In a new YouTube video, legendary Grunge photographer and the director the first Pearl Jam “Jeremy” video Chris Cuffaro told a touching story about Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell. Alternative Nation transcribed his comments.
“September 29, 1991 I was in Seattle to shoot Pearl Jam for Epic Records I think. After I shot Pearl Jam, I ended up having to shoot Soundgarden for Cream magazine. That’s what this photo is from, the amazing Cream magazine photoshoot. It’s my favorite photo of the band because this was at a time where Badmotorfinger was out, the Singles movie was in production and coming out, it was right in the pinnacle of Grunge in Seattle. The shoot itself was not a big deal, but what was great was this was during the time when I had just gotten back from Hawaii with Jane’s Addiction’s last show. I was in Seattle, I was with Eddie a lot.
Eddie played this tape for me, it was a cassette of the Poncier tape, or the Poncier songs is what we’ll call it, where from the movie Singles if you watch the movie, Matt Dillon’s character Cliff Poncier makes this cassette and it has these song titles. Eddie played the tape for me, and basically what it was is five demoes from Chris that he had wrote: Seasons, Spoonman, and a few other songs that he put together. It was a demo, and Eddie played it for me. At this shoot I mentioned it to Chris, and I asked Chris, ‘Can I get a copy of the tape?’ He said, ‘No, they’re my demoes.’ I was like, ‘Please!’ He was like, ‘No, they’re my demoes.’ I said, ‘I promise, I won’t play it for anybody but myself.’ He said, ‘Oh whatever, I’ll think about it.’
What was great is weeks later I’m getting ready to direct my first music video with Pearl Jam, Jeremy. Eddie shows up and hands me the cassette and said, ‘This is from Chris.’ It’s the demoes from the Singles movie, the Poncier tape as I like to call it. It was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received from anybody, let alone from Chris Cornell, and I have it to this day. If I had a player, I could play it. It was an amazing gift, an amazing time. To this day, one of my most cherished possessions I’ve owned in rock history.”
