They said, Pull it off.
How did this thing air?
Get rid of it.
I think it only aired once.
It was called Heartbreakers Beach Party, and it was so much fun.
It was great to come back and do it again.
Image via PBS
Its like three-dimensional journalism.
I just am so happy to finally havePearl Jam Twentydone because there was so much to draw from.
CROWE: Well, I would say go to Charlie Cross writing about Nirvana.
That was what we went for.
How has the sound of the band changed and evolved, over the years?
CROWE: The band has changed, and they talk about that pretty openly in the film.
Image via PBS
The band started out as Stone Gossards group and really evolved into Eddies band.
I want to learn about us.
Its a fantastic journey, about being true to your roots while still moving on.
What do you hope people take away from seeing this?
They were not a slave to the first crashing wave of their success.
When I first met Eddie, he was a guy who literally could not look up.
As the band exploded, he became fearful and upset.
Thats what he did.
Hes no longer that guy.
Hes very, very much in control of the music, and its inspiring.
That was an issue we wrestled with.
They chafed at stuff, along the way.
Its a balancing act.
It took three years to get through.
We had a great team of editors.
It was our labor of love, our hobby and our quest.
There was so much, and so much that hadnt been seen.
What jumped out at you, in terms of their performances now?
CROWE: Eddie still means all these songs, when he sings them.
They still feel it.
Some of them are pretty aching, content wise, but they dont just go through the motions.
The live footage is generally riveting, in that way.
Even if you werent there, they still were connecting to whatever audience they had.
The experience is still fresh.
CROWE: Im a big Andrew Wood fan.
Thats how it felt, at the time.
It was Andrew Woods town, and he died, and that affected everybody.
The guy was such a true soul.
Lets pay tribute to Andy.
I want to listen more to his stuff.
I hope that happens.
What is the role of Seattle in the film and its importance in the music scene?
They all still live there.
Its not like they got rich and left.
So, its in there, but hopefully in an atypical way.
Its such a powerful thing.
I think they still live with it.
Its a sadness mixed with the joy, thats very real.
What are your favorite Pearl Jam songs?
CROWE: I love Release.
I love Rearview Mirror.
And, I love their acoustic stuff.
I love Thumbing My Way.
Thats one of the great things of having such a great body of work.
The songs mean so much to the fans.
I love watching that.
Whats the origin of your fascination with music?
I wanted to follow the path of music and feel that power, and I couldnt turn back.
The power of music is still with me, every day.
Its one of the most inspiring things available in the world.
I write with music.
I write scenes in movies that hopefully can earn the use of some songs that are powerful to me.
But, I think it just came from being affected by strong, personal art.
Do you think Pearl Jam is still making significant music?
CROWE: I do.
Its real and its passionate.
I wish we could have gotten more of theBackspacerera in the film.
There was just so much from the earlier years that we wanted to cover.
Did you ever dream of being a rock star yourself?
CROWE: Thats the most horrifying idea I could even think of.
That would be the worst.
No, my dream is to do exactly what Im doing.
I would leave the other stuff to those who do it much better.
What can you say about the film youre currently working on?
Its a great true story.
I read a script by Aline Brosh McKenna that I thought was wonderful.
Its coming out for Christmas.
The movie is being scored by Jonsi from Sigur Ros.
I love Sigur Ros, and Jonsi has done this amazing score for us.
So, thats how we madeWe Bought a Zoo.
It was very much a music-filled experience.
CROWE: Its the only thing that Ive written that I would consider doing that with.
Ive thought about it, from time to time, and talked about it with John Cusack once.
I think there might be another chapter to that, at some point.
I will keep it in mind.
We would have to keep the guy that Lloyd Dobler has to drive home from the prom party.
Hes got to come back.
