Of Potato Heads and Polaroids: My Life Inside and Out of Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam. Not many bands have achieved a status needing no adjective or description. Pearl Jam has. And fewer still have had an insider, much less a member, obsessively capture onstage and offhand pics of the experience-the friends, family, and fans...and one very famous plastic toy. Luckily for uslead guitaristMike McCreadydid-trusty Polaroid camera in hand.

Documenting years of touring and travels, McCready snaps meetings with heroes and inspirations from all walks of life; time spent with crazy friends and family; and momentsfeaturing wildly artistic takes on art, nature, and architecture. Also: he once rocked a fab grey shift. And true to form for one not taking things too seriously, Mike sometimes had his pal, Mr. Potato Head, pop in and share in the fun.

As wonderfully intimate as group "selfies" with the likes of Neil Young, Questlove, Jimmy Page, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, The Edge, Ben Harper, Peter Buck, Paul McCartney, Mike Mills, Sting, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Carrie Brownstein, Robert Plant, Peter Frampton, Dave Grohl, Gene Simmons, Bono, Jack White, Danny Clinch, Lady Gaga, Laura Dern, Dustin Hoffman, Judd Apatow, Will Ferrell, Leslie Mann, Jimmy Fallon, Mira Sorvino, Tim Robbins, Hugh Jackman, Venus Williams, and Kate Hudson are, it's the massive homage to the band's fans taken from stage view, in places from the Pacific Northwest to Peru, from Brussels to Bolivia, that brings McCready's manic intimacy come roaring to life.

Of Potato Heads and Polaroidsis the scrapbook for our rockstar world-friends, family, and fans. With some wattage. And a great deal of fun and good times.


About the Author
Mike McCreadyis the lead guitarist for, and one of the founding members of, rock band Pearl Jam. He is also a member of side-project bands Temple of the Dog, Mad Season, and The Rockfords. In addition to Pearl Jam, McCready currently plays with friends in Flight to Mars, a UFO tribute band which does charity events. When not performing live, McCready scores TV and film projects which have includedThe Glamour & the Squalor, Shameless, Fat Kid Rules the World, Hawaii Five-O, Fringe, andThe Westsid