Jack Irons

“I thought we were making an album like any other album. I didn't know it was going to be my last.”

“When I left Pearl Jam, I was pretty much done playing. I just didn't want to be in a band anymore.”

“For me, the chemistry of a band is the most important thing.”

“I don't really have any regrets. Everything happened for a reason.”

“I suffer from a bipolar disorder, and I've been a part of this band for a year, and the pressures of it, and the success of it, and the travel of it, were things that I was having a hard time dealing with.”

“Hillel was my best friend. We grew up together since we were 11 years old. When he died, it was a very... I was in a different place, and I didn't want to play music.”

“We were playing music to have fun. We never thought about it becoming a career.”

“It was just a different kind of pressure. You're playing in front of 40,000 people. It's a different world.”

“It was a difficult decision to make. I loved the guys. I loved the music. I felt that if I didn't get off the train, I would die.”