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"This is all so strange" (thismodernworld.com)
Examiner: What's your favorite song off the new album?
Perkins: "Speed of Sound." I think it's just a beautiful song.
Examiner: What are some of your other favorites from the Pearl Jam back catalog?
Perkins: I kind of go back and forth a lot. Let me preface this by saying I don't think artists should compete with themselves like 'this work is better than that work.'
I like "Life Wasted," a lot of songs on Vs.: "WMA," I love that bass. "Dissident." I like "Elderly Woman," "Indifference," "Red Mosquito," uh, you're kind of putting me on the spot. (laughs) "I Am Mine" and "You Are." Do you know how they got the guitar sound on that song?
Examiner: I read that the guitar was played through a sequencer or a drum machine.
Perkins: That's a cool guitar sound. Also, one of my big favorites because of the message is "Present Tense."
I kind of came a little bit later to Pearl Jam. There's a couple songs that are high up on my list, but Ten is the album I come back to the least. I love "Alive" and "Black" though.
Examiner: On your site, you show a picture of the outside of a record store with a giant panel from Backspacer, the drummer in space, and you note, 'this is all so strange.' What did you mean by that?
Perkins: Normally my relation to my work is like that of a parent's to a small child. You know what they're doing, you know where they are, you're keeping an eye on them all the time.
This is what I imagine a parent's relationship is to a grown child: they go off into the world and they do these interesting things and they come back and tell you about it, and you're totally surprised and proud, but a little bit taken aback by the whole thing.
I've had to just let (the Backspacer art) go out into the world and let it do what it will do. It's fun, it's all great, but it's very strange.
Examiner: Besides the books, the album, and the posters, what else are you working on?
Perkins: Isn't that enough? (laughs) This month is the culmination of everything I've been working on since January. Once I recover from this, then I'll figure out what the next thing is.
Special thanks to Dan Perkins and PJ's management.
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Comments
Cool story. Seems like a genuine good guy. I'll grab that kids book for sure to read with my little girl.
Awesome interview. Would like to see more on this dude. Pearl Jam foreva.
Any dude that digs the Red Mosquito is a cool dude in my book.
Great interview
Great interview.... I'm pretty sure the photo above is at Easy Street Records downtown Seattle on Queen.
Can't wait to see the show Monday.....
lovin it dude
Great Interview. A funny read indeed. Thanks for helping Dan share his project with Pearl Jam. From a very, very miniscule dealing with Pearl Jam's management, I understand what Dan means by "everyone really gave a damn".
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