December 28, 2018: Hard to Imagine

Hi Brad and Brad,

I can't thank you guys enough for putting me in touch with Bill Castrovince. Bill and I got to talk on the phone a couple of times and it was really uplifting to hear his story in more detail. Knowing there is hope that someone can persevere through something as scary as brain cancer, gives me optimism in a time where I've been searching for it.

I've come to realize through listening to your podcast and interacting with Bill, that there is so much about the band that I didn't know. At some time in the future, I'll share a list of what I've come to appreciate and learn after finding you guys, but it's so exciting to know there's so much to learn about Pearl Jam. I asked Bill about his motivation for requesting "Hard to Imagine" prior to the 2016 Tampa show. He then enlightened me to the history of the song. I can't remember if you guys ever discussed this on the podcast, but it originated just after Ten was released and was included on the soundtrack of the movie, "Chicago Cab." It also had a different lyric starting out the second verse.

Original Lyric

F@$! tradition. No one's safe from harm.
Wait a living. Cup and curse these arms.
After having seen all that they saw.

Current Lyric

Tear into yourself count days on your arm.
Ah the beating ticking like a bomb.
After having seen all that they saw.

I honestly had not heard "Hard to Imagine" until it was released with Lost Dogs, so this was another very cool fact that I've had the privilege of learning. I'm also trying to find meaning of the song for myself. It lead me to find an older discussion on The Porch just to understand what others think. This is a very interesting song, considering all of the different interpretations and meanings of this song. I'm glad Bill shared his meaning with me and I hope to find mine soon.

Forced to endure, what I could not forgive,

Chris

Comments

October 17, 2010: RIP Mozart for Guitar

Hi Brad and Brad, I first want to mention that I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did while listening to you two and Clint Wells go on about spoonfuls of flour and uncooked spaghetti. I almost had to pull my car over as I was driving home during that part of the episode! Since Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6th, I've been listening to a lot of Van Halen. I didn't really get into them until 10-15 years ago, but I consider them to be one of my favorite bands of all-time. Eddie was truly an innovator on shredding guitar solos and may be my favorite lead guitarist ever. I saw Mike's comment on Pearl Jam's Twitter feed referencing how he began playing guitar shortly after their first record came out. He goes so far to say "it sounded like Eddie was from another planet" and "Eddie was like Mozart for guitar. Changed everything and he played with Soul." I know the guys have covered Van Halen here-and-there and I looked

December 26, 2020: Someday at Christmas

Hi Brad and Brad, First, I hope you guys have had a Happy Holidays. Secondly, I really enjoy your solo episodes. They have a deejay format to them which also feels personable in getting to know each of your lives and what has influenced you to be who you are now. I hadn't taken the time to get to know Someday at Christmas until after listening to BradB's recent episode. Pearl Jam does a great job in covering the song, and I prefer Stevie Wonder's version over the Jackson 5. Especially, after reading the lyrics and reading some interpretations of the song. At the time the song was released, the Vietnam War was still underway. The lyrics seem to voice opposition to the war itself, but also express the hope for racial and economic equality. Unfortunately, that message still resonates strongly. Stevie Wonder was one of the artists that shaped my musical interests when I was a teenager. I'm very glad the guys chose to cover this song for a Christmas single and have

December 31, 2020: Low Light

Hi Jessi and Kate, I have been way behind on my podcasts the last several weeks. The main reason is because myself and a friend started our own podcast! It's not Pearl Jam themed , however it's consumed a decent amount of my week preparing for each recording. So we now have a hit on the Dink-O-Meter for both of you. First Jessi and now Kate! I can't remember if I have proposed the Dink-O-Meter to you yet, but I have it as a three-tiered system: Dinky: Just your average dinky, will only skip if streaming Rinky-Dinky: Automatic skipper, even when listening to vinyl Stinky-Dinky: It's like nails on a chalkboard to you Based on Jessi's response to Parachutes, I have that somewhere between Rinky-Dinky and Stinky-Dinky. I would have to let Jessi be the final judge on that. For Kate's remarks to Low Light, I have it somewhere between Dinky and Rinky-Dinky, however I'm inclined to believe it's closer to Dinky because I wasn't able to note as many hot

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