Photo: Boston Globe
In June 2023, OceanGate's Titan submersible infamously imploded while on a journey to see the Titanic wreckage, killing all five people onboard including the company's CEO Stockton Rush. And according to one of OceanGate's videographers, Rush wanted to take the members of Pearl Jam along for a ride.
In a new Netflix documentary about the tragic accident called Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster, a videographer named Joseph Assi recalled how he was hired by Rush to help put a spotlight on the company, which was founded in 2009.
“They needed more exposure, that’s why we came along,” Assi explained in the film. “The sub they were making was very basic, so the idea was – ‘Make us videos so we can catch the attention of people.’”
“They had wild ideas, like they want to take Pearl Jam in the submarine, or he talked about some floating city that could also submerge,” he pointed out.
As Loudwire reports, there's no evidence online that Rush was a fan of Pearl Jam or that anyone from OceanGate ever approached the band with an invitation to board the vessel, but it's still a chilling thought.
Pearl Jam wrapped up a short North American tour last month and Eddie Vedder's gearing up to perform at his Ohana Festival in September alongside a stacked lineup including Green Day and Hozier.