Pearl Jam = Fish Being Shot While Swimming In A Barrel

Since Jake's a full-time student, he'll appreciate this metaphor: you get an "A" for Consistency of Opinion!

It's my contention that we agree more than we disagree when it comes to PJ (and in general, too). For example:

• Does at least half of each post-Ten album fall flat? Yes.
• Has the band been guilty of being, musically and vocally, too experimental for their own good? Yes.
• Do I think they're as exciting, relevant, and talented as they were during the Ten days? No.
• Did the Ticketmaster thing leave a sour taste in everybody's mouth? Yes.

That being said, I can also say this:

• Not including Ten, the band has cut 8 studio albums. I can't name a single band who has made 8 albums that are worth listening to front to back.
• If the band had hypothetically decided to remain pop-friendly and tried to make Ten-like albums over and over again, we'd all be criticizing them for repeating themselves.
• I can't name a single band who is more exciting, relevant and talented after 17 years of existence than they were in the early days.
• The Ticketmaster thing was incredibly well-intentioned. Some (or a lot, depending...) of their ideas may be stupid or fail to materialize, but the boys in PJ have supplied a lot of evidence that they're genuinely good guys who want to to do "the right thing" by their fans.

Trying to say that modern PJ sucks compared to old PJ is like saying being old sucks compared to being young. Of course it does - but you take what you can get, and being old is better than the alternative. For me, a working PJ is better than not, because one day they just might turn in Ten, Part Deux, and that would be worth all the goofiness in between. Stranger things have happened.

But even if that never happens, it's clear I have a soft spot for them. They're a living reminder of a time and a wealth of feelings that are long-gone. No doubt, the story of the band is getting frail with age. The pages are worn and dog-eared, the cover is stained, the binding is coming loose...but the book still reads, my friend.

The book still reads.