In the summer of 1993, Stone Temple Pilots co-headlined a US tour together. Stone Temple Pilots were supporting their debut album, Core, which was a massive commercial success. The Butthole Surfers were supporting their sixth studio album, Independent Worm Saloon, produced by former Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. On July 3, 1993, the tour stopped in Seattle, the home city of the grunge movement. Since they were performing nearby, Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain decided to attend the concert.

This seems completely normal and expected, but it’s what he had previously said that made things awkward. Cobain was notably a fan of the Butthole Surfers, so there’s nothing off there. He consistently included the band on lists of influences, and also included them on a list of his top 50 favorite albums later found in his personal journal. But when it came to Stone Temple Pilots, Cobain didn’t care for bands who suddenly emerged during the rise of grunge. Notably, he was standoffish towards Pearl Jam, and members of Stone Temple Pilots assumed his “bandwagon” comments were also about them.

Cobain Appears Backstage

In 2019, Alternative Nation published an account from former Mudhoney manager Bob Whittaker. Reportedly, Whittaker took Cobain backstage, where he hung out with the guys in the Butthole Surfers and met Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland. Whittaker said, “I remember in Seattle, Butthole Surfers opened for them. We were backstage to say hi to the band after the show. I was goofing around with Kurt. He jumped on my back, and I took him into the Stone Temple Pilots dressing room. Security was going to toss us out, but Scott saw Kurt and rescued us.”

Things got awkward real fast, but the tension was hilariously broken. “I set Kurt down, and then Scott and Kurt talked at the deli tray table. A bit awkward at first. Kurt said, ‘People tell me you sound like Nirvana’. You must owe me some publishing money then.’ Scott didn’t miss a beat and pulled out a crumpled, sweaty $1 bill from his pocket and gave it to Kurt. Kurt took it. We all laughed and left.”

This was the only encounter between these two grunge giants. Less than a year later, Kurt Cobain would take his own life, marking the beginning of the end of the grunge era. Following this, the post-grunge era commenced in the latter half of the 90s with bands such as Stone Temple Pilots transforming their sound with each release.

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Before Eddie Vedder became the iconic grunge singer in Pearl Jam, he worked as a security guard in San Diego. He worked the night shift so in his free time, he would spend mornings surfing on the coast of the Pacific. Aside from brief bouts in other bands, Vedder had received a demo tape from future bandmates, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament. During an early morning foggy surfing session, Vedder felt inspired by the demo and thoughts of his father. That is, his real father.

When Eddie Vedder was a teenager, he learned some harsh news. The man he believed to be his father was actually his stepfather. His real father, Edward Severson, had already passed away by the time Vedder discovered this truth. For years, this shook Vedder’s perception of reality and later inspired his writing. During this specific surfing session, Vedder strung together his thoughts, adding lyrics to the demo tapes that were sent to him. He pieced together the three tracks into one “min-opera”, titled Mamasan. Vedder drew inspiration from his love for The Who’s Quadrophenia, which opens with the sound of waves on “I Am The Sea”.

The opening track of the mini-opera became “Alive”, the band’s breakout single. Upon hearing this demo tape, the future members flew Vedder up to Seattle. There, the band was in the studio with Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden. Together, they were recording a tribute album called Temple Of The Dog, for their late mutual friend and musician Andrew Wood. In the studio, Cornell decided to let Vedder contribute additional vocals to the song “Hunger Strike”. It became a hit single in 1992 once their record label realized they had a collaboration between Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, after Pearl Jam found mainstream success in 1991.

Pearl Jam Forms, Taking Grunge Into The Mainstream

After Temple Of The Dog finished and released their only album, Pearl Jam began recording their debut album, Ten. Their lead single, “Alive”, was released on July 7, 1991. It peaked at No. 16 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and No. 18 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The success of the single set their debut album, Ten, up for future success. “Alive” is one of three songs included in the mini-opera demo, Mamasan. “Once”, the second song on the demo, was also included on the band’s debut album. The third track, “Footsteps”, appeared on the band’s rarities and B-sides compilation Lost Dogs, released in 2003.

Released on August 27, 1991, Ten went to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 a whole year later. Fueled by a string of hits with “Alive” and then “Even Flow” in March 1992. Following the release of “Jeremy” in August 1992, the album became a massive commercial success. Also, by this point, Nirvana had helped push grunge into the mainstream when they peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in January 1992. In August 1992, Ten peaked at No. 2, held from the top spot by Billy Ray Cyrus’ Some Gave All.

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