Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready recently discussed Seattle tragedies when recently receiving the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award from MusiCares.
“Thank you Duff [McKagan], I love you dearly, and my wife and family. All of you guys coming here tonight to support this amazing cause that MusiCares does. I love being from here, I love being from Seattle. I’m sad that we’ve lost a lot of musicians who we all know and loved dearly, I’m just improvising here, like Kurt, Andy, Chris Cornell, Layne, my friend John Baker Saunders, Stephanie Sargent, and a lot of lesser known musicians that have struggled with addiction and drugs. Anybody that does, it’s a horrible thing, and it’s amazing that MusiCares is so efficient at helping people take care of their problems, if they want to take care of their problems.
I’m lucky to have these resources, supportive bandmates, I know you guys probably went home, but I love all of you guys, if you kicked my ass out of this band at any time, I would have deserved it. Thank you Jeff, Stone, Ed, and Matt for sticking with me all of these years. Curtis Management, everyone that has been behind helping me, Michelle Anthony too, I’m improvising again. MusiCares gives access to artists who don’t have those things. We have lost too many artists to addiction and mental health issues, things that MusiCares is working to support.”
Watch McCready’s touching acceptance speech below.
