmal dengan tampang
bahagia. Semua memang ikut bernyanyi.larut.larut.larut bernyanyi.
Sampai lupa waktu. Tepat pukul sembilan selepas lagu Breath digeber, acara pun usai. Malam yang menyenangkan. Kami pun bersalaman (sori buat amin, tampaknya kamu belum berkesempatan memeluk ian!)hahahaha. (wisnu)
SAMPAI JUMPA DI G VI!! !!!!!
thanks to:
Tarlen with Tobucil dan Commonroom, UEN, Proyektor owner, Mas Reza, Akmal, CJ, Amin, Kriz, Ian, Bille (jauh-jauh dari papua!!), JajaVedder aka Reza (hehehe), Hendra aka Vedder_stap, Aswin Rase FM,Ergi,Erlin,Abe, Jaya,AB,MAruly,Dede,Dodi,Asep Ristian, Abdee,Jessi,Budi,Tedhy,Bayu,dan sekitar puluhan lagi yang tak
tercatat,Tukang nasi goreng Kyai Gede Utama, Supir angkot, Milis Tenclub_indonesia dan selai_mutiara, terakhir, saya sendiri (sori telat reportnya euy!!!)
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dari awang:
halooooo!!! jammers tanpa mengurangi rasa hormat, awang hanya bisa terimakasih buat semuanya.
thanks wisnu udah buat liputannya!!
thanks buat mbak tarlen dan jammers bandung yang udah susah pesiapkn acaranya. acara rutinitas gahtering tetap bisa dilangsungkan. thanks buat jammer semuanya yang tetap setia ikutan gathering. semoga akan terus ada acara gathering 6 s/d setrusnya nggak terbatas, dengan terus memperbaiki format acara. tentunya dengan menambah terus jumlah peserta gatering. thanks juga buan UEN, istilahnya keren, cuman kenapa lagunya cuman ada di album lawas aja?. sayang aku nggk
bisa ikutan disana. aku belum pernah nonton band yang nyanyiin khusus lagu pearl jam. pasti keren!!!!coooo...l!
salam
awang_vedder
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dari akmal:
menurut info dari mbak tarlen... UEN itu spesialisasinya bukan Pearl Jam, tapi Radiohead... tapi kemaren itu emang mrk gak tanggung2 mainnya... secara musikal keren deh, hanya sayang vokal agak keteteran, tapi itu pun sangat wajar, karena vokalis sebenernya emang berhalangan datang... well, dengan keterbatasan begitu, mrk dah TOP BGT lah!
woooi kata siapa gw aktifis Salman? gw aktifis PKS tau! hahahahhaha
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