There is no question Eddie Vedder had difficult times growing up. We all have problems in our lives, some more than others. Because of these difficult times, however, there comes a time when you have to make a decision in your life. You have to make a decision to either dwell on these problems or conquer them and optimistically move on with your life. In 1987 Eddie had conquered his difficult past. The hard times of growing up without enough attention at home, as well as the years of living on his own in his mid-late teens were enough to make anyone bitter at the world. However, his optimistic attitude inspired by poetry such as this, as well as the support from Beth, allowed him to overcome his difficult memories of the past. Eddie used the negative memories to his advantage by motivating himself to succeed in his version of the 'American Dream'. His early solo demo tape songwriting was a direct reflection of this. The themes ranged from 'hope in God' to 'self improvement' to 'love'. Eddie was on his way to the top of the 'emotionally successful' ladder. Unfortunately, it was to eventually come crashing down.
Eddie's songwriting techniques evolved from a long process of intense observation and study. When I first met Eddie, one of my first observations about him was his serious and dedicated attitude when it came to the structure and arrangement of music. I was very impressed with his attitude. I'd never met anyone that was as serious about learning songwriting skills as Eddie. He was also extremely serious and dedicated in learning every aspect of the music business.
Shortly after meeting Eddie in 1987, I shared with him my experiences of taking a music industry class at UCLA in the spring of 1986. The class consisted of every aspect of how record companies worked, from A&R, promotion, and distribution, to songwriting techniques for demo recording. It was taught by a legend in the music business, Tom Noonan, editor of charts for Billboard Magazine. Tom Noonan became a legend because of the numerous accomplishments in his many years in the music business. He had a keen ear for raw talent and has made some of the biggest discoveries in the past, such as Michael Jackson. Eddie wanted me to tell him everything I could remember about the class. He regretted not knowing about it before. If he had known me at the time, he would've taken the six hour round trip with me every week. It truly was an amazing learning experience.