MMOC Blog #54 - The Time Eddie Vedder Was My Babysitter

In the summer of 1992 my parents hired Eddie Vedder to be my babysitter for a night.  They had to go out for the evening at the last minute and Eddie happened to be in the area.  I was approaching five years old and was already somewhat aware of popular music, but I was not a Pearl Jam fan yet.  This was about to change.  
 
​Maybe I technically wasn't a baby, but I sure as hell needed to be supervised.  I was known for drawing Zorro Zs all over the walls after all.  Eddie must have been around 27 at the time.  This was between the Ten and Vs. albums.  He must have needed a little extra cash as Pearl Jam was just beginning to take off nationally.
 
He arrived prompty around 6:30 PM.  He said “Heyoooo Tyler,” and proceeded to sing half of the things he said.  His hair was down to his back and he had his famous Doc Marten boots on the entire time.  We ordered some Dominos, played Atari and even played some pool on my Fisher Price pool table.
 
He sat down at our piano and played a bit of Better Man, which wouldn’t appear on an album until 1994’s Vitalogy.  His girlfriend at the time wanted to come over as well, but Eddie was way too professional and appropriate to do such a thing.  Of course he let me stay up and watch Beavis and Butthead.
 
I didn’t even realize who this strange and wonderful man was, but after my parents had gotten home I vowed I would research it.  Being the early ‘90s I knew it might take some time.  But lo and behold, the following week I was swimming at Callahan pool and heard my babysitter’s voice blaring on the radio through the park speakers: “Oh oh ohhh I ah, ohhhhhh oh I’m still alive.” ​