American Masters: Pearl Jam Twenty

Airs Friday, October 21, 2011 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

Pearl Jam (l to r): Matt Cameron, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Stone Gossard.

Credit: Courtesy of Danny Clinch

Above: Pearl Jam (l to r): Matt Cameron, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Stone Gossard.

Monday, October 10, 2011

In honor of Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary, award-winning director and music journalist Cameron Crowe creates a definitive portrait of the seminal band carved from over 1,200 hours of rarely and never-before-seen footage, plus 24 hours of recently shot concert and interview footage.

Photo Gallery

Purchase Pearl Jam Twenty

Visit pj20.com for information on how to purchase the soundtrack, DVD, Blu-ray or book. Read the forward for the "Pearl Jam Twenty" book, written by Cameron Crowe.

Hosted by director Taylor Hackford, “Pearl Jam Twenty” chronicles the years leading up to the band’s formation, the chaos that ensued soon after their rise to mega-stardom, their step back from center stage and the creation of a work culture that would sustain them.

Part concert film, part insider hang, part testimonial to the power of music and uncompromising artists, the film celebrates the freedom that allowed Pearl Jam a way to make music without losing sight of what mattered most to them — their fans and the music fans that they themselves had always been.

“Pearl Jam Twenty” features interviews with original band members Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder, drummer Matt Cameron, and friend and Soundgarden singer/guitarist Chris Cornell, as well as archival performance and interview footage of Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog, Kurt Cobain and Neil Young.

Pearl Jam is on Facebook, and you can follow @PearlJam on Twitter. Visit Pearl Jam's YouTube channel to watch videos.

Video

Trailer: American Masters: Pearl Jam Twenty

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Watch the full episode. See more American Masters.

Above: In honor of Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary, award-winning director and music journalist Cameron Crowe creates a definitive portrait of the seminal band carved from over 1,200 hours of rarely and never-before-seen footage, plus 24 hours of recently shot concert and interview footage.

Video

Pearl Jam Twenty Preview Clip: Writing "Release"

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Watch the full episode. See more American Masters.

Above: This excerpt from Cameron Crowe’s "Pearl Jam Twenty" features the band discussing songwriting in the early days and includes a performance of “Release” from Arena Di Verona, Italy – September 16, 2006.

Video

Pearl Jam Twenty Preview Clip: Come Together

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Above: This exclusive excerpt from Cameron Crowe’s "Pearl Jam Twenty" reveals how the seminal Seattle band formed and features “Footsteps” from the original “Momma-Son” demo tape Eddie Vedder sent Stone Gossard as his audition for the band. For additional information about Pearl Jam Twenty, such as sound track, theatrical release, and book information, visit pj20.com.

Video

Pearl Jam Twenty Preview Clip: Chris Cornell on Temple of the Dog

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Above: In this excerpt from Cameron Crowe’s "Pearl Jam Twenty," Chris Cornell explains how the camaraderie and competition between Pearl Jam and his band, Soundgarden, in the 90s led to Temple of the Dog.

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