'Even Flow' of oxygen: Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder quit smoking after conversation with Martin Short

Eddie Vedder is just breathing a bit better after a conversation with an unlikely source convinced him to quit smoking.

As the Pearl Jam frontman revealed during an interview with the Fly on the Wall podcast with Dana Carvey and David Spade, said conversation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic while on the phone with former SNL cast member Martin Short.

Vedder said that he started smoking again during the pandemic after initially trying to quit, and told Short that when the comedian called to check in on him.

"I said, 'Well, I'm frustrated with myself, I'm smoking again,'" Vedder recalled.

Short then asked if Vedder was smoking cigarettes or pot. When Vedder said cigarettes, Short replied, "Oh, are you still waiting for more literature on that?"

"And that was the last time I ever had a cigarette," Vedder said.

He added, "Maybe not really, but it makes for a better story."

Also during the podcast, Vedder reminisced about Pearl Jam's 1994 SNL performance, during which the band had the rare opportunity to play three songs instead of the usual two.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.