My Name Is Perry And I'm A Recovering Rock God

Though it rattles me to say so, 1991 was a long, long time ago. But in spite of 18 years and several revolutions of the hip becoming lame, it looks like the original lineup of Jane's Addiction is attempting to put away the knives long enough to hit the road with Nine Inch Nails in what will be a reunion of the two major acts from 1991's inaugural Lollapalooza. There are some acts that perpetually remain on my must see list. Jane's Addiction is one of them. But God Perry Farrell breaks my heart. Remember this guy?

There was a time when Perry Farrell was cool personified. He was a channel through which the God Of Cool shone forth with brilliant luminosity. But the God Of Cool is a fickle God and usually flees his inhabitant long before the former inhabitant is ready to let him go. The former inhabitant of the God Of Cool frequently continues to gyrate and offer up inauthentic versions of liberated frenzy to perplexed onlookers. Some are lucky enough to OD. Others, well, see for yourself...

Others, like Farrell, raid Liberace's closet and keep belting out Been Caught Stealing like we're not two decades removed from his relevance.

Don't get me wrong. This is not mere snarky mockery. Perry Farrell breaks my heart. He still looks so eager and earnest. He continues to say bizarre things with the hope to dazzle. You can almost hear him thinking: I still got it. I'm where the party's at. Ooooga Boooga!

Who can explain these eruptions of the Gods? They come and go without our say so. We are here for them and not the other way round. In the late 80s and early 90s, Farrell was a vibrating locus of ecstasy and madness. He was all heroin and love and torn down walls between self and other. His performances were possessed, a reconstruction of the Greek experience of Dionysus. There was wine and fucking and plenty of forgetting. But the price to be paid for all this revelry is destruction, usually of the self (see Morrison, Hendrix, and Cobain). Shiva demands his due. And so Farrell, ripping off all his clothes in Jane's Addiction's last show in Hawaii, dismembered not himself, but his band - the band that itself created the arena for his revelry and excess.

And the nymphs fled.

What follows is years and years of mediocre bands, lukewarm Jane's reunions, and flat solo projects. But who can blame Perry Farrell for groping around on all fours in search of lost magic? Would we behave any differently if we were so crippled by the blessing and flight of the Gods? Probably not. Well, I for one wouldn't be caught dead in that pink jacket. But I'd definitely be on the horn with Dave Navarro saying "Commmming dowwn the mountainnnnn. Remember that, Dave? Remember? What'cha been up to? Say. Do you still have a guitar?"

And who am I to talk smack when I'm so willing to shell out the dough for a glimpse at something lost? I have no defense. This current reincarnation marks the first time the original 4 members are back together since the original breakup. I'll go for nostalgia. I'll go to for 1991. I'll close my eyes and mouth the words to Ocean Size, listening for an echo of Dionysus, trying to remember how we used to forget.

Comments

[Hilary]

Is he ill? Why is he so gaunt? I am going to ignore the jacket because I have to.

[Moo]

I have to say, this is a fantastic essay on a band I've never much cared for. I love music from that era, though, and feel like this is as relevant about Farrell as it is about so much of the talent from that time. Really well written and insightful piece. Well done!

[Fairly Odd Mother]

Jane Says is my absolute favorite song of all time, so I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Perry Farrell, stupid hats and all. And, not to sound like an old fart, but I miss the music of that time so much. I'll gladly go back in time to a Jane's Addiction/NIN show.

[Catherine S]

Great post!! I too remember the early 90's with great fondness. I guess at the very least Perry Ferrell isn't quite as scary and pathetic as Axl Rose???? My most vivid memory of ol Perry is a hallucination from a shroom trip, beckoning me from a poster on my wall. Um, yeah...

[Holmes]

I saw them on a reunion tour in 2000, with Flea on bass. As much as I enjoyed it, as awesome as it was to make out with my then-girlfriend during Summertime Rolls, it definitely felt like a replay of a moment that had passed.

[CaseyContrarian]

So true. Excellent post. I was there in '89 and '91, and I can attest to the fact that this is not the same man who wrote "And Then She Did."

I didn't see the faux-reunions, but I'll be there for this. Sigh.

[Kara]

That was one hell of a piece, BHJ. I know I'm but one of many who can't extract music from memories. I rely on release dates of songs to help me keep my memories in the right order. The JA/NIN drawer is deep. Oh so deep.

Yeah, I'll probably buy a few tickets.

[Sarah]

HELL Yes. The best music of the last 35 years came out of the early 90's. You just geeked me up so hardcore for Lolla 2009.

[norm]

Crap. Well, there goes my theory that you, Black Hockey Jesus, are in fact Perry Ferrell in drag.