Retreated From Spotlight Because 'Sense of Normalcy as a Human' Is Threatened By Being Out There All The Time...'You Start Making Decisions Based on Public Perception of Who You Are...I Ran Screaming The Other Way'

NEW YORK, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearl Jam, the band that has shunned the limelight for more than a decade yet remains one of the most lucrative live acts around, has a forthcoming album with a single that already hit No. 1 on the Modern Rock charts. "There's a lot of anger and frustration in the atmosphere these days," lead singer Eddie Vedder tells Newsweek in the current issue. "We didn't want to add to the negative noise pollution, but we did want to do something. It's just not the time to be cryptic. I mean, our tax dollars for this war are being funneled through huge corporations-one of which Dick Cheney used to be head of-and there's an even greater disparity between rich or poor in this country. It offends me on a really deep level."

Senior Writer Lorraine Ali talks to the band in the May 1 issue (on newsstands Monday, April 24) about their new self-titled CD, set for release May 2. It's a compelling rock-and-roll album that still shows the band's classic-rock roots, grunge's punk base and Vedder's political conviction. The album is more than a screed against the Bush administration. "Music's at its best when it has a purpose," says Vedder. "In the days of 'Rock Around the Clock' and 'Good Golly, Miss Molly,' the purpose was, like, 'We should be allowed to do this.' We certainly haven't had to go out of our way to find a purpose now."

Vedder talks about why the group retreated from the public eye after the success of their debut album "Ten," which sold almost 10 million copies. "What's threatened by being out there all the time is your sense of normalcy as a human on this planet," he says. "You start making decisions based on public perception of who you are. I've seen people who go for it. They are that thing, and they're really good at it. They somehow made the jump still intact. Me? I ran screaming the other way."

Pearl Jam's rejection of rock stardom, their increasingly idiosyncratic records and Vedder's emerging role as an advocate for progressive causes have cost them casual fans; their last album sold one tenth of what their debut did. Does this worry Vedder? Guess. "If we can survive and play music and put out records and play live shows, and live our lives as family members, community members and friends-that's the goal," he says. "If we're able to do it within this industry, that's even better. It could even be a sign that the industry isn't too polluted."