THANK YOU

'PEARL JAM The More You Need - The Less You Get', page 336-339.

Along the way, I’ve often wondered whether my efforts have done more harm than good for those whose lives were most affected by the Roskilde accident. Why bore into an open wound that will never heal regardless? But I’ve been propelled by the positive responses from those involved, and my experience that processing all of this through conversation, honesty and personal contact is helpful and makes a difference. If nothing else, this story illustrates that processing grief takes a unique and often unpredictable course for each individual person, and at very different speeds. At one point in this book, Stone Gossard notes that the accident is five years in the past, but that on the other hand it feels like it happened yesterday. Time does not heal all wounds, and some losses can never be replaced, instead becoming an integrated part of the people who suffer such loss.

In my work on this book, I’ve found that increased understanding and openness contribute to greater peace of mind and improved quality of life, while also giving rise to new thoughts, perceptions, friendships and relationships. Or, as Eddie Vedder puts it earlier in this book, when speaking on the process of going from deep and utter despair to a state of “suddenly realizing that the ashes of that which once had burned to the ground has blossomed into fertile soil. Unbelievable, life is unbelievable.” I feel that this book is filled with incredible people, things and events, all of which are made possible through mutual help and support – not by standing alone. And with music as the common bond.

Originally, it was never in the cards that the meetings with the families would in any way be published or even made public, so I have found it absolutely essential to obtain approval of this project from the involved families and friends of the Roskilde victims. Fortunately, they have given their full support. Everyone has read and approved what they have been quoted as saying, and despite their enormous and heartbreaking loss, many have lent private photos for publication in this book. I give my utmost thanks and respect for these kind gestures. I would also like to humbly thank the families and friends of the victims with whom I have been in contact, and who have shown me the trust and granted me permission to tell their stories. Thanks to Birgitta and Ebbe Gustafsson, Sven-Anders, Ann-Charlotte, Lars and Johan Bondebjer, Eunice, Finn and Alex Tonnesen, Gert Thuresson, Jane and Lea Jaqué, Michael Berlin, Benita Rasmussen, Sharon Nielsen, Asbjørn Auring Grimm, Jacob Chapelle, Astrid Rørdam Ibsen and Tore Rask – and to the many others whose lives have been touched by the accident.

Special thanks to Stone Gossard for his admirable initiative, efforts and trust. Many thanks to Eddie Vedder and thanks to Liz Weber, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Kelly Curtis, Nicole Vandenberg, Virginia Piper, Sarah Seiler, Christian Fresco, the rest of Pearl Jam and their crew for their helpfulness, spirit and consistently nice treatment. Thank you for important help and assistance to Dorte Palle Jørgensen, and to Signe Glahn for thorough guidance and feedback on the first half of this book. And, of course, thanks to Marie Rose Siff Hansen, who in every way is a fully integrated part of PEARL JAM The More You Need – The Less You Get, and whose contributions have been essential to the book becoming what it is. And had it not been for Veronica Bravo’s initiative, this book project would have become stranded in 2005.

And then there are all the parties, the music, the travels, fans, musicians, hangarounds, and rock’n’roll people of flesh and blood who have made my journey in Pearl Jam’s tailwind an abundance of amazing experiences, with the South Americans in particular sweeping me off my feet. 20 years on the go – and the many people from near and far who have made it possible for this book to exist in English.

There are many people to thank, and also many to remember. I apologize if I’ve forgotten anybody. Thanks to Lulu Høi Tuxen, Celine Høi Haugelund, Tobias Tuxen, Anne Mette Degn-Petersen, Marie Dahl, Michael Valeur, Morten Larsen, Mats Johansson, Peter Ramsdal, Robert Borges and Gaffa. Veronica Bravo. Luis Cruz, Maria Francisca Maldonado Wilson, Fernando Bellocchio, Javier Diaz, alle i Piedra Negra, Trine Danklefsen, Laura Vaca Pink, Leila Rausch, Gabriella Ullmann, Daniel Donoso Rasmussen, Jesper Fersløv Andersen, Leila Guerra, Sara Bravo, Veronica’s family, Sergio, Aracelli Aguilar Alvarez, Cristian & Carmensita, House of Rock & Blues, FILSA, Anna Moon, Mia Ben-Ami, Kasper Schulz, Signe Dalsgaard Jacobsen, Lost Dogs, Motherweiser, Miguel Rojas, Elisa Katerina, Tor Nygård Kolding, Claus de la Porte, Henrik Bondo Nielsen, Morten Thanning Vendelø, Tyge Trier, Kasper Schulz, Gonzalo Diaz, Mariano Mandrake Vespa, Karina Deschamps, Pearl Jam Chile Alive, Pearl Jam Argentina, Dolores Elortondo – Søren McGuire, Kurt Bloch and Fastbacks, Johnny Sangster, Jonathan Stibbard, Marianne Søndergaard, Susanne Heitmann, Lars Puggaard, Nicola Jackson, Emil Sprange, Thomas Helbig Larsen, BEAT, Hanne Lund Birkholm, Ted Shumaker, Simon Johansen, Steen Jørgensen, Roskilde Festival, Pearl Jam Nordic, Pernille Ravn, Linnea Nilsson, Cecilie Bolgen, Reeta Jalonen, Julia Nikiforova, Jimmy PJ Perú, Dimitris PJ Kariotis, Kristian Riis, Thim Steen Jensen, Michael Lee Burgess, Maria Elena Preciado and Greg Bennetts.