How Music Helped Eddie Vedder Through Depression

About 300 million people in the world suffer from depression, according to estimates by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). In Brazil alone, there are more than 11 million cases, corresponding to 5.8% of the total national population. This emotional health problem is even more present in the music world, with several artists speaking openly about the subject. One of them is Eddie Vedder.

The vocalist of Pearl Jam he dealt with the symptoms of depression even before he gained fame in the early 1990s. In a strong report shared during an interview with Keith Levenson (via Rolling Stone USA), Vedder reflected on his inner problems and highlighted how music was responsible for saving his life.

“For some of us, music is all we have. And I’m referring to when I didn’t even know how to play an instrument. Whenever I talk to someone about this, whether it’s about when I was very young or the deepest depressions, I end up saying that music helped me. I mention that one or another band helped me, that a song helped me.”

One of Eddie’s great honors is knowing that his songwriting helps others struggling with depression. Especially since idols of his played such a role in his youthful life.

“Some people are kind of compelled to say to me, ‘You really helped me through a tough time with a certain song you wrote. I always tell them, ‘you got over it, the music maybe was like a lifeboat for a minute there’. But I know what they’re talking about, because I’ve been there myself. We are talking about Quadrophenia [álbum do The Who], Talking Heads, The Germs, Sex Pistols, Ramones. It was a complete lifeline for me. Does the music matter? Yes.”

Sadness over the death of Chris Cornell

Depression ended the life of one of Eddie Vedder’s closest friends: Chris Cornellvocalist of soundgarden and partner of Temple of the Dogwho committed suicide in 2017. In an interview with Howard SternVedder was quite frank when talking about how fragile he was after the loss.

“I feel like I didn’t even have a choice. I was terrified of where I would go if I allowed myself to feel what I needed to feel, or what I was instinctively wanting to feel, or how dark it felt. […] We were close. It wasn’t just that we played music. We were neighbors. I hung out with him outside the band a lot more than the other guys in the band. I didn’t know that many people in Seattle, so we’d go on crazy hiking adventures, or mountain biking, or chasing a dog in the rain while drinking bad beer. And it was cool. It had nothing to do with being around other music people or anything typical of Los Angeles.”

*In Brazil, the Centro de Valorização da Vida (CVV) offers free emotional support and suicide prevention, serving all people who want and need to talk. Contact available by telephone 188 or online (email, chat, Skype) with data available on the website www.cvv.org.br.