Following Viral Video About Origins Of Pearl Jam’s Name, Here’s The Real Story Of Their Moniker

While Zoë Kravitz and her Caught Stealing co-star Austin Butler took part in a Nineties trivia challenge game last week, their discussion about the origins of Pearl Jam’s band name went viral. “How old were you when you realized what Pearl Jam means?,” Kravitz asked, before revealing, “It’s ji**, dude.” Despite that crude origin rumor, Pearl Jam’s band name actually stems from bassist Jeff Ament’s fixation on the word “Pearl,” combined with the influence of an epic Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert in February 1991, where the group’s lengthy jam sessions during the show apparently inspired the “Jam” addition. Early on, the band initially called themselves Mookie Blaylock, after the former NBA player, but changed it to avoid legal issues. While frontman Eddie Vedder‘s frequent tales of a hallucinogenic jam made by “Grandma Pearl” became popular lore, the band later admitted that story was “total bulls**t” in a 2006 Rolling Stone cover story. (Rolling Stone)