Eddie Vedder: George W Bush Gave Me Writer’s Block!
Pearl Jam singer on the interplay of rock and politics in MOJO’s exclusive interview clip.
IN A VIDEO INTERVIEW with surfing legend Mark Richards, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder has granted access to his songwriting process. And while a couple of the questions are the first a cub music writer ever asks a musician – like “What comes first, music or lyrics?” – then vows never to ask again, ultimately the gangly Australian comes through and there’s plenty of insight to enjoy. On the occasion of the release of Peal Jam’s Lightning Bolt album, Vedder describes how his lyrics come together, often out of fragments bashed out on multiple typewriters. “That also comes from drinking heavily at night,” says Vedder, laughing.
Asked about the political and social issues he mines, Vedder reveals how frustration with the status quo can be a negative as well as a positive for a writer: “Through the whole Bush administration it was really hard to write because there was so much that you wanted to say.”
Watch the video interview…