Red Mosquito

Buby wrote:At the end of the day, they don't need to do jack shit.

Surely they need food and shelter like the rest of us

Happy Trees wrote:They need to stop being spritzy and stick with the schmaltzy.

What if they combined the two? Spraltzy

tree_ wrote:

stip wrote:

tree_ wrote:I guess what I would want from a PJ album now would be for Ed to tap into something real, lyrically, and for the music to support it well. Maybe reflect on what it's like to be older and just be real, ya know? Stop trying to be badass, kewl spritzy rawkers and just be honest about some real shit. And please stop writing sentimental love songs.

this was literally the primary theme of the last two albums.

i just want them to stop trying to be a kewl rawk band.. it feels like they're trying too hard and it doesn't feel genuine to me

I don't hear any part of Pearl Jam trying to be "cool"; if anything, their producers have done that (trying to make a Taylor Swift-adjacent album with Backspacer and Lightning Bolt) but left to their own devices, they're a bunch of rich dads

ok, well, if they're actually just being themselves, maybe I just don't like who they are and they need to try harder to be cool

other than the first few years pearl jam has never been cool. they were optimistic and sincere at a time when these were profoundly uncool. coolness usually requires either embracing trends or consciously defining yourself in opposition to what is current. Pearl Jam has always just been themselves

Surely a bunch of 40-year old Pearl Jam fans are well-positioned to define cool

tree_ wrote:ok, well, if they're actually just being themselves, maybe I just don't like who they are and they need to try harder to be cool

that's close to how I am; I think they've lost a fire and charm and edge they had once, and I still just hope for those fleeting moments that recapture it, or something new I think is cool

tragabigzanda wrote:Surely a bunch of 40-year old Pearl Jam fans are well-positioned to define cool

I only know what I think's cool; many of those things make me a laughing stock in certain circles

yeah, maybe "cool" isn't exactly the right word.. maybe "interesting" is more accurate

When were Pearl Jam actually cool?

Eddie has always been a bit much. He was probably at his coolest between Yield and Binaural when he chilled out a bit.

Jeff is probably the coolest member of the band.

Mike is a great guitar player, but not cool. Same with Stone.

Which drummer was the coolest? Probably Dave.

stip wrote:other than the first few years pearl jam has never been cool. they were optimistic and sincere at a time when these were profoundly uncool. coolness usually requires either embracing trends or consciously defining yourself in opposition to what is current. Pearl Jam has always just been themselves

yeah I agree with that too; it was their humility and Ed's shyness and poetry that made them my favourite band in a scene with a lot of toxic machismo

I feel Ed has lost a lot of that humility and shyness, so while I still hope he makes things I like (and think he's capable), I don't hero worship him anymore, because rock star is not what I wanted from him; it's what he's chased, though, and that's fine

yes, i agree.. it's fine I guess, just not for me

Ed scrawling pro-choice on his arm during Unplugged had a far stronger impact on me than I could've imagined at the time; it wasn't "cool" but it was bold; when I think they're doing something that grabs me in the heart and the head, it's damn good

Sirens is no "Porch" or anything but when it came out it reminded me that maybe I can like a new kind of Pearl Jam

I liked showbox ed. kinda rude, made inside jokes..

tragabigzanda wrote:Surely a bunch of 40-year old Pearl Jam fans are well-positioned to define cool

first, my definition was accurate and easy to operationalize for the purposes of this conversation.

second, as someone who learned what ‘riz’ means by reading about it in the ny times, I can think of no one better suited for this very task!

Ms Harmless wrote:Ed scrawling pro-choice on his arm during Unplugged had a far stronger impact on me than I could've imagined at the time; it wasn't "cool" but it was bold; when I think they're doing something that grabs me in the heart and the head, it's damn good

Sirens is no "Porch" or anything but when it came out it reminded me that maybe I can like a new kind of Pearl Jam

bold is a good description. more bold than cool

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I am pumped for a new album. I think that's cool.

is it cool because you’re pumped or are you pumped because its cool?

what's cooler than being cool?

stip wrote:is it cool because you’re pumped or are you pumped because its cool?

good question.

I think new PJ is cool. I always come away liking at least 4-6 songs.

I think it's cool to also be pumped about things you are passionate about.