10 Rock Artists That Tried To Destroy Their Career

If Eddie Vedder had had his way at the beginning of the '90s, there's a good chance that Pearl Jam would not have been half as big as they were. Some of Eddie's biggest heroes had been a part of the indie scene, and seeing him turn into one of the most in demand rock stars overnight took its toll on this fairly mild mannered kid who had his own personal demons to deal with. You don't have as much control once the money starts rolling in, so Eddie figured he control the one thing that he could: music.

While Vs. was what you would expect out of a follow up to Pearl Jam's blockbuster debut Ten, the next few years saw them toying with a bunch of different styles to lower their star power. Eddie had had a problem with the pop sensibilities of the band, which seemed to draw in the kind of fanbase he didn't want, and albums like Vitalogy and No Code feel like he's making a conscious effort to get less personal with his lyrics, from the joke tracks like Bugs consisting of him talking about insects with an accordion to making sound collages at the end of the album.

Then again, you can't really blame him for wanting to keep some things private, with songs like Black and Alive tapping into something a bit more heavy than even he was ready to articulate at the time. Through everything he's done with the Ticketmaster fiasco and switching up setlists though, Eddie is still the same surfer from back in the day that's trying to look after those who have a genuine love of his music.