As the title says. I got scammed by HAR files and lost over 80 exclusives, 1 huge, a Boss Chest Mimic, a Boss Lucky Block, a Lucky Block, a Super Magnet and a bunch of good pets. (Hacker let me keep the non-exclusive stuff.) As you can probably guess based on my pet team, I did not purchase the enchants through gems. I bought them with robux. I spend time on the game. Makes sense to spend a little money here and there, which I did--I splurged on the update with Super Magnet, BCM, and BLB.
And yet, here I am. Back to the start. All this stuff I essentially paid for. (And about 600 spare robux too.) All gone. How?
The HAR file scam. The hacker asked for help on the Big Games server, so naturally I dm'ed him. He said he wanted to get the file for a shirt(which I assumed was so he could resell it as his own for robux). He said he would pay me(I assumed around 1-2m gems) for it. He sent a YouTube video on "how to retrieve the shirt file", only on computer(he was on mobile). I didn't know what a HAR file was, but I assumed it just contained the info of the shirt that could be copypasted to obtain the exact details of a shirt. This is the link he sent: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-VuCg5FRqM0.
But it wasn't. I sent him the HAR file. By the time I figured out what it really was, it was too late. All the stuff gone. Sent to his mini account, brentpetholder. By the way, he accidentally revealed his main in our dm: GhxstBestPlayer. Please spam report him. Thanks.
Naturally, Big Games couldn't do anything. As the mod told me, they can't access trade history, and even if they could, they would only have evidence of a trade, but no context. Which I 100% understand. I was able to get the account banned from the Big Games discord server but that's all.
So what's a HAR file, exactly?
A HAR file basically contains your cookies. Your login cookies. With these cookies, anyone can disguise their device as yours, and hence, login to your account. Without the need of a password. Regardless of 2 Factor Authentication. They reset every 12 hours, so it's not like they can access your account forever. But it's more than enough time to go into your account, and steal everything you got.
This is even scarier than phishing links. I fell for a phishing link scam once before, but it was during Pet Simulator X days, and I hadn't really bought much stuff. I maybe lost around 500 robux, and that's all. I learnt my lesson. Made sure to double check links. Especially the "private servers". (One time someone sent me a legit link and I had thought it was fake, until I confirmed with him that it was real. And it was.)
And now, this. I really should be more up to date on the more recent scams. It's even scarier than phishing.
But to be honest, I only have myself to blame. If I had read the file I sent, I would probably have been able to prevent what happened. (Windows suggested Adobe to open it, but it ended up with a blank file so I thought nothing of it. As I now read it through Notepad, I realise how much sensitive info really is inside. Including the "DO NOT SEND THIS TO ANYONE".)
I don't know if I want to keep playing the game. I do have some permanent gamepasses that the hacker couldn't take. But all my hard work(exclusives and huge...), the stuff I paid for, all gone... I don't know if I want to keep going.
But the least I can do is help others. Make sure I'm the last person to get scammed by this. Because I can't imagine how badly it would hit someone who spent way more time than me on the game, with a full team of Huges/Titanics, even, and loads of exclusive enchants. I've already lost quite a bit of sleep on this, and I've been beating myself up over it. Now I have an updated warning list for scams. Not just being careful of where I put my login info. Now, I know I have to also be careful of sharing files I download. As I look back on the convo, I realise now how shady the whole thing was. After my "help", he had still asked for help on the server(which upon questioning, he claimed he now needed help for some pants). He had offered to give stuff for free when he could do it himself after a while. But just keep this in mind, and add this to the list of "types of scams".
(Also functions as a rant post. Just needed to get this off my chest.)

Hey Sportsfans — it's time for Week 9 of baseball Power Rankings: Happy Memorial Day friends! I hope on this holliday you eat some patriotic food and enjoy these American baseball numbers.
Every voter has their own style / system and the only voting instructions are these:

"To an extent determined individually, you must take into account how strong a team is right now and likely to be going forward. You must, to some degree, give weight to the events and games of the previous week."

TRANSPARENCY: This link will show you who voted each team where and has added neat statistics!
If something is a little messed up, feel free to pester me let me know.
Total Votes: 26 of 30..

#		Team	Δ	Comment	Record
1		Phillies	0	Well the Phillies finally had a bad week, going 4-2, outscoring their opponents 33-20 and gaining a game on the Braves. Their first series loss since April 3 was bound to come eventually, but I think most fans were hoping it wouldn't come against the Rockies, although they're not nearly as bad as their record says in Coors. That loss came after sweeping, and frankly dominating, the defending champions in what many were billing as the Phillies first real test, although the Rangers seem to be in a bit of a slide. There's no need to panic as Kyle Schwarber is about to start hitting in June (career .740 OPS through the first two months of the season, .940 in June) and hopefully the team can keep winning games and holding a comfortable division lead. This week, they finish off a mini west coast trip in San Francisco before coming home for 3 against the red hot Cardinals.	38-16
2		Yankees	+1	How many more ways can I concoct to rave about the Yankees’ starting pitching? Luis Gil is probably gonna get put in the pen when Cole returns despite being a legit ROY contender and kinda-sorta-lowkey in Cy Young race too. None of the existing five starters deserve the demotion, Gil just happens to be the one who was recently hurt and hasn’t thrown many innings in one year in a while. Oh, and while I’m at it - Aaron Judge is right back to doing things that only innermost-circle Hall of Famers have done before him. There’s not a scarier hitter in baseball at their best than Judge at his best…no, not even him.	37-18
3		Guardians	+3	I don't know who put as #1. This week, lots of good teams were swept by lost series to bad teams. (Phillies swept by Rockies, Orioles swept by Cardinals, Dodgers swept by Reds, Braves lost series to Pirates.) BUT the Guardians are on a nine-game winning streak. Yay. Some of those were nailbiters, but wins are wins.	36-17
4		Orioles	0	Finally got swept and ended that dumb streak, which I personally thought ended in the playoffs last year. The bigger news is John Means and Dean Kremer are both on the IL. Means' injury seems to be the "worse" one right now but we shall see in the long run. The offense can still not get any consistency, relying way too much on HR's and the same people hitting them. This team would be in bad shape without Gunnar, Adley and Westburg. Santander too always seems to come up big when needed. It is going to be the next 30 days that is the premise on how the rest of the season goes. Mullins needs to get going and either Hays or someone else needs to start being consistent with getting on base, otherwise the bats will go cold again.	33-18
5		Dodgers	-3	What an incredible week it has been for Dodgers haters. Losing a series to the Dbacks is one thing, but getting swept by the Reds hurt to watch, no offense to the Reds. The Dodgers' bottom half of the order has been colder and we I witnessed one of the worst bullpen innings I've ever seen from the team on Friday (bottom of the 5th vs. Reds, go watch it haters). I know the season is about ebbs and flows, and the team will almost certainly bounce back but this was a hard week to watch.	33-22
6		Royals	+2		34-20
7		Braves	-2	Nothing like a season ending injury to Acuña to ruin your Memorial Day cookout. Woof. I don't know what to say. Here's a "fun" fact: the Braves have not (and will not) play a complete game this season with their complete starting roster. When you lose the preseason favorite for Cy Young that would be bad enough, but how about the defending MVP as well? I am gonna go cry into my 1000th hamburger of the weekend. Don't call me. I am not OK.	30-20
8		Brewers	-1	The Brewers had yet another .500 week against teams they should be beating, but the division lead grew, so I guess it's alright. Big series against the Cubs coming up.	30-22
9		Twins	+2	A 4-2 week is definitely what we needed to get back on track. The bullpen is still a little shaky despite showing signs of improvement, and the lineup is starting to click again with Correa stepping up to jumpstart everyone. In the rotation, Paddack has performed very well and is showing just how deep our staff is. Royce Lewis is set to return within about a week too, and his energy will absolutely give the team a boost.	28-24
10		Mariners	0	It's been a strange week. The M's have both snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and... also very much the opposite. I would talk about the offense, but Taylor Saucedo doesn't want to hear s*t about it (and we're glad he's recovered quickly and back with the club!) Most promisingly, Julio is showing some signs of return to form, with a few dingers and a lot more contact in the air. An AL West homestand is up, and hopefully it's time to finally beat up on the division. *Up next: 4 vs. Asterisks, 3 vs. Mike Trout and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Angels	28-26
11		Red Sox	+4	Welp, after stomping Tampa in the Trop (something we've been unable to do for years now), we came home only to just barely avoid getting swept by Milwaukee in Fenway. Two steps forward, two steps back. Meanwhile, the young stars we extended have been the worst of our young core, with Bello getting outmatched by Houck and Crawford, and Rafaela unable to put it together on either side of the ball (despite some flashy highlight reel defensive plays). Maybe we'll break out next week...	27-26
12		Cubs	-3	The Cubs offensive slump hit a nadir this week, as they were held scoreless by a pitcher who was terrible this season in AAA. And while they did rebound a bit in the weekend 2-game set vs the Cardinals, it still wasn't enough to bail out the starting pitching, which went from out of this world to merely ok. Coupled with some truly abysmal defense for what was supposed to be a strong defensive team, and the Cubs have slipped from 6 games above .500 at the start of the month to just 1. Of particular concern is the catching situation, as Cubs catchers have both been abysmal at the plate and completely inept at throwing runners out, leading to increased high pressure moments for the pitching staff. It appears that the Cubs will be forced to make a move at that position near the deadline, but for now they can only wait and hope that the tandem of Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya can somewhat bounce back, as they're relying on the rest of the offense to. The Cubs have crucial 4 game set coming up against the Brewers, they need to not lose this series to stay in touch with them in the NL Central Race.	27-26
13		Padres	-1	The Padres set another attendance record while losing another series at home. It was nice to see them rally Sunday in the 6th with two outs playing small ball to get the dub though. The Padres are just 11-18 at home this season, and have been right around .500 all year. Jeremiah Estrada has been a revelation.	28-28
14		Giants	+5	After a completely normal week @ PIT and NYM, the Giants recorded yet another winning week. If you’re a Giants fan not currently under medical supervision, you had a fun week. It could’ve been better, but it could’ve been a LOT worse. Tyler Rodgers in the 9th not withstanding, the bullpen has solidified into an arguable strength, cold bats have heated up, Snell is back and, uh, he was not as bad as his stats suggest. I saw progress there. This week we host the Phillies and Yankees. A 3 -3 week would be more than acceptable and this should be a solid test as to how real the Giants plan on being this year.	27-27
15		Tigers	+1	The Tigers are in a bit of a streaky run right now, dropping five in a row before taking the last three games from Toronto to end the weekend. Capped by a three run bomb by Matt Vierling to walk off the Blue Jays, it seems (unfortunately) that the team has taken a liking to the ugly ass City Connects. At one game below the .500 mark at 26-27, it would be cool to get some some sustained success as the weather warms up and school gets out. A packed CoPa is certainly within reach all summer if the team plays well enough. This week: 2 vs. PIT, 4 at BOS.	26-27
16		Astros	+1		24-29
17		D-Backs	+1		25-28
18		Rangers	-5	Corey Seager is back from the dead. The offense might not be and the IL continues to grow. Go Sports.	25-29
19		Rays	-5	I wish that I could turn back time, 'Cause now the baseball ain't fine- Can't hit without consistency from stars. I know our arms get injured fast, Cold water and a low tide- Rays baseball now, it's killing me inside	26-28
20		Cardinals	+5	The Cardinals went 5-0 this week. They were nine games under .500 on May 12th and have now won 10 of their last 12. This team has found some momentum and is right back in the thick of things. If you thought the Cardinals were dead, they're alive.	25-26
21		Pirates	0	If the Pirates had a bullpen that was evenly modestly competent, they just would have finished off a 5-1 week that put them into the thick of the Wild Card race. Instead, they lost two games started by Jared Jones and Paul Skenes despite hitting a grand slam in both. The biggest culprit is Aroldis Chapman, who is currently being paid $10.5 million to walk every batter he faces	25-29
22		Reds	+2	AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH oh hey guys you just caught me in the middle of my weekly scream. Just something I’ve been doing lately, every week just lie face first onto the pillow on my bed and just let loose. Really relaxes the mind you know? Anyway, the Reds swept the Dodgers this week. Not really sure how they accomplished this feat, but they did. So yay for teams named after colors. Oh by the way, I just wanted to point out that I think I have a really upbeat personality. I’m pointing this out because SOME PEOPLE think it’s a “real downer” and that’s why “we should take some time apart”. There’s nothing wrong with optimism right? Whatever. Don’t want to talk about it. You know what I do want to talk about? My rap career. Okay, lay down the beat, bf bf bf yeah, uh huh, yeah I sling money like I sling my TV, twenty percent off your first month at sling TV with the promo code baby. Yeah. I throw baseballs like a madman, at the party I’m a stag man, oh I spilled my drink on your shirt my bad man. Up at the plate, take strike 1 like it’s my birthday, I can wait for the cake. Okay, so this is like as far as I got. I’m not very good at rhyming. Reds are doing pretty fine right now you know. I’m not gonna lie, I’m typing this all out on my phone, and it’s 2am, and me and my friends just left our 4th bar of the night and are heading home to play some Call of Duty. Okay bye.	23-30
23		Blue Jays	-1	This week had EVERYTHING. Supposed HR hitter Daniel Vogelbach actually hit a HR. The Jays were shut out by the worst team in baseball in between scoring 9 runs twice (and 9 runs again the next day). Leo Kikuchi. The Tigers didn't pay their electric bill and greatest-broadcaster-in-baseball Dan Shulman called the game FROM HIS CELL PHONE. The Jays, one of the worst offenses in the game, scored 11 runs and still somehow lost the game. Oh, and they failed to sweep the White Sox and lose 3 of 4 to DET. This team is heading for a full-on sale at the trade deadline after coming into the season looking like a playoff contender again. They score 2 runs or less in 40% of our games. Fire Don Mattingly. Fire Ross Atkins. Sign Leo Kikuchi.	23-29
24		Nationals	-1		23-28
25		Mets	-5	The Mets are in freefall. As they hover nearly 10 games below .500, they'll need to change course fast to avoid a midsummer fire sale. Anecdotally, there seems to be rising doubt in the viability of an Alonso/LindoNimmo/McNeil core amongst fans. The team is starting to look so broken that even competing in 2025 seems dubious.	22-30
26		Angels	0	History is in the making at Angel Stadium. Standing with a home record of 6-19, the Angels are on pace for 19 wins at home. In the 162 game era, no team has won fewer than 22 home games.	20-33
27		Athletics	0	Happy Memorial Day! This team isn't good, and I have no clue what Kotsay is doing with the line-ups. I can't name half the guys starting for us right now which is never good with 3 of our original rotation hitting the IL in success. We got Andujar from the IL for the first time and sent a bunch of other players back down.	22-33
28		Marlins	+1	When starting pitchers start playing more consistently you win more games, who knew? Shout out to Braxton Garret for throwing a maddux! The offense has had better situational hitting, which is evident with the multiple victories in extra innings that weve seen this last week. As long as Stottlemeyer keeps working his magic we might just end with more than 70 wins, but its still pretty early to know. We start off the week against the pads at home, followed by a series in arlington.	19-35
29		Rockies	-1	Where were you when Phillies was kill? This felt like a trap series to a lot of people and played out that way. We were one (terrible) inning away from a sweep. Though the Phillies were also one pitch away from a series win. None of the games were a Coors Field Special™, the pitching (not you Justin Lawrence) just did its job. We're still bad and it's still going to be a slog, but who among us doesn't like pointing at the Phillies and laughing?	18-34
30		White Sox	0	After barely being mid for a few weeks, the White Sox suck again. They're 4 games worse than the 2nd worst team in the league and have a whopping -38 run differential compared to the second worst team. It's not even June and they have a -209 run differential compared to the Phillies. That's, uh, not good. This weekend, they got swept by a much better ball club and organization in the Orioles who not only have a better major league team by miles, they have a better farm system. It brings me back to 2022, when there was still some hope for this team, but the signs of a collapse were there. In June 2022, the White Sox hosted the Orioles for a 4 game series. The White Sox came into the season as a dark horse World Series pick on the back of what looked like a solid rotation and young players who were good, but could still continue to take the next step. They struggled in the early part of the season, but were hovering around .500 most of the year. At the time, the Orioles were still in rebuild mode and this series looked to be a potential one to get the White Sox back on track. Instead, they narrowly avoided a sweep but I was taken aback by what I saw from the Orioles. Each of their outfielders made at least one spectacular play in game 1 and they looked like a real baseball team. It was really when I first started doubting if the White Sox were ever going to take the next step. It's fitting that the Orioles came to town this year and demolished this team.	15-39

DC Next presents:

GREEN LANTERN

Issue Thirty-Six: Aureate Afterglow
Written by UpinthatBuckethead
Edited by AdamantAce, dwright5252, deadislandman1
First Next > Coming in July
It was cold.
Wet.
Dark.
“In brightest day, in blackest night…” the stranded Lantern began, but it was no use. No power charged his ring. The light of the Oan Central Power Battery couldn’t reach him in the inky depths which swallowed him. Besides, he thought to himself, that was a desperate shot in the dark. Was the oath of the Green Lanterns even his anymore?
Guy Gardner sighed, clutched his golden ring. No, he supposed it wasn’t.
Alone, he drifted. He couldn’t tell for how long. Had it been hours? Days? Guy hadn't grown tired or hungry. The signals his body used to regulate its internal clock, on strike. His last memory was with John Stewart. They were together in the Antimatter Universe, trying to return when he’d been… he couldn’t remember. Where was he? How far from home?
The darkness was absolute.
“Well, this bites,” Guy said to himself, utterly lost for action. He and John had only just begun to explore the potential of their new golden rings. With no oath, how was he supposed to charge the thing?
…
A presence stirred in the void. It made no sound, but Guy felt it nonetheless.
“Who goes there?” He demanded.
Who goes there? His words repeated back at him, reverberating from the black. The voice was deep and resonant. All-encompassing.
“I asked first,” Guy said. “Who are you?”
…
Momentary silence, but he could still feel the presence pulsating in the background. Then, a litany of titles.
Stalker Among the Stars. Howler in the Dark. The Crawling Mist. Nephren-Ka, the Black Pharaoh.
Followed by a name: Izhoges.
“Black Pharaoh,” Guy repeated. “You’ve been to Earth?”
An Earth.
“Where am I?”
We are nowhere; we are everywhere.
Guy was growing more frustrated with each cryptic answer. “How can we be nowhere?”
…
No response. Only that rhythmic pulsation.
The gears of his mind were slowly turning. The only ‘nowhere’ Guy could think of was the Bleed. The space between spaces; the energy membrane of the Multiverse. Was that where they were? The Bleed?
“Are we between universes?” Guy asked, hoping for any sort of clarification.
We are everywhere. The voice said again. We are nowhere.
He grunted in frustration. “That’s not possible.”
It is not.
Guy blinked. Did the thing just agree with him?
“Then where are we?” He asked for a third time. Maybe he was making progress. “Uncharted space?”
In me.
In it? The space seemed practically endless. How could he be inside of it? But even as he wondered, he knew it was possible. An entire planet was a Green Lantern, for Christ’s sake. But a new question was forming for Guy. How was he going to escape? Get back home?
You cannot.
The voice responded without input. Guy’s heart dropped. Could this thing read his mind?
Yes.
Great. He had to get out, as fast as he could. There had to be a way out. The voice must have been lying!
Ha ha… Deep laughter bounded across the void, echoing back against itself over and over again. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
The darkness began to twist around him like a shimmering, swirling sea of ink. Wisps poked and prodded, tugging at him. His clothes. His ring.
Guy clenched his fist, and the dark fingers drew back. “Like hell,” he said through gritted teeth as he saw the ring flash with golden light. Where had that come from? It didn’t matter. If he had the power, he was going to use it.
Fist outstretched, light began to pour from the ring’s signet. The energy was like deep yellow fire, flowing out and taking the form of an immense pair of garden shears. They closed on the back of the trail of darkness, snipping the wisp in two, both which dissipated into the void accompanied by an ominous hiss.
Alright, Guy thought. He could cause this wannabe god pain. Maybe he could just about get himself out of this. But how?
He closed his eyes. Imagined Earth. Home. His apartment in Boston. His brother, mother, and father. In his mind’s eye, he could see his on-and-off again boyfriend reading a magazine by the pool. Guy smirked; when he’d be at the gym or a game, he could always count on Davey to be taking it easy.
What are you doing?
Guy was at a Red Sox game! He was in the old plastic seats of the bleachers, grey jersey on his back, a Fenway Frank in one hand and his old high-school baseball mitt in the other. It was the bottom of the ninth, and the Sox were down by one with two on. The count was full. There were two outs. Either way it went, this would be the last pitch of the game.
Stop that.
But how could he? The pitch was thrown. He was on his feet with the rest of the crowd. The park was as silent as he’d ever heard it. The roar, only a dull white noise. Boston’s batter reared back, ready to strike.
No!
Yes! The bat connected, and Guy’s eyes snapped open. To his surprise, he was in the bleacher seats of Fenway Park. He looked down. His power ring rested on his right middle finger, the same place it had always been. Had it done something to get him out? Had it sent him home?
That was when the home-run ball connected with his head, and the lights went out.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
When Guy came to, it was to the dull, monotonous tones of a heart monitor. He opened his eyes, and the brightness of the overhead lights flooded his vision. He squinted and blinked away the fuzzy spots, but before they were clear a thick pair of arms aggressively wrapped themselves around his neck. His eyes bolted open, body swinging into fight-or-flight mode. Guy was defaulting into ‘flight mode’, whole body tensing, when the voice broke through.
“Thank God you’re okay!” cried Davey. He was wearing the same salmon trunks Guy had seen him in at the pool, with a navy blue polo shirt thrown on. His backpack was strewn haphazardly across the small visitor’s table in the hospital room. A copy of Ubik was resting next to the bag, propped open like a tent.
“Of course I’m okay,” Guy said softly, rubbing behind Davey’s shoulders. “You didn’t think a lousy baseball could take out the Guy Gardner, did you?”
“No,” Davey sniffed. “Never.”
“How did you even know I was here?” Guy asked, and pressed the call button on the side of his bed. He had some questions for the doctor, or nurse, whoever would answer.
Davey couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “I’m still your emergency contact, blockhead.”
“Oh, yeah. I guess you are.”
“You really ought to change that,” Davey suggested. “Your mom or dad. Maybe even Mace.”
“To hell with Mace,” Guy grumbled.
Davey was taken aback. “Alright,” he said, hands up, but he didn’t push the topic any further. “Honestly, I don’t mind being your contact. The call was a… pleasant surprise.”
When Guy raised an eyebrow, Davey quickly followed with, “Not you being here, obviously. But I thought you were off-world. It’s nice to see you.”
“It’s nice to see you, too. And between you and me, I thought I was, too. I was with John in the Antimatter Universe, and then…”
“John Stewart.” The name was dripping ice when Davey said it. “Your Lantern friend?”
Guy was oblivious. “Yeah, John. I was with him in the Antimatter Universe when…”
“When did you get home, Guy?” Davey interrupted again.
“I’d tell you if you’d let me finish,” Guy muttered angrily. “Well, I don’t know.”
Davey scoffed, but was cut off by a soft knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Can I help you?
Guy’s heart filled with dread. It was like he was in a nightmare, trapped, unable to move as the horror was subjected upon him. The door inched open, and a nurse dressed in all-black scrubs stepped through. You called?
“It’s you,” Guy mouthed, but his vocal chords failed him.
The black-scrubbed nurse stood silently in the doorway. The air shimmered about them, darting and cutting across space like light off of a lenticular poster. In the shimmer, Guy could see two forms at once: one the tall nurse in dark uniform, the other a repulsive being, rotting tendrils given human form. When the nurse grinned, the tentacled being’s vertical maw contorted into inhuman shapes.
Guy’s neck and facial muscles were the only ones unparalyzed. He slowly turned his head, craning it in Davey’s direction. But it was no use. Davey couldn’t see the grotesque being behind the facade of humanity. And when Guy cried out to warn him no sound escaped, his words arrested before utterance.
Davey looked down at Guy with concern. Guy could just about read his mind from that expression. Davey thought he was losing it. But he wasn’t. Was he?
Mr. Gardner?
The Black Pharaoh’s voice was a malady of dissonant noises, the grinding metal of a heavy freight train coming to a stop mixed with a knife scraping against a glass medicine bottle. Guy couldn’t keep his face from wincing, but the rest of his body remained in mutiny.
“What are you doing to him?!” screamed Davey.
No, Guy decided. He wasn’t losing it.
The ring on his finger sparked. He flexed his hand.
Oh, no no. We can’t be having that.
With a snap, the ring fizzled out. Guy’s hand seized. The feeling of his muscles binding was nails being driven through his bones from the tips of each finger. He opened his mouth to let out a bloodcurdling scream, his voice finally finding purchase when it cried out in pain and fear. For some reason, Guy realized, it couldn’t warn Davey. But it could let him know his suffering.
The dark nurse gave Guy an alien look, an uncanny expression of faux concern that would make even demon nurse Ratched shudder.
Please control your friend.
Now, the grinding glass voice addressed Davey.
I’m off to fetch the doctor.
The door clicked shut behind it. Immediately, the room seemed to brighten. As though the sun had finally escaped confinement behind the clouds.
“What is happening?” Davey asked in a panicked whisper. “Guy?”
But Guy’s eyes were glued to the closed door. He knew that the thing would be returning. How he was so certain, he couldn’t say. But he could see it in his mind’s eye. Its shimmering form, slowly skulking through the hallways along three sinewy legs.
“I don’t know,” replied Guy, his voice renewed. He clenched his fist and looked at his ring. No response. Guy took a deep breath. At least his control was returning. He clumsily swung his feet over the side of the bed, setting them down softly on the tile floor. All across his body his skin was on fire; his only perception, pins and needles. “Do you remember how you got in here?”
“Don’t you?” Davey was in over his head. Guy could see the panic in his eyes. “What is happening?”
“I was knocked out by the baseball,” he explained, “I was unconscious when they brought me to the room.”
“Are we planning an escape? From the hospital?”
“Davey, you need to listen to me. Something is after me, and that means it’s after us. I don’t know what it is, but…” Guy’s heart was pounding. He knew he sounded crazy. But Davey nodded. He believed.
“Gold Lantern shit, got it.”
Guy paused.
“What did you just say?”
Shadow crept over the room. The sun must have disappeared back behind the clouds.
Davey blinked. “Gold Lantern shit?”
Guy looked down at his ring. He hadn’t told Davey about what happened with John. He hadn’t even been back to Earth since their metamorphosis.
“I saw your ring,” Davey offered, and Guy narrowed his eyes. Was Davey reacting to his body language? Or something else entirely? “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.
Another knock at the door. Three quick rasps which thundered through Guy’s head like cannon shots. Was it back? Had the dark thing returned? Guy couldn’t take his eyes off of Davey.
Was it with him right now?
He slowly got to his feet, pins and needles subsiding, eyes locked on his old friend, and started towards the door.
When he reached it, he paused. His foot was planted in the door jamb, blocking it from opening. One hand on the knob. His gaze steadily trained on Davey.
The knob jiggled.
Guy’s hand tightened.
“Guy? You there?” called a voice from the other side. “I see your shadow. Open the damn door, you son of a gun!”
It was a voice Guy recognized. Deep, authoritative, and brusque. Harsh and expectant. But now, welcome more than ever.
He turned the knob. The lock latch popped open. The door swung to reveal his brother in arms, dressed in a worn brown military jacket, a white t-shirt underneath, and faded jeans. He had dark hair with brown eyes that were lit up with a warm smile.
Guy yanked him into the room and slammed the door. The clipboards on the wall clattered down. Quickly, he locked the door and spun around. Guy wrapped him in a tight embrace.
“Woah! Ease up a bit!”
Guy relinquished his grip, and looked his friend over again. There was no mistaking it.
“Hal? You’re here?”
“That’s right,” Hal Jordan said, and Guy put him in a second bear hug. “I’m here to pick you up and take you home, kiddo.”
Guy looked over Hal’s shoulder out the hospital window.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

What’s your personal weirdest/unique phish stats? I use phantasy tour to track the shows I’ve been too. Here’s some of my weird/unique phish stats 18 shows 4 venues 2 Saratoga Springs 2 Fenway Park 13 MSG shows 13th msg show was gamehendge I’ve heard 5 Tweezer Reprise while only hearing 2 actual tweezers My top song is Carini with 6 times played (a few songs I’ve heard 6 times) I’ve only seen phish in July, August, and December I’ve seen phish every day of the week And my 19th, 20th, and 21st phish show will be at Bethel this year
You guys got any? My numbers must be low compared to some fans out there!
Edit: Oh I forgot my biggest stat
Out of the last 3 while my guitar gently weeps played I saw two of them both at MSG

Someone recently shared this Rhode Island Facebook group with me, pointing out that it is painfully obvious that it is fraud and ran by people with no connection to RI.
They appear to be recruiting new members by commenting on local news posts (i.e. WPRI, NBC, Projo, etc)
I recommend checking it out to see if you have any older friends/family in that group, just to make sure they are aware in case they start getting contacted asking for info. I did see they are sharing a sketchy looking T-Shirt URL, so it's possible they're phishing for billing details.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/430491492801190

I painfully, strongly relate to "Pink Pony Club." As you kids say, the song lives rent free in my head. (The whole album does, but that's another post.) I finally figured out the perfect drag costume for this song: Doc Marten's, white long john's (still don't know about socks, but I'm thinking PDX carpet,) a specific Scottish plaid that I will not name, Tuxedo jacket worn over a band shirt (probably Phish, don't @ me,) with my Seattle Storm ballcap, and somehow a giant curly red wig. (Will Forte eat your heart out!!) Having watched "All That Jazz" a couple hundred times in middle school, I'm pretty sure I can come up with the choreography too. Allons-y, Alonso...

Tldr: What would you pay" should only be allowed if it's an actual sample of the piece, with pics on a model and fabric info listed.
I get it, you want free promo, feedback, engagement, figuring if it's worth the trouble etc. That's all good. But every post asking how much I'd pay for some shit that probably would look nothing like the real product is just obnoxious. It's becoming nothing but AI images on a shirt shaped image that almost never looks like the actual sample. If you want to ask if we like a design, say that. Asking how much I'd pay for a picture of a beach house on a picture of a beach would have any serious person asking if you're daft. It's getting ridiculous the way ppl are just phishing tired designs that are mostly stolen, color corrected and with detail that would be near impossible in reality. It's like the online ceramics using mock ups then ppl getting a pixelated mess, except 10 posts a day. If you want to start a brand, make something. Actually make it. Learn to sew, screen print, etc. Stop listening to tik tokers telling you about 100% cotton and how easy it is. They don't give a shit about you they want followers.

Are you extroverted, socially outgoing and a cheery people person? Hacking might be perfect for you then

Does that title sound a little off? I wanted to bring something up that I don't see people talking about, and that's the over saturation of introverted nerds into hacking (not an insult, highly introverted people make excellent REMOTE hackers.
Here comes the but, but there is a place for you extroverted chatterboxes who love interacting with people. People who smile and don't break eye contact, people who are confident lying to people, and most importantly DO NOT get nervous or socially awkward.
Yes if you haven't guessed already I'm talking about one of THE MOST important factors of hacking, social engineering. Not just sending phishing emails into an assistants inbox and hoping they click.
Gaining physical access is in many situations better than any remote hacking from the shadows. See I'm not a hacker, well I wouldn't call myself or class myself as one even though I could perform some simple remote hacking tasks I know some basics, but I'm no hacker.
I was a blacksmith, bladesmith to be precise, until I severed my right index finger in an accident and lost my inner tendons and use of my right index finger from the middle knuckle. I then decided to become an investigator around 2-3 years ago. I quickly became very good at mobile and static surveillance, mostly because of my confidence and autistic levels of not giving a shit, I am actually quite introverted, but for a good 6-7 hours of the day I can be very extroverted and social, until I need my alone time for a few hours.
Point being I got good at social engineering without even knowing that specific term was related to hacking. This skill is something you are kind of born with, or may slowly develop over time. I am very comfortable for example putting on a construction workers outfit slapping the PPE on and walking right up into a place I shouldn't be in. The best way to describe it (or the way I actually act) is act as confident as a cop or a soldier, nobody can tell you not to be here, I can go where I want. That's the attitude you need for social engineering.
Yes I do really have a wardrobe full of "disguises" including trench coats, business suits, jeans and polo shirts for the golf course (never used that one yet but you never know) I have orange hi viz jackets yellow ones, hardhats, and street clothes.
You might think "I'm not computer smart enough to be a hacker" Well that's actually false, you might even be a better hacker than a life long computer wizard, because physical access is above remote access. The remote guys need the "front line girls and guys" yes ladies are great at social engineering and gaining trust, also they are more likely to gain entry and access than a male.
So if you are an extroverted bubbly woman, who has no computer hacking skills, you can be of use (and the governments around the world know this) Who do you think they send to stick a Lan turtle in the CEO's computer.Probably a nice looking personal assistant they planted in the company 24 months ago.
This goes for charming and handsome men too, with your confidence and dashing charisma you have a better chance of gaining physical access than the introverted loner in the shadows (again not an insult) some of the best hackers in the world are highly introverted anti social, socially awkward people. But they are at their best when left alone to smash keys.
We need both types, this is not a you vs them, which is better, this is a complementing team. if I were to set up a killer hacking duo, i'd want a bubbly social social engineering expert, and also a super wiz computer nerd behind the scenes running those payloads,.
This post was to encourage and break the stereotype, and let people know that there is a place for all types of people in the hacking world.
I also would encourage you to think about why are you a hacker, or learning hacking, what's your end goal? I see a suspicious amount of posts from "Students working on a burpsuite project for their class" "My college teacher wants me to use metasploit, how do I for example hack a website, whats an SQL injection guys?"
I would advise you all to not perform malicious attacks, if you want to be a computer hacker, then there are some really lucrative options, working for the NCA, the NSA, Blue teaming, pentesting and red teaming. You can earn a really nice income and LEGALLY hack bad guys. That's a much better course of action for your journey.
There's lots of options for non technical types as well, you can learn the computer side of hacking as you go and get better with training. I'm not really personally focusing on typical types of hacking. I am more into OSINT, scanning tools, recon tools, and I'm also learning RF / SDR hacking. But that is for something different that I don't really discuss online.
I wanted to make this post for 3 reasons, 1 to say things that many people do not talk about on Reddit, shed light on the different types of hacking, because remote computer hacking is just 1 part. Think of it like this, you know the term "field agent" and "desk agent" well those terms are perfect analogy for hacking. You have the front line people who go in, charm, lie and confidently gain physical access, and then you have the guy in the car, hotel room or office on his laptop, setting up his pineapple enterprise, listening in on the security radio chatter.
Also as I mentioned don't think your personality type and technical experience bars you from entry into hacking, I bet I can give a 20 year old college girl a dongle, who has no experience in computer hacking, and she will get me physical access to a target more efficiently than some of the best computer hackers.
Lastly motivation, why bother spending years of your life learning a very specific and USEFUL skill, and then go and throw your life away doing some dumb malicious hacking on innocent people, you are no better than a petty thief, holding a old lady up by gunpoint like a dirtbag. You can actually work for high level government agencies, or even start your own cybersec firm up, and make a killing LEGALLY while being a GOOD person.
So think about this if any of those points apply to you.
Have a good day ladies and gents.
(This post was deleted at hacking) So I put it here to save.

I surprised my husband with tics to Sphere show opening night as he's a big Dead fan and its his bday. Any tips for a first timer in general or learnings from Phish at Sphere? What did people wear? I booked GA floor seats so def want to be comfortable for dancing, but not sure if should go a little more Vegas vibe or just stick with a tie dye t-shirt look...

First of all, I know this is covered in the Sphere FAQ, but the Phish run has happened since and I figured there might be an update.
Anyone know if Dead and Co will offer a streaming package via Nugs? With Phish, I was able to get a 4k package of the whole run and a concert shirt. Hope the boys do something similar!

Is it just me or does anyone else have problems seeing the ball at Fenway because of the fans wearing white shirts in dead center? I lose the ball every time.

I saw Phish on 4/20 in Vegas. I rocked a Harris shirt to honor his birthday. I saw another guy also wearing the same shirt that day

Hello Fellows,
We were on todays walk for Epilepsy at Fenway Park (Baseball stadium) in Boston, MA. It was my first time and let me tell you it won’t be the last one - it was great!
You’d have to sign up, adults are $20 and <12yrs $10 - you’ll get a purple “walk for epilepsy” shirt and a gift card with $10 on it for lunch. They had music, food stands, merchandise (Epilepsy sweaters, shirts, caps etc.) which will be donated.
Just got an email from the Epilepsy Foundation with some facts of the day:
“2,000 walkers and more than $350,000 raised for local epilepsy support.”
Not bad! But that’s not all as the man reason why I’m writing this post is an experience I never had before. I’m usually an extrovert but being suddenly in the middle of something positive caused by something so cruel (Epilepsy) gives me a hard time - but not today!
I saw another dad, purple shirt, purple cap, epilepsy ribbon on his cheeks - he is the #1 fan of his son. I never saw someone affected by epilepsy with so much enthusiasm and energy - like he’d go to a concert and standing in the first row. His son is the warrior, enduring a daily lifelong struggle, being here today, he might not know anyone personally but just by simply joining this community event he’s instantly a part of something. Everyone has its own struggles but EVERYONE has struggles - as a group, as a community, everyone sharing their life without details, talking without words (I hope this makes sense). BOOM you’re not anymore alone, and you can feel that!
But how does this have an impact on you and me? The consequences of Epilepsy are 24/7 active - It excludes you from the beginning, takes you something away, it adds unwanted things to your life. So if you are joining an community event for Epilepsy you are joining the “EVERYONE” group which shares the same struggles, consequences and an uninvited guest (your Epilepsy) - you are free, it’s a bit like a filter where Epilepsy has no power as it became unwillingly the source of a great time which was your decision!
To express it in a bit unconventional way: In Excel, we’re a range, single cells with our own content and by joining like today’s community event we’re becoming an array, where we are the combined content.
Based on today’s experience I’m personally replacing “stay positive“ with “stay connected” and try to join and engage in more community events.
Stay connected.
Thank you.
Fellow

Looking for unique gifts for my husband who doesn't give any hints of what he wants. Budget ideally under $300 so I still have some "fun money" to spend on nice dinnedrinks.
Hobbies/passions/assorted facts: He likes things that have really specific uses of that makes sense. Phish, Grateful Dead (and other jam bands, bluegrass, funk), Legos, Simpsons, been on a Nintendo switch kick for a bit (Zelda ToK). Has bad allergies (idk, maybe there's some fancy af item that helps allergies?). We're pretty outdoorsy and he likes Osprey and Patagonia (can be a little bougie). Has a decent commute to work (already has xm radio).
Some previous gifts include: lot of unique Simpsons shirts, Show prints/band art, big Lego sets, fancy coffee accessories, massages, upscale bath products, record playerecords
Appreciate any suggestions!

I am very thankful to have Phish in my life and absolutely think it’s a beautiful thing that they webcast their shows. After watching a number of shows think I would pay a few bucks more to get a fixed CK5 cam view. I just got home and put the sphere show on and can’t believe the amount of close-ups( as much as I love Page’s shirts)and shots in the dark. I always thought it would be a great idea even when they started it. I think that one tweak would improve the viewing experience tremendously. Would you be interested in that option if they offered it? ( I did email Livephish last tour with that question and kind of got a generic response)

Just curious: any other Heads order the four night 4k streaming pass to do a couch tour for Phish’s Sphere run? Feel like it will give us a better indication of what D&C run might be like—-at least, certainly more so than U2.
I’ve enjoyed the way Phish is doing it. You can get a 4k livestream for the whole run + official concert shirt. You can also do add ons like a mp3 download or cd.
Any chance D&C offers similar online packages for couch tour?

Andrew Watt Waited His Entire Life to Produce Pearl Jam’s New Album ‘Dark Matter’ The Pearl Jam super fan, who was born the week the band formed in 1990, breaks down their new album track by track
BY ANDY GREENE
APRIL 15, 2024
Andrew Watt and Pearl Jam entered the world at practically the same exact moment. The 33-year-old producer was born Oct. 20, 1990, the same week that Eddie Vedder traveled to Seattle from San Diego to meet his future bandmates for the first time. “They’ve said to me they were probably writing ‘Release’ while my mom was giving birth to me,” Watt says. “And then they played their first concert two days after that at the Off Ramp cafe. I don’t want to get too biblical about it, but it’s very, very strange.”
Watt was too busy learning to crawl and eat solid food to appreciate their initial burst of success in the early Nineties, but he became a die-hard, obsessive fan as a teenager in the 2000s. “They are my favorite band of all time,” he says. “I’ve been to more of their concerts than anyone should know about, at least 40 of them. I have every t-shirt. And my favorite show I’ve seen in my entire life is Pearl Jam at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on Halloween 2009.”
When he started producing pop acts like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and 5 Seconds of Summer about a decade back, landing a Pearl Jam record felt like an impossible dream. But he moved into the rock world in 2020 when Ozzy Osbourne hired him to produce Ordinary Man. He followed it up with Every Loser by Iggy Pop, and Hackney Diamonds by a little English group called the Rolling Stones. Along the way, he produced Eddie Vedder’s solo LP Earthing, and toured with him as a guitarist in his solo band alongside Chad Smith, Glen Hansard, and Josh Klinghoffer.
This allowed him to not only live out his teenage dreams of playing “Better Man” and “Porch” with Vedder, but it put him into position to produce Pearl Jam’s new album, Dark Matter. During a Saturday night break from the secret recording session for another artist, who might be Lady Gaga if Ozzy Osbourne is to be believed, Watt hopped on the phone with Rolling Stone to discuss his intense Pearl Jam fandom, and the creation of Dark Matter.
What’s your first memory of being aware of Pearl Jam? I think it was the “Jeremy” music video. I was an MTV kid and I’d watch it with my brother Jason, who is five years older than I am. He had all the cool music, and a bigger allowance than me, which he always spent on CDs. He would show me a lot of music, and one of the bands was Pearl Jam and their album Ten. He got me hooked. I would take the CD on my Discman, plug in headphones, and it would take me. My first enraged, depression, happy, and energized emotions were from listening to that album.
Did you know other kids who were into bands like Pearl Jam? No. When I was growing up, I didn’t have a lot of kids that wanted to be in rock bands around me. So I just kind of learned to play a lot of different instruments, and would record myself. I learned to play the bass, the guitar, and as much of the drums as I could by listening to Pearl Jam. And each one of those band members were so influential to me. I really understand what I love as a fan about their playing. And so when it was time to work with them in a creative way, I just wanted them to be them. I didn’t want to change them.
When did you first see Pearl Jam in concert? I think that was Madison Square Garden in 2003. And I just kept going over and over again after that.
Each show is so incredibly unique and different. There aren’t many major groups besides jam bands like Phish that approach concerts in that way. Dude, Eddie Vedder is showing up to the venue at 2:00 P.M. on the day of a show, sometimes earlier, and going through every single song they’ve ever played at the same hall or in the same city. Nobody works harder on a set list to make sure that his fans feel as though they’re getting something special. No one works harder than him, and the band is ready for anything. They’ll play songs they haven’t played in ten years or even listened to in ten years. They get in the jam room, and they suss it out. They’re fearless, man. They get on that fuckin’ stage and they deliver.
How did you first meet them? Many years back, I was playing guitar for a pop act. At that point in my life, I was smoking a bunch of weed — I don’t smoke anymore. I would also buy new guitars in every city I hit. I had just bought this old, big body electric guitar. I smoked a joint, got off the bus, didn’t know where I was, and realized I was at the Shoreline Amphitheatre [in Mountain View, California]. For a Pearl Jam fan, that’s a big deal since that’s the home of the Bridge School benefit.
I was really excited to be there, and I found this lady who worked there at the desk. I started asking her Eddie Vedder questions. She told me he was really nice. I asked her when the Bridge School was coming, and it was actually on my birthday, October 20. She didn’t know the lineup, but I figured Eddie Vedder would be there, since they always come.
I was very high, and I wrote a long letter for her to give him. I also left that guitar for the lady to give him even though I didn’t even know her. I was just hoping that Eddie Vedder would read it. At the bottom I wrote, “By the way, it’s my birthday today. Here’s my number.”
That was sometime in June, July, or August. Months later, I came home to a missed call from Seattle, Washington. I was like, “Whoa, this is not…he’s not actually calling me.” But I listen to the voicemail and it was Eddie. I tried to call him back, but he didn’t pick up. He did leave a very cool voicemail.
I texted him. He sent back a long message to me since I told him I was thinking of leaving the pop act I was playing with because I wasn’t satisfied being in a pop band, playing with a click, and doing the same thing every night. He wrote back to tell me how lucky I was to be playing live music for a crowd every night. He said I should revel in that. That was part of the reason I stayed, and then we wound up touring with Justin Bieber. My career began as a producer after that. His words really guided me, as they had for a long time before that.
How did you actually meet him in person? We kept in touch text-wise after that. And then I started to work as a music producer, and we started having mutual friends. We’d see each other. And then Michele Anthony, who is [EVP] at Universal, and the band’s manger Smitty [Mark Smith], thought it would be cool for Ed and I to make some music together. We met when he was doing a benefit show. The first time we jammed together, we wrote a song.
From there, it just has been the most beautiful friendship and creative relationship of my life. It means more than I could ever put into words. It’s the exact example of dreams coming true. You’ve got to understand, I stood in line at Madison Square Garden with a sign that read, “Let me play the guitar solo to ‘Alive.'” And then I did get to play the guitar solo.
How did you go from Ed’s solo album and tour to producing Dark Matter? Well, Ed is a selfless human and he’s constantly thinking about other people, and people that he loves. And when we started making music together, even though it was for his record, he kept saying, “Man, I can’t wait for the guys to experience this.”
So literally in the middle of his album, he was like, “Guys, you’ve got to come down here. I’m having the time of my life. I’m so inspired. We’ve got to make some music with Andrew.” And so right in the middle of Earthing, the band came down and we started what would become Dark Matter. A few of the songs were made in my basement studio. Everyone was face to face right there. Four or five of the songs were made in those first eight or nine days.
I presume that just led naturally to you producing the whole record. Yeah. I just think everyone had a good time. Listen, music is result-based, right? You could talk about, “This is what I want you to do as our producer.” But until you start throwing things at the canvas and then checking it out, listening to what’s coming out of the speakers, there’s nothing to say. Everyone had a good time, and was enjoying what we were making. And for me, it was just like heaven.
What were your goals for them going into this record? That whole era of music is in my DNA. I’m a huge Soundgarden fan. I’m a huge Temple of the Dog fan. If you listen to Dave Krusen, he did a fantastic job on Ten. That’s the record everyone loves. But if you listen to the demos, the first thing that Eddie Vedder heard when he was surfing those waves, was Matt Cameron playing along with Stone, Jeff, and Mike. And if you listen to Temple of the Dog, that’s Pearl Jam with Matt Cameron drumming. So Matt Cameron is a fuckin’ drum god. Everyone just bows down to his ability and what he can do.
And on some of the later Pearl Jam records, Matt being the amazing musician, producer, drummer, and multi-instrumentalist that he is, was playing parts to fit the songs. I wanted him to fuckin’ let loose. My goal, and I think this was a shared goal for everyone, was for there to be Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog level drumming on a Pearl Jam album. We wanted Matt’s personality to shine through.
On those early Pearl Jam records like Ten and Vs., you have these insane drums. Matt was really into that. And I would be right up in front of him and the drums, jumping up and down, doing anything I could to get him to play more, and play over the bar, and do all the stuff that makes him so awesome, and what no one else can do. No one else could sit down and play those drum parts. I’m so lucky to have the stems of the album. I’ve listened to it all the way through listening to just the drum track. That’s how much I love Matt Cameron.
Did they come into the studio with fleshed-out demos? They did, but one of the fun things that ended up happening was we started doing this thing where it was like, “Okay, who’s got a beat?” That’s because every single one of these guys in this band could be the main event of their own bands, including Matt. They all sing. They all play every instrument. They are virtuosos, all of them.
So the idea was instead of being like, “Okay, guys, here’s my fully fleshed demo with drums and bass, and here’s the groove and here’s the vocal idea,” the idea was “Okay, who’s got a riff, a start, or a chord sequence or two? Let’s not listen to the demo. Let’s sit all together in front of each other and play the idea, show everyone else the chords, start writing.”
When that happens, I know Stone is going to play chords that are completely unconventional, and don’t make sense in the best way. And Jeff’s going to figure out how to make it harmonically possible for Ed to sing against. Mike is going to rip and take us into “Reach Down” territory. Matt is going to be able to set the groove and ride, make the band go wherever he wants to go. I want to have them start there, and give each member the ability to do that. And it was literally how we got every single one of these songs.
The first time any song was presented to anyone, Ed would be on mic. He would come up with things right away. The guys would morph what they were doing around it. It was truly collaborative from every single member. You take one of those guys out of any of sessions, you’re not getting the album Dark Matter.
The album does really sound like a meld of all their talents. How many bands that are still around are as good as Pearl Jam right now? They’re the greatest live band in the world. You go to a Pearl Jam concert, you’re going to see one of the greatest live shows you can get. They’re a band. They should play together.
You and Josh Klinghoffer are credited on every song. Can you talk about the role that you two played in the process? It’s the exact process that I just explained. It’s everybody sitting together, coming up with things, moving, shaping. It was very free. There was no ego. It was just having fun, having a great time.
Where did you record? We did a few weeks at my house at first, but then it got flooded out with the bad L.A. rain. When we were ready to pick it up again, I couldn’t get the studio back. There was mold and everything. So I called my mentor Rick Rubin up. Any time I’m in a pinch and don’t know what to do, he comes over and talks me through it.
I was like, “Dude, I don’t know what to do. I have Pearl Jam coming up. This is the only time they can record. Can I please work at Shangri-La?” And the mensch that Rick is, he moved stuff around and let us have the studio for a month. We couldn’t have made the album without him as well because he moved what he had going on there, selflessly, so we could finish our record that he had nothing to do with. It was a beautiful thing.
When was this? This was about a year ago exactly. One year ago today, I was in a Pearl Jam shirt and making this album with them.
Did you wear a different Pearl Jam shirt every day of recording like you did with the Stones? I did. I have a really huge collection of the vintage t-shirts. And it was so funny because some of them were bootlegs. They were like, “We didn’t make this one!” But I think some of the bootleg ones are even cooler.
Let’s go through the songs, starting with “Scared of Fear.” That’s the first song we made. It was the first time that Pearl Jam sat down face to face in front of each other with me.
I love what Jeff does on bass on “React, Respond.” So sick, right? It’s funny you say that. That was one of the songs that Jeff started. It was his riff. We went off from there.
“Wreckage” is more stripped-down. I love that line, “Rivers overflowing/drowning all of our yesterdays.” That’s a really special song. If you’re a Pearl Jam fan, and you love Eddie Vedder, it’s everything you could hope for when you sit down to listen to Eddie singing at you. He’s absolutely singing his heart out, and giving you lines that feel like you’ve had them with you your whole life.
The song “Dark Matter” is going to just kill onstage. Well, this whole album is made with the intention of seeing Pearl Jam live. You know how you listen to a Pearl Jam album and you’re like, “I can’t wait to see this live?” And then it’s even better live. A song like “Alive” is better live, right?
Every time. One of my goals was like, “Let’s make this sound like a Pearl Jam show, but in the studio.” Some of that shit is wrong, man. Those songs go longer than they should, but it does not matter. You don’t edit Mike McCready. You fuckin’ let him play. His eyes are closed. When he opens his eyes, we end the song.
We were between takes when “Dark Matter” started. Matt just started playing that beat. And Stone was like, “No one move. Are you recording Matt Cameron?” We’re like, “Yeah, recording.” And he played that beat. Stone was like, “Jeff, you take that home. I’m taking it home. Let’s both write different songs to it and come in tomorrow.” So they both wrote different riffs. Matt played the beat again, and then we kind of morphed it together. That became “Dark Matter.”
Tell me how “Won’t Tell” came together. Jeff had that piece. It was a song that came to him in a dream. You should really talk to him about it because it’s an amazing, amazing story.
“Upper Hand” is incredible. It really creates a mood since there’s no vocals for the first two minutes. We went deep on that one. I love that song. There’s that amazing Stone riff. It took off from there. Matt’s drumming on that song was just out of control. The band is firing on all cylinders on every one of these songs on the album. What I’m most proud of on this album is you can close your eyes at any point and focus on any members of Pearl Jam, and they’re up front and center.
The title “Waiting for Stevie” really jumped out at people. I don’t know what it’s about, but it feels like it’s someone waiting for Fleetwood Mac to take the stage at a show. That’s a really great story about that, which I really, really feel like Ed’s got to tell you. But it definitely is about waiting for Stevie. We just started messing around, doing what two guys with guitars do, and that song was born. That was one of the songs we recorded at the old studio house.
“Running” is a very old-school Pearl Jam songs since it’s so fast and furious. Yeah. Punk rock Pearl Jam.
It has a “Lukin” vibe. Oh yeah. The wheels are falling off the bus by the end.
“Something Special” has a very different feel to it. It’s soothing. That’s an amazingly beautiful song. Pearl Jam always does a thing where they get your adrenaline going up to the fuckin’ moon, like after listening to “Running.” Then they give you a completely different flavor. I love where this one goes. It’s a beautiful love song.
“Setting Sun” is a nice and mellow way to wrap up the whole album. Yeah. That’s cool. It almost has Temple [of the Dog] vibes to me. It’s in that world, obviously many years later. It sonically sounds current, but that progression to me feel like that world.
This is the first record they made since Josh Klinghoffer unofficially/officially became pat of the band. How did he help shape the songs? Talk about virtuosos. Josh can literally do anything. He can be the guitar player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He could play keys in Pearl Jam. And when Matt Cameron got Covid, he played drums for Pearl Jam for a full fuckin’ set. The guy is unbelievable.
And again, Pearl Jam was his favorite band growing up, like me. We were always just geeking out together. He’s got an incredible breadth of knowledge about the band. And he’s just like the sauce. He can add all these beautiful layers. Whatever a song needs, he comes in, finds it, and fills out space in a beautiful way. It’s almost like having Brian Eno in your band.
You clearly don’t want any of your acts to over-think their records. Some bands spend two years making a single record. That’s never been how you work. Pearl Jam has never done that. This shit is a band playing together. That seems like a strange concept today. It’s not Pro-Tool’d to death. It moves and it speeds up and slows down. That’s the DNA of these human beings together. Their hearts beat together. That’s this album.
Did you do this around the time you did the Stones record? Literally two days after I finished the Stones album, this started.
What a surreal couple of months. It was crazy. It was amazing. And Eddie Vedder being the fuckin’ amazing human being that he is, one day one brought in this enormous framed thing. It was his personal poster from when the Pearl Jam opened up for the Stones. That’s so I could never forget doing those albums back to back. He’s such a great person, such a great friend.
I saw you play guitar with Iggy Pop last year in L.A. Your life is becoming like a sort of rock & roll fantasy camp. I know. It’s hard to even think about. I try never to reflect because it’s like, “Oh my God!” I’m just constantly trying to move forward, but it’s like going to college. I’ve learned so much from all these different people and how they do what they do. You are constantly sharpening the tools. I get to be a sponge. I got to talk to Iggy about Bowie, and the Stooges in Detroit. That’s stuff that you don’t get to do.
How can you top doing the Stones and Pearl Jam back to back? Would you want to work with Bruce Springsteen or Neil Young? I don’t know. To quote our guy, I “follow the wave where it takes me.” I’m in the middle of a project right now. I just finished another album before that. I’m looking forward to the summer. I’m just kind of seeing what comes.