Rolling Stone: December 12, 1998

Hit the Road, Jack?

"Yield" tour drummer Matt Cameron to begin next chapter with Pearl Jam

Will the real Pearl Jam drummer please stand up? Well, as of right now there is none, but when the band reconvenes some time next month to jam in a Seattle rehearsal space it will be with the "Yield" tour skinsman Matt Cameron -- not Yield drummer Jack Irons.

Though Cameron has not been named an official replacement for drummer Jack Irons (who reportedly did not join Pearl Jam on their tour last April because of manic depression), Cameron "will get together [with the rest of the band] after the first of the year to jam and see if they can make a record together," according to band manager Kelly Curtis. Irons, still officially a member of Pearl Jam, is the band's third drummer, not including an unofficial stint by Cameron (then a member of Soundgarden), who played on demos of songs like "Alive" and "Animal" prior to the recording of 1991's Ten, which was done with original drummer Dave Krusen.

"They have all their options open," Curtis says, "so they're not gonna make any decisions until they get back together.

"They're gonna jam with Matt," he continues, "but that doesn't mean they're gonna make a record together with Matt." Cameron toured with Pearl Jam during the entire three-leg "Yield" tour, which spawned the recently released Live on Two Legs album.

According to a source close to the situation, Cameron isn't so much auditioning for the spot as he is deciding if he actually wants the gig. "I think it's all gonna be cool," says the source, who believes Cameron will likely become a permanent member of Pearl Jam at some point next year.

BLAIR R. FISCHER (December 9, 1998)

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