Jane's Addiction have quietly come back to the music world as the elder statesmen of alternative music and culture, lead by the iconoclastic Perry Farrell. A performer who has admitted there was a time when he was sure he would leave a beautiful corpse while in Jane's Addiction. And though he has come close, the years have been kind to Farrell. The year of 2003 saw the release of Strays, the first full album of new material from Jane's in 13 years and the resurrection of Lollapalooza from the rubble of good ideas gone completely corporate.

 

Unfortunately all of the momentum lead to burn out, and the band had to cancel a year end tour of the East Coast. "We were touring non-stop and I just think that there's a certain mystique with Jane's Addition and I think it's a beautiful mystique and it's never a bad idea to stop for a minute and see what's going on and not be in a hurry. I have Lollapalooza to build and that gives me a little more time for DJing and the writing of the electronic music; And writing music for the next album too."

 

And it's the DJing that has Farrell on the road for a bit before he puts the wheels of Lollapalooza in motion. "I started DJing when I was in the third grade, believe it or not. I did it because I got into a fight with all my boy friends. They wouldn't sit with me at lunch and they wouldn't let me play in their games. This went on for a while and what I decided to do was to hang out with the girls. I had all of the girls coming over to my house after school and I would play them records in my backyard. And it led to the boys coming down on their bicycles to see what was going on 'cause all the girls were hanging out at my house. And eventually they made up with me because I had all the girls hanging out with me. That was my first DJ experience. But as a professional DJ I started to do it in the late 90's after researching and enjoying going out to clubs throughout the 90's. And because I had a studio, I incorporated turntables into the studio and started learning how they wrote this wonderful and amazing music. I got my nerve up and decided to out there and DJ. I embarrassed myself for a number of years until now where I think I have a fairly decent mix going."

 

Say what you will about Farrell, but the influence that he had on what alternative music culture became in the '90's is undeniable. Before Kurt Cobain and Nirvana sang songs about angst, apathy and addiction, Farrell and company started their own butterfly effect by coking up a dose of an elixir that there was a different way of approaching music, art, sex and drugs. "I believe that you never rest as an artist. It means a lot to hear what people say... And it isn't that I don't trust what they say, but I don't trust my own hype. I feel that the only thing that's going on is what's going on tomorrow. And as an artist you have to be constantly introducing "fresh fashion", so to speak, in art. And my goal is to add something to the stream of electronic music. I'd like to write songs using the sonics of the electronics because it feels good in a house to hear it. So I think Jane's has done a great job, but at the same time, I don't think you can rest on your laurels."

 

Farrell has always been a man with her fingers in many different pies, but it is clear that his focus in on using Lollapalooza and his influence to perpetuate a global ideology. "I would like to create a media hub that would go across the mediums of television, radio and mobile technology. And then of course, include the live events. That's a very powerful combination for not only spreading message, but also education and entertainment. I think that Lollapalooza could become a worldwide brand. And I see it going around the world to beautiful locations setting up alternative energy cities, and very importantly, leaving the energy behind; Laving the cells and windmills behind so that people can power themselves."