Pearl Jam and Jeremy: Mental Illness in Pop Culture

Mental Illness in Pop Culture

In this episode of Mental Illness in Pop Culture, guest podcaster Andrew Plath joins us to explore mental health issues related to Pearl Jam and “Jeremy,” a song and video about a boy who finds voice by bringing a gun to school and killing himself. We debate the source of Jeremy’s angst, whether his retaliation was mental or physical, and interpret the song’s often-bleeped “f” word, while speculating singer Eddie Vedder may have drawn on personal issues in his vocal and video performance. In this podcast series, we focus on pop culture portrayals of mental health issues and professional helping, believing that public perception is both reflected and influenced by popular media.