| No One’s Leaving
Despite what you may have read about Jane’s Addiction recently, Perry Farrell is having a better time than ever. The stories from the band’s tour with Nine Inch Nails — hilariously dubbed the NIN/JA tour — have included Farrell tearing a calf muscle on the third show.
A photo of the band using teleprompters has also been making the rounds on the Web, providing haters an easy opportunity to knock the band. But the singer addresses all matters with the charismatic combination of grounded quick wit and astral mysticism that made him an alt-rock icon. When asked about the teleprompters, Farrell says, “I’m glad you asked me, so I can clear this up. I have no memory.” His comic timing is impeccable. He says the truth is that his assistant programmed the teleprompters for a show celebrating his 50th birthday in March, where special guests like Deborah Harry and Billy Idol performed under-rehearsed covers for fun. The fact that a Jane’s song is on the screen in the photo Farrell chocks up to a very thorough assistant. “I don’t need any teleprompters,” he says. Though the Jane’s Addiction moniker has appeared on marquees over the years, this is the first reunion with all four original members since the band self-imploded on the very first Lollapalooza tour in 1991. “We’ve gotten a lot better, because musicians do get better with time,” says Farrell, when asked about his band's status, and this doesn’t just apply to the music. “To tell you the truth, man, we’re getting along better than ever,” he says. “There was a time when we loved each other, that was at the beginning, and of course as we all know, there was a time where we hated each other, and now we like each other.” Will it ever be love again? “I’m not going to try to snow you over,” he says. “We’re getting to know each other, we haven’t hung out for 18 years.” This begs the question of whether or not the caustic ingredients that made them go their separate ways are still there. Chemical intake was a huge contribution to their breakup. Are they all clean now? “That was a huge deal,” acknowledges Farrell, before adding, “No.” Wait. They’re not clean? “This is rock ‘n’ roll, man. You can’t expect complete sobriety when you’re a rock ‘n’ roller,” he says. “I don’t want to be totally clean, that’s my choice. I mean, my whole life is based around partying.” This is true. He has a successful DJ gig as DJ Peretz, and let us not forget that the guy invented Lollapalooza, the expansive alternative music festival that quickly became a tradition and inspired many imitators after its first successful summer. “If I was clean you wouldn’t be getting Jane’s Addiction,” he says. “I almost owe it to all of you.” There is a charming levity to his voice on the last thing he says. Not only is his whole life based around partying, but he is the life of the party. It’s a great thing that everyone has accepted the invitation this time. With all of the different people who have stood in for bassist Eric A., what is it like to have the guy who came up with these bass lines back in the fold? “That’s the guy who laid down that bass frequency,” says Farrell. “I love Flea and he’s one of the greatest bass players of all time, but he’s got a different vibration to him and that was a magic time, those late ‘80s early ‘90s in music history, I think, is very underappreciated, but if you look back, that might have been the last time there were groups that were wild groups that spoke for the people. … We were the voice of a generation, the music industry was healthy, they gave us the license to go out and say whatever the hell we wanted and play whatever the hell we wanted. It’s not like today. So, to have those players, all of those guys, to have them still around, and totally shredding, I’m telling you man, you don’t want to miss this show.”Back |
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