5/3/06
Ten Club
PO Box 4590
Seattle, WA 98104
Ten Club:
Hi, I’ve been meaning to write for a while, when I heard the new
CD I knew I had to. I’ve loved PJ from the first time I heard “Jeremy” on the radio,
and when I was 14 I wrote the fan club. Somebody from the club actually called
me and offered to send a limo to take me to their concert in Fairfax VA.
(4/8/94) I was ecstatic! But my parents both had to work and said I was too
young to go by myself. My mom still hasn’t lived it down to this day. (I bitch
about it just about every time “Pearl Jam” pops up in our household, which is a
lot with my brother being a fan too.) That meant so much to me, I wonder what
it would’ve been like if I’d went. I still remember the helplessness I felt
when every adult I asked said “no”. There was this bad feeling in the pit of my
stomach that stayed there for a while. Since then I’ve been to two PJ concerts.
The seats weren’t that great, sitting in my wheelchair my line of vision is
low, so I can’t see over people’s heads. (And that’s in handicapped seating, go
figure) But I consider myself lucky, because a lot of overseas fans never get
that privilege.
Next time Pearl Jam tours, could I cash-in on that rain check, and meet them?? I’m well over 21, so the parent thing shouldn’t be a problem now. (My mom would be so grateful too, not having to hear about it anymore) I’ll be at the May DC show…my third show! I have Ten Club tickets! UPDATE: Made an ass of myself trying…oh well…I tried. UPDATE: sat front row at 6/17/08 PJ show! Read and see pics here
Eddie’s lyrics sure have
developed, needless to say, and it’s great to hear guitar jams again. The
press’ anticipation leading up to “avocado” was amazing. I had a feel this new
album was going to be huge. And it is! I’ve been enjoying seeing my
favoritenband everywhere I look, Rolling Stone, Webcasts and even CNN! It’s
pretty special that some of the guys can do solo gigs and not let it interfere
with their playing in Pearl Jam. A lot of guy’s egos couldn’t handle that. I’m
so glad they survived the grunge era, when so many of the bands didn’t make it.
That just proves PJ can change with the time and cannot be pigeonholed. I wish
I’d could say that much. I went to a vocational school and trained to be a CAD
drafter. I graduated at the top of my class, but every employer looked at the
wheelchair not my skills. It was very difficult for me to learn and accept one simple
thing: You can’t change stereotypes; you just have got to live your life in a
way that pleases you. To hell with people’s perceptions of you. Pearl Jam’s
music reinforces that idea to me time and time again. All though my life
there’s been something I can identify with Pearl Jam. People grow and change
over the years; it’s incredible to me how I’m still able to connect to the
music.
Eddie has either made a
difference or tried to…like battling high-ticket sales or with his charity
work. I really admire the band for that. They’ve always taken care of us too,
the fans. Christopher Reeves has done tremendous things for people with SCI and
helped open the world’s eyes to that disability. People with Cerebral Palsy
need a spokesperson like him. I’ve written letters to congress and to others
about my views and thoughts, mostly as a way to release stress. They probably
don’t even read them, I realize. Though I did get a chance to speak to a few
delegates at my state General Assembly recently. Not sure of what kind of
impact I made…but hey, I got out there.
The SNL performance was
incredible, and I really flipped out when watching the Letterman webcast. Now
all that’s left is the DC concert, I know the guys won’t let me down. I’m
really having a hard time deciding on which is my favorite now, Yield or
Avocado. They have put me in a real bind about that; it’s a hard decision.
Pearl Jam…………keeping jamming for me!
Sincerely,
Ivy K.
(10c #: 367***)
P.S. I thought I’d add my reply to “how did PJ hook you?”
(on the PJ message board)
I post this answer whenever the question pops up….
Ok,
it was 92, and I was 13. The pop station back then played little of everything.
When Jeremy came on, I was blown away by the story, voice and the guitar. If I
listen just right, the first few notes of that song take me back to being a
kid. I had just gotten my first CD player and picked a few albums in the cd
store one weekend. I didn’t think pj was my type of music, so the fool that I
was got Ten on cassette. BIG mistake, wore the damn thing out, and luckily
before the tape literally snapped I had dubbed it over to another tape. I still
remember what I was looking at when first heard “black”. The melody hit me
hard, and I drifted off to space…this calm came over me. I was looking at my cd
tower, at the two measly cds I owned, and how long it would take me to fill it
up. Now, that’s not a problem, own over 150 cds, 14 of which are Pearl Jams.
Ten single handedly helped me thru adolescences, and believe me, it wasn’t
easy. My parents were going thru a divorce and I was struggling to find my
place with having a disability. Not fun. I played Ten to escape, and there were
many afternoons after school were I feel asleep listening to side two. Trying
to belt out the lyrics in a way only Eddie can was it’s own twisted therapy
too; loved his deep voice and how long he could hold a note. I had a blast
trying to measure up. There’s nothing like throwing in your fav album, when
there’s nobody around, and wailing out the lyrics.
I
remember when Kurt died, I wasn’t surprised, his music seemed so unhappy. It
was so obvious to me; this guy wasn’t just angry like Eddie, he was extremely
depressed. I was worried about Eddie accepting fame, but I knew in my heart pj
would make it. Damn right, they made it. I can’t imagine my world without them.
For
a project by Ten Club members. Pick a song and tell what it means to you.
Breakerfall
I’ll tell
you upfront, I’m disabled. So that right there should let you know how I
interpret the song. I have a choice in life. I can be resentful, mean and nasty
and blame my attitude and troubles on my disability, or try my best everyday to
do what I can. ‘She can blame the world, …. But only love can breakerfall’ I
wouldn’t be here today without love. Love from my parents. Love from my
friends. ‘She’s her own disease crying to her dog’ While I don’t consider my
disability a disease, there’s a possibility of my mind being caught in a
depression that may stem from my disability. That’s the possible disease…being
eaten alive with bad thoughts. What’s the antidote to that creeping disease
right beneath the surface? Love. Only love can break my fall. BREAK-HER-FALL
PJ chick
forever!
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