See Eddie Vedder Flatter a Typically Stoic Bruce Springsteen

Eddie Vedder explains his musical influences to Bruce Springsteen in a clip from a conversation the two had that will premiere Friday on Amazon Music at 2 p.m. ET; the film will later move over to Vedder’s YouTube channel on Sunday. The two musicians taped the special, which Springsteen collaborator Thom Zimny directed, on Springsteen’s New Jersey farm.

In the clip, Springsteen tells Vedder that he hears punk and metal influences on Vedder’s new solo album, Earthling, which also comes out Friday. Vedder then walks Springsteen through the development of his musical tastes. “The stuff that got put in my blender, it got started maybe with Jackson 5 when I was a kid,” Vedder says. “And then Beatles as a kid and growing up and then the Who took over big time. And then, my friend … ” Vedder gestures at Springsteen who has his arms crossed and nods knowingly like a mob boss and says, “Ah, grazie,” punctuated with a Godfather-like laugh. As Springsteen winces politely, Vedder continues, citing the Band, Split Enz, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Mudhoney. “I got you,” Springsteen says. “That’s what I’m hearing in there. … It’s a good mix.”


Vedder’s first solo album in more than a decade, Earthling, features the Pearl Jam frontman’s collaborations with Elton John, Ringo Starr, and Stevie Wonder, as well as a core band that features the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ former guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer, and current drummer, Chad Smith. Producer Andrew Watt oversaw the album and also played on every track.

Vedder is now in the middle of a short tour supporting Earthling. Rolling Stone described its opening night as a “glorious Nineties alt-rock fever dream.”