Back... space... er: TEN Negative Things About Pearl Jam's Backspacer

Fun, optimistic, refreshing, the tightest since Vs, and the most digestible Pearl Jam record to date—that, obviously, is Backspacer. Since it radiates a great positive vibe, I wondered if there’s anything negative about it. I came up with ten.


10. Because of its slightly larger size, it won't fit in the CD rack.

9. Amongst the Waves is NOT a surfing song.

8. Matt is so awesome here many Matt-haters might melt to death.

7. The Fixer does not appeal to pop rock-intolerant purists and elitists.

6. The Target Deal pissed off narrow-minded slobs.

5. It ends too soon. So you tend to play it twice. You can't get enough, so you play it again. Then you realize you're late.

4. The booklet is good, but you can't find a photo of baby BOOM in it.

3. Eddie did not swear in this record. (Except for the parts where the words 'put a' , as from the line 'I wanna put a bit of shine on it', sound pretty much like a Spanish profanity).

2. Because its a pop rock-influenced record, there's a scarcity of face-melting guitar solos.

1. It had a very late release in Asia. The waiting drove me mad.(Eventually, the madness was backspaced).

My Life According to Pearl Jam

1. Are you a male or female?
“Better Man”

2. Describe yourself:
“Faithful”

3. How do you feel:
“Happy When I’m Crying”

4. Describe where you currently live:
“Garden”

5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
“Porch”

6. Your favorite form of transportation:
“MFC”

7. Your best friend:
“Leatherman” /“Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”

8. Your favorite color is:
“Black”

9. What's the weather like:
“Force of Nature”

10. Favorite time of day:
“Present Tense”/ “The First Time” (improv)

11. If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
“Man of the Hour”

12. What is life to you:
“Supersonic”

13. Your current relationship:
“Help Help”

14. Looking for:
“State of Love and Trust”

15. Wouldn’t mind:
“Just a Girl”

16. Your fear:
“Dead Man Walking”

17. What is the best advice you have to give:
“Smile”

18. If you could change your name, you would change it to:
“Johnny Guitar”/ “Jeremy”

19. Thought for the Day:
“I Got Id”

20. How I would like to die:
“Green Disease”

21. My motto:
“I Am Mine”

The Pearl Jam Commandments

To many, Pearl Jam is not a mere rock band, it's a way of life, maybe even a religion--a claim not uncommon in the Jamily. Just watch one of their concerts; it looks pretty much like a massive religious congregation, with the worshipers coming from every corner of the earth. Below is a list of some popular PJ adages true jammers live by.

1. Just don’t be an asshole
2. Live your life with the volume full
3. (It makes much more sense to) Live in the present tense
4. If there’s no love, try to love again
5. Keep on Rocking in the free world (adapted from the Godfather, Neil Young)

Top 10 Reasons why The Big Takeover Magazine ROCKS

Once upon an alienated time I walked into a second-hand bookstore. There I found a cheap magazine with one of my favorite bands, REM, on the cover. I didn’t expect much from the magazine, but as I consumed its pages it propelled me deeper into music. And by ‘music’ I mean that which has valid artistic value—or, as Jack Rabid calls it, “music with heart”. Needless to say, this not-so-famous music magazine is a publication “with heart”.

It’s quite a misfortune that I am not able to subscribe to this magazine because I don’t live in the US. Also it’s quite a misfortune that my only copy of it has been left inside a cardboard box miles away from where I’m currently at. Meanwhile, to write about it is all I can do.

Here are the ten reasons why I love the Big Takeover Magazine.

10. It features a diverse blend of independent and major label bands.

9. But mostly it features bands that you haven’t heard of or listened to before.

8. It features reviews of live performances.

7. It features lengthy, in-depth interviews with cool artists transcribed verbatim.

6. It is published by a poet/musician, a passionate creative force named Jack Rabid—since 1980.

5. The review section, featuring Jack’s Top 40 for the issue, is regularly 60-80 pages long.

4. Even the advertisements help your musical exploration.

3. Issues are around 200 pages—semi-glossy, colored.

2. Unlike mainstream or most music magazines, Big Takeover’s price is reasonable.

1. Artists are on its cover, not corporate-puppet pop stars.

Old Mohawk Anecdote

In November 2001, as a "small political protest" against the bombing of Afghanistan, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder got a mohawk.

"I didn't want to walk around looking normal," he explained, "like maybe someone thought I was OK with the world."

Vedder's new do brought some unintended consequences.

"A day or two after I'd got my hair cut, I was out trying to find a gift for someone," he recalled, "and I was accused of shoplifting, of stealing some earrings! It was definitely the hair..."