Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell are two of the most iconic voices to ever come out of Seattle, and the Pearl Jam frontman has now shared memories of his late friend and collaborator in a new interview.
Asked about Cornell's 2017 passing by Howard Stern, Vedder shared, "I've had to be somewhat in denial."
"It's just like, I was terrified of where I would go if I allowed myself to feel what I needed to feel or what I instinctively wanted to feel or how dark I felt," he said. "Because I didn't see him that often in the last 10 years, probably only like four, five times and usually at a gig or something, I just kind of — I still haven't quite dealt with it."
Continuing to speak of the Soundgarden frontman, Vedder said: "I'll get stronger as time goes, but we were close, and it wasn't just because we were playing music. We were neighbours. I would hang out with him outside of the band even more than the band guys, and I didn't know that many people in Seattle. So, we would go on crazy hiking adventures or we would go mountain biking or we would chase the dog in the rain drinking shitty beer. It was cool, because it had nothing to do with anything like being around other music people or some kind of L.A. life."
The years since Cornell's passing have seen Vedder pay tribute to his late friend in concert, telling stories onstage and changing lyrics. Onstage in London, UK, in 2017, Vedder told the crowd that Cornell "wasn't just a friend, he was someone I looked up to like my older brother."
Earlier this year, Vedder's Pearl Jam bandmates Mike McCready and Stone Gossard shared their own favourite memory of Cornell, involving pranks during a studio session.
Vedder shared instrumental single "Cartography" in September. A Cornell biopic, unsanctioned by his estate, is also in the works.
Asked about Cornell's 2017 passing by Howard Stern, Vedder shared, "I've had to be somewhat in denial."
"It's just like, I was terrified of where I would go if I allowed myself to feel what I needed to feel or what I instinctively wanted to feel or how dark I felt," he said. "Because I didn't see him that often in the last 10 years, probably only like four, five times and usually at a gig or something, I just kind of — I still haven't quite dealt with it."
Continuing to speak of the Soundgarden frontman, Vedder said: "I'll get stronger as time goes, but we were close, and it wasn't just because we were playing music. We were neighbours. I would hang out with him outside of the band even more than the band guys, and I didn't know that many people in Seattle. So, we would go on crazy hiking adventures or we would go mountain biking or we would chase the dog in the rain drinking shitty beer. It was cool, because it had nothing to do with anything like being around other music people or some kind of L.A. life."
The years since Cornell's passing have seen Vedder pay tribute to his late friend in concert, telling stories onstage and changing lyrics. Onstage in London, UK, in 2017, Vedder told the crowd that Cornell "wasn't just a friend, he was someone I looked up to like my older brother."
Earlier this year, Vedder's Pearl Jam bandmates Mike McCready and Stone Gossard shared their own favourite memory of Cornell, involving pranks during a studio session.
Vedder shared instrumental single "Cartography" in September. A Cornell biopic, unsanctioned by his estate, is also in the works.
