We hinted at
where the whole
"Self Pollution" thing came from
earlier in the week...
Jan. 8,1995 - "Self Pollution Radio" was broadcast
by Eddie Vedder and various friends
over the airwaves of participating stations
from a small home in Seattle...
(Mad Season,Soundgarden,Mudhoney - Christ Novoselic, a tape submitted by
Dave Grohl of his new project the Foo Fighters , Mike Watt, members of The Gits and more)
We will go deeper into the broadcast at a later date.
Where did the term come from?
A little big book that made it's way into the hands of
Eddie Vedder called
Vitalogy
Any good self respecting Pearl Jam
fan knows about Vitalogy.
If you don't and you're new to Pearl Jam...
Here's a little insight...
Pearl Jam's 3rd album was made to look like
a copy of this book , contained reproduced inserts, and was basically
an inspiration for the album.
The book was published in 1889
in Chicago, Illinois.
Pertinent? Maybe - Ed grew up in a town near Chicago
called Evanston...
How he got his copy I have no idea.
It is an interesting read - that- I will admit.
Something that caught my eye on this page
may be part of what caught Ed's too...
I see several lines that pertain to songs on the album....
But the last line -
if I was Ed -
that would have been my "sign"...
Words of Pearl...
How cool is that?!
Vitalogy
is a basically an 1800's manuscript for
Home, Health, and Happiness.
Filled with medical diagrams and imagery...
Opinions on how to be a better man, wife, girl and boy.
These were touted as fact.
Considering where we are now in 2013
- very interesting to see...
how speculation and opinion can be fed to people
as serious facts they should abide by in life .
The contributors were doctors
and people given to authoritative positions.
Probably one of the reasons Ed was hoping
people would look close enough at it
and realize...
"Hey - this kind of ludicrous stuff still goes on today"
The media - our leaders - give us "facts"...
only to find out later it was simply opinion,
an attempt to make money,
a way to control people
and keep us from forming our own opinions,etc.
One or more of all the previous.
I'm going to explore the whole book with you every Saturday
and we'll enjoy music..
O.K. enough right?!
WTF is Self Pollution?
Well if you haven't figured it out yet...just sit and think about it.
I know Ed was probably trying to point out a double meaning
beyond the obvious.
Here are two great images from the book as to what
"Self Pollution" does to you in a short time...
(notice this is an 1880's photograph)
(3 years later!)
Poor Mr. Burton - on his way to
an asylum for have indulged one too many times...
(notice that obvious hand done re-touching)
Another example of readers
- the general public-
being manipulated by the media.
They've been doing it to everyone for hundreds of years
and it still goes on today.
This book is a great historical document that proves it.
I know that knowledge always changes
- but come on -
these guys purposefully
re-touched these photos to push THEIR point.
No way can we say -
"well they just thought they knew what was right for the time."
That photo has blatant painting over it - something
the average American would not have known at that time.
We'll look at this craziness every week...
I have to close with some more radio!
This is the nice mash up they made for PJ20
of original practice and live footage along with the air date audio...
Rock on....
