It had been a gruelling 1994 for Pearl Jam, a year that their own manager described as the period when the band were “fighting on all fronts”. There had been their battle with, and subsequent boycott of, Ticketmaster, intra-band tension, the dismissal of drummer Dave Abbruzzese, the death of Kurt Cobain to name but a few. Looking back, that they managed to craft an album as startling as Vitalogy amidst all the turmoil seems miraculous.
They began 1995, then, determined to actually try and enjoy some things about being in a band. Crazy idea, eh? That took its form in Self-Pollution Radio, a broadcast bonanza that took place 30 years ago next week and saw Eddie Vedder take on DJ and hosting duties alongside leading his band through two live sets as well as welcome a variety of guests to a rehearsal space-turned-radio studio.
