Jane's Addiction has been back on tour for the last few years but without any new material. That's all changing when they hit the road with an all new Lollapalooza. At the end of July we get a brand new Jane's Addiction studio album called Strays. Produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin who was behind Pink Floyd's The Wall and Alice Cooper's School's Out. Of course they also have a new bass player as usual, Chris Chaney, but this time it's an old collaborator of their drummer Stephen Perkins.
I had an amazing conversation with Stephen Perkins. We went all the way back in his history to the first time he saw Perry Farrell and his old speed metal days with Dave Navarro.
For more into on Lollapalooza check out Lollapalooza.com.
Daniel Robert Epstein: What did you think when Perry said he wanted to do Lollapalooza again?
Steven Perkins: I was in a great mood. He came over to us and said, what list of bands would you have at your favorite party? After that we put together a list of things we'd like to do in-between the bands. He said, great I'm going to take this list to William Morris and put together Lollapalooza! We basically got all the bands we wanted and the ones that were too busy said they would have done it.
It was great because just like in 1991 its time to put together a bunch of good musicians on tour together. Fucking good players. When I think about A Perfect Circle, Queens [of the Stone Age], Incubus, Audioslave and the Donnas sure can play too. It's going to be great. Jane's has a backstage jam room with recording gear. We're going to record all summer long and I hope to make great music. Jane's jams for about an hour before we go onstage. We do about ten songs backstage full blast. We've been doing it for years with all the instruments. It gets noisy back there but fuck it with all these great bands on tour it'll be awesome.
DRE: What names did you throw out for the show?
SP: Some of the bands that made it but also the Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, Foo Fighters, Bad Brains.
DRE: Sounds like you were trying to get back to the first Lollapalooza.
SP: Yeah we even thought about doing a reunion with Rollins [Band], Butthole [Surfers], Siouxsie [and the Banshees], Nine Inch Nails, Body Count. Just to do that for one night somewhere is possible. It'd be crazy but there is next year.
DRE: Will there be another Lollapalooza after this one?
SP: I'm just a spoke in a wheel. But I'm sure Perry and William Morris want to continue the party. There are good musicians back now. It took a little while but it wasn't the musicians fault but the scene got a little burnt out.
DRE: The festivals just went dead.
SP: Too many at one time. There weren't enough musicians to choose from because there were too many. The money went up so high with everyone getting paid so much that it didn't make it worth it for the kid.
This year's Lollapalooza is wired with a 140 X-boxes with people playing these crazy games. At the end of the day two or three kids are going to end up playing on the big screen. I think that's pretty cool.
DRE: What's it like working with [ex-Alanis Morissette bass player] Chris Chaney?
SP: Chris is the shit. Because I was in Methods of Mayhem touring with him and Tommy Lee. So I was with Tommy for a year and a half. Chris was there for about half a year before he had to go back to Alanis Morissette. After the Tommy Lee experience I was thinking about Chris about he is like [John] Entwistle but he doesn't have the chance to do it with Alanis Morissette so we discussed about getting the last piece of the puzzle. We've had so many great bass players in Jane's like Flea and of course Eric [Avery]. But to find a new guy that would a shot in the arm, Chris would be perfect. He was on tour with Ben Taylor when we needed him. Our first show was in Reading England in front of 50,000 people. He said he would learn the songs the day before we went to England and nail them. Dave and Perry were a little concerned but I knew the little fucker could do it. It's been a great marriage since then. The cool thing is that me, Dave and Perry are in sync spiritually but Chris knows music theory. He can actually tell us what we're playing. It's all Greek to me but he can say, that's a b-major flat going into a third. I'm not too hip on the theory. He's got a great brain and he's always educating us. The whole team is just a freak out.
DRE: Having Bob Ezrin produce the new album must have been fantastic.
SP: That's another thing that was just like Lollapalooza man. We put together a wish list of producers and Bob was like the top one. Then the motherfucker said he would do it. It's been years since he took a year out of his life and joined a band. He'll go mix a band or do a song for a soundtrack but he was with us for a full year and he's still hanging out motherfucker. He went to every rehearsal, demos and live shows. It was just awesome. The guy is not only a great songwriter and craftsman but he's also a cool guy to hang with. He's got so many stories but I hope to do the next album with him as well.
DRE: I spoke to Paul Barker from Ministry recently and asked him what he thought of the people who thinks their band was better when they were doing drugs. I want to ask you the same thing.
SP: Well there is no better or worse. Obviously our live performances weren't better. There's no chance in hell I was there. I was really the fly on the wall because coke and heroin were never my thing. I liked to smoke one. To be honest with friendships if you know anyone who's been on coke or heroin you can't get along with them or even talk with them. You can't really get it going. Now we're real whole people with real lives and some of us have kids. Most of us are married. Not only is Jane's Addiction our music but its something we can go to but we don't have to stay there. Back in the day all it was, was Jane's Addiction. That's why we were infused with drugs and sleeping with each other's friends. Now we are more focused because we have better home lives.
DRE: I did read that you said that all three of you are better suited to being with one another.
SP: I think so. I've known Dave since I was 15 and I met Perry when I was 17. Those friendships are so deep and it was terrible to see them fucked up on drugs. But it is awesome to see them survive. With Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction I've seen some fucking shit and I'm so happy none of them passed away. Fuck the music I'm just glad they're alive. The music is better now but back then I was enjoying the ride but I don't want to see anyone destroy themselves. My best friend Dave Navarro at 15 jacked out on drugs I was not happy. Its fun to free your brain but you got to perform. I think it's great that the drugs are there to experiment with and some people get addicted and others don't, Jane's Addiction wasn't too hidden. Strays is the new one because we're a bunch of strays that survived, different ways different drugs.
DRE: A lot of young people are attending your concerts now and its still from those first albums.
SP: That's why its time for our new album. The truth is those older songs the lyrics are still relevant in 1968 or 2008. Perry was always hitting it. Not too much is different now. We cared about the music. We took the time and made high quality music. That stuff is timeless. The lyrics and the music. Who knows when Mountain Song was written. It could have been 1968. It's a fucken song that taps into an energy that's timeless and its positive rock music. You leave some concerts and you want to go break something, you leave our concert and you want to go fuck something. It's a sexual positive explosion. There's experimentation with the music that pushes the boundaries. We make the music to reach the high quality we like and it's nice to see young kids absorbing it. Because some of the music that's getting shoved down their throat isn't challenging. Not that to be challenging is always the goal but when I first heard David Bowie or the Talking Heads I don't know if I liked it but it was definitely a challenge. Then I realized that this stuff has got layers.
DRE: What's it like playing the four famous songs at the concerts? Is that still fun?
SP: Practicing them isn't fun. There is no reason to practice Mountain Song. But fuck yeah when you're onstage and playing Been Caught Stealing it feels wonderful. We know the arrangement now let's get the energy up for that night. I feel bad for a lot of bands that have to play to a click track or using sequencers because sometimes it holds back that expression because you can't speed up or slow down and you can't jam. Jane's is always jamming, Three Days is going to be different tonight than it will be tomorrow night.
DRE: How did this ten year break affect the new album?
SP: With the new record we wanted to go into the studio and just explode. Put the Ferrari into gear and punch it because that's what we do. I was pushing for more loud guitar. Dave was pushing for more tribal drums, Bob was pushing for more vocal effects. Everyone was pushing for the whole band though. Like I say we have to trust each other in the studio. If something doesn't sound good for a moment you just have to get through it, but lets try some things. That's Jane's Addiction, four guys being honest. I know Dave's personality and its like his guitar playing. Its our personalities that make the sound come out of our fingers. When Perry and I were in Porno for Pyros and Dave and Eric were in Deconstruction we all needed to be creative still but just not together.
DRE: How is the energy different when you play with Flea?
SP: Flea is the sickest. I'm been jamming with Flea since 1988. Me, him and [John] Frusciante had a band called the Three Amoebas. I love Flea to death. We had a jam session and there was spit flying out of his mouth everywhere and he's jumping around. He took the Jane's stuff very seriously. He joined the band for the 1997. Me, Dave and Flea were at Flea's house a month and half before we got Perry involved because Flea wanted to have his shit right. Then we would split and I get a call at 2 in the morning from Flea asking me if this sounds right. Onstage he is a positive jumping bean.
DRE: What was your favorite Lollapalooza besides the first one?
SP: When Porno for Pyros did the second stage at the second Lollapalooza, for me I got to be in ten cities that time and I really felt it. So that was a thrill because I got to be part of the family. But as the years went on I would just go to the LA show. It was great but I didn't feel like I got to know anybody. I like being part of the tour and feeling like a circus.
DRE: What was it like when you and Dave were in [the speed metal band] Disaster all those years ago?
SP: That was a good old time. Fuck we were only 16 and playing the Troubadour and the Roxy. We thought we were huge. I made friends with Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee. I thought we had made it. We didn't realize until we were in the clubs that our singer could not sing but our rehearsal room didn't have a proper sound system so we thought he was fine. It was quite embarrassing. I've got some tapes of it and I don't think Dave and I could ever play that fast again. We were like on fucken fire. It was like Slayer/Metallica type shit. It was a lot of fun because we're still doing the same thing. We get behind our instruments and playing rock music then going home to our lives.
DRE: What's the craziest thing you, Perry and Dave have ever gone out and done?
SP: We've all done things we shouldn't have but the craziest thing I ever did was join Jane's Addiction. Me and Dave actually saw Jane's Addiction before we joined. They had another drummer and guitar player. They did about 3 or 4 shows before me and Dave joined. When I saw what they were doing onstage it was definitely the craziest thing I ever did to join that band.
DRE: You and Perry ever get into a fist fight?
SP: Fuck no. I think its important to speak and be honest with each other. I get all my anger out behind the drum kit. Its lucky for me because if don't play the drums for a few days I feel it. I feel like I got to go hit something.
DRE: What's your favorite type of girl, punk, emo or Goth?
SP: I'll go for a punk chick.
DRE: You ever slept with a Goth girl though?
SP: Of course. Back in the Jane's days of the late 80, early 90's it was a beautiful thing because a lot of girls would come backstage but Dave, Perry and Eric were into their drug thing so they weren't interested. I got them all. I was lucky that way.
DRE: What's it like knowing that 50 years from now people are still going to be listening to Jane's Addiction?
SP: Feels like we finally did something right. My job as a human being is to be good to the earth, maybe plant some trees and play drums.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
I had an amazing conversation with Stephen Perkins. We went all the way back in his history to the first time he saw Perry Farrell and his old speed metal days with Dave Navarro.
For more into on Lollapalooza check out Lollapalooza.com.
Daniel Robert Epstein: What did you think when Perry said he wanted to do Lollapalooza again?
Steven Perkins: I was in a great mood. He came over to us and said, what list of bands would you have at your favorite party? After that we put together a list of things we'd like to do in-between the bands. He said, great I'm going to take this list to William Morris and put together Lollapalooza! We basically got all the bands we wanted and the ones that were too busy said they would have done it.
It was great because just like in 1991 its time to put together a bunch of good musicians on tour together. Fucking good players. When I think about A Perfect Circle, Queens [of the Stone Age], Incubus, Audioslave and the Donnas sure can play too. It's going to be great. Jane's has a backstage jam room with recording gear. We're going to record all summer long and I hope to make great music. Jane's jams for about an hour before we go onstage. We do about ten songs backstage full blast. We've been doing it for years with all the instruments. It gets noisy back there but fuck it with all these great bands on tour it'll be awesome.
DRE: What names did you throw out for the show?
SP: Some of the bands that made it but also the Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, Foo Fighters, Bad Brains.
DRE: Sounds like you were trying to get back to the first Lollapalooza.
SP: Yeah we even thought about doing a reunion with Rollins [Band], Butthole [Surfers], Siouxsie [and the Banshees], Nine Inch Nails, Body Count. Just to do that for one night somewhere is possible. It'd be crazy but there is next year.
DRE: Will there be another Lollapalooza after this one?
SP: I'm just a spoke in a wheel. But I'm sure Perry and William Morris want to continue the party. There are good musicians back now. It took a little while but it wasn't the musicians fault but the scene got a little burnt out.
DRE: The festivals just went dead.
SP: Too many at one time. There weren't enough musicians to choose from because there were too many. The money went up so high with everyone getting paid so much that it didn't make it worth it for the kid.
This year's Lollapalooza is wired with a 140 X-boxes with people playing these crazy games. At the end of the day two or three kids are going to end up playing on the big screen. I think that's pretty cool.
DRE: What's it like working with [ex-Alanis Morissette bass player] Chris Chaney?
SP: Chris is the shit. Because I was in Methods of Mayhem touring with him and Tommy Lee. So I was with Tommy for a year and a half. Chris was there for about half a year before he had to go back to Alanis Morissette. After the Tommy Lee experience I was thinking about Chris about he is like [John] Entwistle but he doesn't have the chance to do it with Alanis Morissette so we discussed about getting the last piece of the puzzle. We've had so many great bass players in Jane's like Flea and of course Eric [Avery]. But to find a new guy that would a shot in the arm, Chris would be perfect. He was on tour with Ben Taylor when we needed him. Our first show was in Reading England in front of 50,000 people. He said he would learn the songs the day before we went to England and nail them. Dave and Perry were a little concerned but I knew the little fucker could do it. It's been a great marriage since then. The cool thing is that me, Dave and Perry are in sync spiritually but Chris knows music theory. He can actually tell us what we're playing. It's all Greek to me but he can say, that's a b-major flat going into a third. I'm not too hip on the theory. He's got a great brain and he's always educating us. The whole team is just a freak out.
DRE: Having Bob Ezrin produce the new album must have been fantastic.
SP: That's another thing that was just like Lollapalooza man. We put together a wish list of producers and Bob was like the top one. Then the motherfucker said he would do it. It's been years since he took a year out of his life and joined a band. He'll go mix a band or do a song for a soundtrack but he was with us for a full year and he's still hanging out motherfucker. He went to every rehearsal, demos and live shows. It was just awesome. The guy is not only a great songwriter and craftsman but he's also a cool guy to hang with. He's got so many stories but I hope to do the next album with him as well.
DRE: I spoke to Paul Barker from Ministry recently and asked him what he thought of the people who thinks their band was better when they were doing drugs. I want to ask you the same thing.
SP: Well there is no better or worse. Obviously our live performances weren't better. There's no chance in hell I was there. I was really the fly on the wall because coke and heroin were never my thing. I liked to smoke one. To be honest with friendships if you know anyone who's been on coke or heroin you can't get along with them or even talk with them. You can't really get it going. Now we're real whole people with real lives and some of us have kids. Most of us are married. Not only is Jane's Addiction our music but its something we can go to but we don't have to stay there. Back in the day all it was, was Jane's Addiction. That's why we were infused with drugs and sleeping with each other's friends. Now we are more focused because we have better home lives.
DRE: I did read that you said that all three of you are better suited to being with one another.
SP: I think so. I've known Dave since I was 15 and I met Perry when I was 17. Those friendships are so deep and it was terrible to see them fucked up on drugs. But it is awesome to see them survive. With Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction I've seen some fucking shit and I'm so happy none of them passed away. Fuck the music I'm just glad they're alive. The music is better now but back then I was enjoying the ride but I don't want to see anyone destroy themselves. My best friend Dave Navarro at 15 jacked out on drugs I was not happy. Its fun to free your brain but you got to perform. I think it's great that the drugs are there to experiment with and some people get addicted and others don't, Jane's Addiction wasn't too hidden. Strays is the new one because we're a bunch of strays that survived, different ways different drugs.
DRE: A lot of young people are attending your concerts now and its still from those first albums.
SP: That's why its time for our new album. The truth is those older songs the lyrics are still relevant in 1968 or 2008. Perry was always hitting it. Not too much is different now. We cared about the music. We took the time and made high quality music. That stuff is timeless. The lyrics and the music. Who knows when Mountain Song was written. It could have been 1968. It's a fucken song that taps into an energy that's timeless and its positive rock music. You leave some concerts and you want to go break something, you leave our concert and you want to go fuck something. It's a sexual positive explosion. There's experimentation with the music that pushes the boundaries. We make the music to reach the high quality we like and it's nice to see young kids absorbing it. Because some of the music that's getting shoved down their throat isn't challenging. Not that to be challenging is always the goal but when I first heard David Bowie or the Talking Heads I don't know if I liked it but it was definitely a challenge. Then I realized that this stuff has got layers.
DRE: What's it like playing the four famous songs at the concerts? Is that still fun?
SP: Practicing them isn't fun. There is no reason to practice Mountain Song. But fuck yeah when you're onstage and playing Been Caught Stealing it feels wonderful. We know the arrangement now let's get the energy up for that night. I feel bad for a lot of bands that have to play to a click track or using sequencers because sometimes it holds back that expression because you can't speed up or slow down and you can't jam. Jane's is always jamming, Three Days is going to be different tonight than it will be tomorrow night.
DRE: How did this ten year break affect the new album?
SP: With the new record we wanted to go into the studio and just explode. Put the Ferrari into gear and punch it because that's what we do. I was pushing for more loud guitar. Dave was pushing for more tribal drums, Bob was pushing for more vocal effects. Everyone was pushing for the whole band though. Like I say we have to trust each other in the studio. If something doesn't sound good for a moment you just have to get through it, but lets try some things. That's Jane's Addiction, four guys being honest. I know Dave's personality and its like his guitar playing. Its our personalities that make the sound come out of our fingers. When Perry and I were in Porno for Pyros and Dave and Eric were in Deconstruction we all needed to be creative still but just not together.
DRE: How is the energy different when you play with Flea?
SP: Flea is the sickest. I'm been jamming with Flea since 1988. Me, him and [John] Frusciante had a band called the Three Amoebas. I love Flea to death. We had a jam session and there was spit flying out of his mouth everywhere and he's jumping around. He took the Jane's stuff very seriously. He joined the band for the 1997. Me, Dave and Flea were at Flea's house a month and half before we got Perry involved because Flea wanted to have his shit right. Then we would split and I get a call at 2 in the morning from Flea asking me if this sounds right. Onstage he is a positive jumping bean.
DRE: What was your favorite Lollapalooza besides the first one?
SP: When Porno for Pyros did the second stage at the second Lollapalooza, for me I got to be in ten cities that time and I really felt it. So that was a thrill because I got to be part of the family. But as the years went on I would just go to the LA show. It was great but I didn't feel like I got to know anybody. I like being part of the tour and feeling like a circus.
DRE: What was it like when you and Dave were in [the speed metal band] Disaster all those years ago?
SP: That was a good old time. Fuck we were only 16 and playing the Troubadour and the Roxy. We thought we were huge. I made friends with Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee. I thought we had made it. We didn't realize until we were in the clubs that our singer could not sing but our rehearsal room didn't have a proper sound system so we thought he was fine. It was quite embarrassing. I've got some tapes of it and I don't think Dave and I could ever play that fast again. We were like on fucken fire. It was like Slayer/Metallica type shit. It was a lot of fun because we're still doing the same thing. We get behind our instruments and playing rock music then going home to our lives.
DRE: What's the craziest thing you, Perry and Dave have ever gone out and done?
SP: We've all done things we shouldn't have but the craziest thing I ever did was join Jane's Addiction. Me and Dave actually saw Jane's Addiction before we joined. They had another drummer and guitar player. They did about 3 or 4 shows before me and Dave joined. When I saw what they were doing onstage it was definitely the craziest thing I ever did to join that band.
DRE: You and Perry ever get into a fist fight?
SP: Fuck no. I think its important to speak and be honest with each other. I get all my anger out behind the drum kit. Its lucky for me because if don't play the drums for a few days I feel it. I feel like I got to go hit something.
DRE: What's your favorite type of girl, punk, emo or Goth?
SP: I'll go for a punk chick.
DRE: You ever slept with a Goth girl though?
SP: Of course. Back in the Jane's days of the late 80, early 90's it was a beautiful thing because a lot of girls would come backstage but Dave, Perry and Eric were into their drug thing so they weren't interested. I got them all. I was lucky that way.
DRE: What's it like knowing that 50 years from now people are still going to be listening to Jane's Addiction?
SP: Feels like we finally did something right. My job as a human being is to be good to the earth, maybe plant some trees and play drums.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
VIEW 13 of 13 COMMENTS
It kind of becomes a bit of a pop album. Fast and instant, very hectic, which ain't a bad thing. Just different.
I love Price I Pay and Wrong Girl