PJ20

Without mixing any words, this was fucking amazing. Written, directed and narrated by musical journalist and film director Cameron Crowe (Singles, Almost Famous), PJ20 shows the evolution of the band from the beginnings with Green River and Mother Love Bone through Temple of the Dog and Mookie Blaylock and eventually coming out as Pearl Jam. Crowe incorporates so much outstanding archival footage in telling this story, that, even though the film commemorates the 20th Anniversary of Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten, there’s a feeling that Crowe has been making this documentary for well over 20 years.

I am continually Impressed by what great music fans the guys in the band are. And when you throw in other members of the Seattle sound into the mix (like Dave Grohl) it really makes you think about what a great musical city Seattle is. These guys always seem like fans who got into a band, made the decisions a fan would make (whether it’s in the songs or in decisions like breaking away from Ticketmaster in order to keep ticket prices down), and ended up getting huge. Despite their success, the guys always seem humbled by the attention they get and twenty years later still work with the idea that it could disappear at any moment. Perhaps that’s why the band works with an urgency which comes through in the music.

On a side note, the documentary made me want to punch Andy Rooney in the face. He makes some incredibly disparaging and ignorant comments about the teens of “the grunge generation” after Kurt Cobain’s suicide.