The grunge movement that came out of Seattle in the early 90s was brought about by number of reasons; the frustration by true musicians of 80s glam, the inevitability of changes in everything especially rock, as well as a number of other things. However, perhaps it was the atmosphere of hope in 1990s America, after a decade of conservative government and the assembly of young rockers in the gloomy, rainy, cloudy city of Seattle. This is why people bought the grunge records of Pearl Jam and Nirvana. But the artists themselves were still very much gloomy people; set in the backdrop of a rainy city, relentlessly playing the dainty club scene to which they had become so affectionately close. It is with this reflection that music was to be made. The mainstream accepted the hopelessness emotion and distraught disconnectedness that demigods (or were they demagogues?) like Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder had so eloquently supplied them with. Both singers dealt with fame differently, but in the end, their music lives on and will always be important.

Eddie Vedder's Background

Eddie was born in Illinois, but spent most of his life in Encinitas, California. His family life was utterly dreadful. His father left home when he was three months old; and Eddie was raised by a man named Peter. His mother Karen married Peter only a few months after his father left and didn’t tell Eddie about his real father until Peter and she’s divorce became heated. Peter wasn’t abusive to Eddie, but Eddie remembers when Peter was verbally and potentially physically abusive to his mother. Eddie would later express himself about these episodes in his music.* When Peter and Karen got divorced in 1980, Eddie was 16. He went back and forth between living with Peter and Karen until he was 18 and he was legally an adult. He moved to San Diego, got a job at a Chevron and joined up with some other young musicians. He remembers really enjoying working jobs like gas station attendants because he would substantial time to work on writing lyrics and thinking. A co-worker at the Chevron remembered Eddie as a good guy who told great stories and usually had a smile on his face. Years later, after the success of Pearl Jam debut album Ten, the co-worker saw Eddie on MTV looking sad, angry and stone-faced. Some journalists from the Northwest who knew Vedder applauded his sincerity and felt his seriousness evolved from having to deal with the pitfalls of fame. Others in the East thought he was a fake. The guitarist from Urge Overkill, having toured with Pearl Jam in the early 90s pointed to his sincerity also.
“I don’t know if he’s whining so much, it’s just that he tries to be so sincere all the time. He really feels like he has this bond with people who aren’t in his position, and he’s saying ‘Hey, I’m still like you! I’m still fucked up!’ We were skeptical at first, but after playing with that band, we saw that they’re amazing players. We were blown away by how together and righteous and honest they are,” (DeRogatis, p.59).

DeRogatis, Jim. Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Explosion & the Music of the 90s. Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press, 2003.