1998 Matt Interview

[stip]

Maybe, just maybe, matt loves being in pearl jam too!

take it to another forum

[bodysnatcher]

Cat Mammoran

[Mine]

Maybe, just maybe, matt loves being in pearl jam too!

That's what i was getting at. Especially considering he still had to work with the band on new music at the time of this interview. It makes me wonder if working with them changed his (relatively superficial) opinion of them.

[Birds in Hell]

"It was great in the sense that they didn't try to tone me down at all. I'm kind of known for playing weird, crazy fills and sometimes playing things I shouldn't be playing, but they loved it - at least that's what they told me. They just wanted me to do what I do. But musically, Pearl Jam is one of those bands where everyone supports the vocal. The vocal is the main instrument and everything else takes a back seat.

It's probably no accident that the next record they made -- Matt's first with the band -- probably conforms to this description less than any other they've made. It's pretty clear that in the beginning they were really trying to absorb Matt's influence into the group, trying to make the band something where his strengths would be as at home as anyone else's. It's a shame that, in the public's eyes, it was an unsuccessful experiment, because they've retreated further from it with each subsequent release.

Really agree with this. The band embraced Jack's musical personality in his time with the band, as they did with Dave Abbruzzese, and I think Binaural is really the only record where they went down that road with Matt, resulting in what is easily their most accomplished set of songs with this line-up. Riot Act feels like a strangely unmoored album in that continuum as though they'd lost faith in the idea of a different, more cerebral Pearl Jam but had no idea what else they could aim to be. That wasn't uninteresting as an approach though as I think that sense of indecision lends Riot Act a charming, ramshackle quality like a mix-tape of great b-sides.

Anyway, bummer how things worked out, etc.

[Mine]

A degree of indecision or internal scepticism towards their own material seems to be crucial in producing records that aren't mediocre and somewhat bland.
This seems to be true for a period that encompasses 3 of their drummers so the drummers themselves don't seem to be the decisive factor.

[evenslow]

I do think that the rotation of drummers from 91-98 forced them to reexamine their sound, which made for more interesting, textured music. It's a big deal to strip down and build up the rhythm section of a rock band that much. Kudos to Jeff for holding it all down.

As I've said many times, I kinda wish Matt had moved on at some point, making way for a new drummer and therefore a new sound.

[Mine]

They're either too generic for their sound to be disturbed by different drummers or have enough range to be able to adapt.
They did revert to an approximation of the sound they had on the 1st album and largely put behind them most of what they've explored from Vs. through Riot Act and with that erased what new air the 3 new drummers brought to the band in that time frame.

[96583UP]

interesting Christy reference ... i dont think SG played it live after the b-sides box set release... matt made some quote like 'it's not ready yet' ... i really hope SG gets a chance to dig into that song before their next tour ... seeing a reference to it from 18 years ago as this unfinished chapter / where SG could have gone ... once they finally do get this right it might just be / represent something really special ... those aussie shows after the b-sides release looked great ... i hope they get a chance to reconnect for a while and then rip this ... PJ can just buy a metronome and set it to 245 bpm and write another 5 made-for-arena albums in the meantime

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

He is the person in the band to have the least songwriting credits to his name by far. Even in Soundgarden he averages at about 1 song per album.
It kinda seems as if songwriting isn't much of a priority for him.
Of course there could be tons of compositions in his private vaults that i don't know about.

...or on the four Wellwater Conspiracy albums...

[Mine]

He is the person in the band to have the least songwriting credits to his name by far. Even in Soundgarden he averages at about 1 song per album.
It kinda seems as if songwriting isn't much of a priority for him.
Of course there could be tons of compositions in his private vaults that i don't know about.

...or on the four Wellwater Conspiracy albums...

Even there is co-writing judging by the credits in the vast majority of the cases. It also covers the period of the time he was most prolific with Pearl Jam too. I still don't see any indication he's interested in writing more than he did/does.

[zeb]

Even in Soundgarden he averages at about 1 song per album.

Wrong.

Badmotorfinger: Jesus Christ Pose, Room A Thousand Years Wide, Drawing Flies, New Damage
Superunknown: Mailman, Limo Wreck, Fresh Tendrils
Down On The Upside: Rhinosaur, Applebite

That's a pretty healthy output for a drummer in a band with the calibre of songwriters he had around him.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

Even there is co-writing judging by the credits in the vast majority of the cases. It also covers the period of the time he was most prolific with Pearl Jam too. I still don't see any indication he's interested in writing more than he did/does.

I'm sure it really makes him want to contribute when he writes brilliant songs and the fans declare them "crap" because they don't go well with a brew and a game of hacky-sack.

[LoathedVermin72]

[wease]

Room A Thousand Years Wide is quite possibly the best song Soundgarden or Pearl Jam ever recorded.

[Fuzzcharger]

Good read

Room A Thousand Years Wide is quite possibly the best song Soundgarden or Pearl Jam ever recorded.

I've been digging on the sub pop single version of this lately after revisiting Telephantasm. Heaps better than the BMF one.

[Birds in Hell]

Room A Thousand Years Wide is quite possibly the best song Soundgarden or Pearl Jam ever recorded.

[MattA75]

How about this low-key diss:

I was fortunate to be in a band like Soundgarden, which had such interesting takes on rock songs. A lot of times, my drum parts added to that whole weird dimension we were working in. Bands like KISS and AC/DC and even Pearl Jam require different things from a drummer.

I don't know that that's a diss as much as more just a statement of fact, especially in comparison to Soundgarden.

There's no doubt that Matt Cameron is a better drummer than Phil Rudd from a technical standpoint, but in AC/DC, Matt Cameron couldn't hold Phil Rudd's jock...because no one can really hold Phil Rudd's jock with regards to that band.

[wease]

Good read

Room A Thousand Years Wide is quite possibly the best song Soundgarden or Pearl Jam ever recorded.

I've been digging on the sub pop single version of this lately after revisiting Telephantasm. Heaps better than the BMF one.

Yeah. A lot rougher around the edges. "Dirtier" if you will. Its is just a tad slower, which is my only tiny problem with it.

[Mine]

Even there is co-writing judging by the credits in the vast majority of the cases. It also covers the period of the time he was most prolific with Pearl Jam too. I still don't see any indication he's interested in writing more than he did/does.

I'm sure it really makes him want to contribute when he writes brilliant songs and the fans declare them "crap" because they don't go well with a brew and a game of hacky-sack.

But wouldn't it be devastating if the majority fans would be intelligent and informed enough to appreciate Matt's objective and absolutely factual song writing brilliance? It would devalue it for all those who see it for what it objectively is and they would lose their superiority over the ignorant masses who's tastes and opinions are objectively wrong.

[Mine]

Even in Soundgarden he averages at about 1 song per album.

Wrong.

Badmotorfinger: Jesus Christ Pose, Room A Thousand Years Wide, Drawing Flies, New Damage
Superunknown: Mailman, Limo Wreck, Fresh Tendrils
Down On The Upside: Rhinosaur, Applebite

That's a pretty healthy output for a drummer in a band with the calibre of songwriters he had around him.

He has only co-writing credits on Jesus Christ Pose, New Damage, Limo Wreck.
He has none on Louder than Love.

To be precise his average per Soundgarden album is 1,47 which can be rounded to 1 but i'm gonna be generous and round it to 1,5.

His average per album with Pearl Jam is 1,06 which isn't that much of a difference.