Legendary Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder recently sat down on SiriusXM’s ‘The Howard Stern Show’ for a revealing three-hour interview.
Monday’s show saw Vedder and Stern explore a number of topics like the forthcoming US presidential election, Vedder’s work with Bradley Cooper on A Star Is Born, the genesis of Pearl Jam, and his personal experience with fame. It also saw him delve into the passing of his close friend, late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell.
Vedder revealed he was mourning the 2016 death of his own brother Chris in an accident when he got word of Cornell’s passing.
“I’ve had to be somewhat in denial,” Eddie acknowledged. “I don’t even feel like I had a choice. I was just terrified where I would go if I allowed myself to feel what I needed to feel or what I was instinctively wanting to feel or how dark I felt like I was gonna go.
“And because I didn’t see him that often in the last 10 years — probably only, like, four or five times, and usually at a gig or something — I still haven’t quite dealt with it. I’ll get stronger as time goes.”
Eddie Vedder recognised that he felt “angry” towards Chris Cornell for taking his own life. “I loved the guy. I would allow him to make those choices, you know? But I think suicide is a violent act that hurts so many people,” he said. “That feels unfair. And when you have kids, I think you kind of don’t have that option anymore.”
Vedder went on to recall cherished memories he has of his friendship with Cornell — musing on earlier years in Seattle when they’d hang out together.
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“We were close,” Vedder continued. “And it wasn’t just because we were playing music. We were neighbors. I would hang out with him outside of the band more than even the other band guys, and I didn’t know that many people in Seattle.
“So we would go on crazy hiking adventures, or we would go mountain biking, or we would chase the dog in the rain while drinking shitty beer— and it was cool. And it had nothing to do with anything like being around other music people or being around some kind of L.A. life.
“It was just cool. Like, wow, this is what a quote-unquote legit rock star, this is what he’s doing — he’s chasing a dog in the rain with his buddy on a Saturday night with a 12-pack of Schmidt?”
Eddie Vedder remembers Chris Cornell on SiriusXM’s ‘The Howard Stern Show’
On Wednesday, May 17th 2017, Chris Cornell was found dead in his Detroit hotel room. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
Since the passing of Cornell, his two daughters, Lily and Toni, have dedicated their time to advocating for greater mental health awareness.
Back in May, in the wake of the third anniversary of Chris Cornell’s death, his daughter Lily Cornell Silver announced a podcast, Mind Wide Open.
The podcast keys on a number of mental health topics, with a wide range of guests featuring from “mental health professionals, public figures, peers, and others who will share their stories and struggles, as well as provide knowledge and insight.”
Whilst daughter Toni has partnered with Addiction Policy Forum to launch a new campaign “Stop the Stigma: Tackling the Stigma of Addiction through Education.”
