Saturday, October 16, 2010

Meet Your Blogger: All That's Sacred


ON-LINE PERSONA: bigeye21


WEBSITE: www.allthatssacred.net


All That's Sacred is an unofficial Pearl Jam podcast playing live and rare Pearl Jam music interspersed with commentary from a passionate fan.


REAL NAME: Donny Anderson


LOCATION: North Bend, Washington (east of Seattle in the Cascade foothills)


DAY JOB: Outside Sales


FAVORITE ALBUM: 
I like them all but my favorite is probably Yield. I just like everything about that album from the artwork to the music and lyrics to the overall theme. It’s a real growth record and marked a pretty big turning point for the band. Before that time, things with the band seemed tenuous and often on the verge of implosion but after its release you just had a sense that everything was going to be ok. 


FAVORITE SONG(S):
Another tough one… It really kind of revolves relative to what’s going on in my life at the moment. One more recent tune that was a favorite from the first time I heard it was Life Wasted. It’s a great jam and I strongly connected to the lyrics. I wouldn’t say I’ve ever struggled with depression or anything like that in the clinical sense but I definitely have a negative and cynical side that I’m not too proud of. This song serves as a great reminder that I am not a victim to these tendencies and that I can choose to live a more positive and productive life in rejecting them. 



HOW MANY SHOWS HAVE YOU ATTENDED? 
I think it’s around 35 or so. 


IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT PEARL JAM IS YOUR OBSESSION.  WHY PEARL JAM? 
The music had an immediate resonance with me unlike anything I had ever heard before – or since. I was 16 when Ten was released and the band’s music was the soundtrack to my formative years. As I grew and matured and changed, so did the band and their musical output. I really appreciate that evolution of the band. And, weirdly, often times I would find their albums to be the perfect complement to where I was in my life at the time. Other times it would take a while to totally connect, but it’s kind of amazing and surprising how immediate it generally was. I think that’s why it’s been an intense 20 year relationship with the music: the ability of the band to process the world around them and reflect that back to their audience. Then the live experience really just elevates everything. It’s such a special, communal thing. It’s like coming home.


WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST PEARL JAM EXPERIENCE?  
Probably getting tickets and seeing the band for the first time in Atlanta on April 3, 1994. As everyone knows from the bootleg, that show was transcendental and exceeded every expectation I had after waiting years to finally see the guys. Adding to the drama was the ticket-getting, which was also an experience in itself considering the band was at the height of its popularity and still only playing smaller venues. I tell a rambling story all about it during the latter part of ATS #38 if people want to hear it recounted in all its glory.


HOW EXTENSIVE IS YOUR PEARL JAM COLLECTION?
 Lots of people would probably be surprised to know that I am not a collector at all anymore and that my collection of Pearl Jam stuff is pretty meager compared to most hardcore fans. I used to save damn near everything but found it overwhelming and unsustainable. I have a few treasures from over the years and still pick up the occasional collectible that catches my eye but, by and large, I’m usually content with my memories and having access to the music.


IS THERE A SPECIFIC LYRIC THAT MOVES YOU?  
“It’s not the world that’s heavy, just the things that you save…” [Drifting]






WHAT ELSE IS ON YOUR IPOD RIGHT NOW?
Lots of other podcasts… I have to give a shout-out to the podcast Too Beautiful To Live. It’s a hipster-ish show about lifestyle and entertainment and hugely influential to me – it’s not a stretch to say ATS would not exist without TBTL. Ironically, they are no big fans of the band and are probably mortified to know that their show inspired a podcast for the Pearl Jam fan.


If I hit shuffle you’ll likely hear a variety of things including but not limited to Band Of Horses, My Morning Jacket, Brandi Carlile, The Black Keys, Explosions In The Sky, Paul Simon, The Pogues, Bruce Springsteen, Sleigh Bells, Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, REM, Rage Against The Machine, Tool, NIN, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Shins, The Strokes, Visqueen, anything that Jack White does, old country, old R&B…


WHEN YOU WALK AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Probably checking my BlackBerry!


WHAT PASSIONS DO YOU HAVE BEYOND PEARL JAM?
Travel. Going to live shows. Hiking. College football. Drinking good beer. Finding good and unique places to grab a bite. Reading. Spending time with my family and friends. Making my wife laugh.


WHAT IS YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?
I can watch the shit out of Teen Mom on MTV! :D


WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ASPIRING BLOGGERS, TWEETERS, AND/OR WEBMASTERS?
To steal a line from Nike: JUST DO IT.








OTHER BLOGGERS IN THIS SERIES
KathyTFT, TwoFeetThick.com
Donny, All That's Sacred
Jason Leung, This All Encompassing Trip
Jed, Twitter.com/DirtyFrankDahmr
Matt, Gremmie.net
Stip, The SkyIScrape.com
Victor Nogales, PJCollectors.com