One minute I’d be disagreeing (I have some affection for Ed’s Grammy Awards speech and think it’s unfair to write it off as simply ungrateful petulance. Givony doesn’t mince his words when it comes to the band’s failings. Not For You very firmly puts Pearl Jam in context, and I think even non-fans would find it a fascinating read. Still heartbreaking all these years later) Pearl Jam vs Ticketmaster The Who Ralph Nader the Seattle protests multiple disparaging remarks about the Chilli Peppers (which never failed to amuse), amongst many other subjects ranging from music to politics. Topics include: pro-choice vs anti-choice and the murder of doctor David Gunn 90s BLM and the murder of Malice Green mass shootings (this line was a real gut punch: “Like all Americans, I can measure out my life in mass shootings”) Trevor Wilson (who played Jeremy in the infamous award-winning video) Tomas Young, the Iraq War, the Body of War documentary, and how disabled veterans are failed by the government (it touched on the poor quality of Young’s wheelchair, which led him to have an accident, further exacerbating his health problems, highlighting that disabled people who need mobility aids are often unable to access them or are stuck with poor quality aids) Pearl Jam’s relationship with Nirvana the impact of Kurt Cobain’s suicide (it had been decades since I’d listened to Courtney Love reading out parts of Kurt’s suicide note, but reading the transcript I could clearly hear her voice in my head, commenting, admonishing. There aren’t many bands who would warrant this kind of approach, but given how much grunge and Pearl Jam dominated in the early-mid 90s, and given how political the band is, it made perfect sense, and it’s one of my favourite things about the book. Cultural and socio-political landscape.So while it’s chronological it didn’t feel like your straightforward bio, as it chose to focus on specific moments and it often came at those events in a way that was refreshing, particularly in terms of how much it focussed on things outwith the immediate band, which leads me to: Some of those events are specific concerts, albums (sometimes paired with political events of the time – such as Binaural with the 1999 Seattle protest), their attempt to take on Ticketmaster, the firing of drummer Dave, and so on. The structure is built around some of the main events in the bands career, very much from a fan’s point of view.What’s refreshing about Not For You is it isn’t your regular biography: In one chapter, Givony mentioned his intense research process, saying he ended up “delirious, ranting about Ralph Nader.” I can believe it. I now know more about Pearl Jam than I ever thought I’d want to know I’ve watched numerous concerts of varying quality listened to/read transcripts of several Vedder rambles heard Alive, Even Flow, and Jeremy more times than is probably healthy in a short period watched bizarre animations, talk show snippets, and news reports on abortion clinics, only to emerge dishevelled, and as dazed as Vedder at the Grammy Awards mumbling “I don’t know what this means” before launching into a rendition of Black à la David Letterman (“Whyyyyy! Whyyyyy!”) while my husband rolls his eyes and regrets gifting me this book. I devoured it, simultaneously trying keep up (folly!) with the accompanying Playlist. This is how I came to be reading Ronen Givony’s Not For You : Pearl Jam and the Present Tense. Ronen Givony’s Not For You: Pearl Jam And The Present Tense The past two years have been a blur of obsession. I’d more or less abandoned them post-Vitalogy, so I had a lot of catching up to do. How could I forget how brilliant they are? How could I forget how stunning Vedder’s voice is? I casually thought, “Oh I haven’t listened to Pearl Jam for a while” and clicked. I was watching something on YouTube, happened to glance at the suggestions down the side, and there was Pearl Jam’s performance of Oceans from Unplugged. It’s been two years (“and counting”) since I fell down a Pearl Jam hole.
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