From 1985 to 1991, Jane's Addiction ruled the alternative rock stage. The potent mix of Perry Farrell's theatrics and sex-and-death lyricism exploded with the help of Dave Navarro's pyrotechnic guitar and Stephen Perkins' thunderous drumming. Meanwhile, quiet bassist Eric Avery's hypnotic backbone kept the rhythm thumping, even though he barely made a peep. Fitting then, that it took the comparatively silent Avery to reunite the band, if only for one show.
That show is the New Music Express Awards, which takes place at the El Rey in Los Angeles on April 23, with a live stream on MySpace, in which Jane's Addiction will be honored with NME's Godlike Genius Award. That genius would never have been evident without either their 1987 self-titled debut, which became a cult favorite thanks to covers of the Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll" and the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" or their proper 1988 full-length studio debut Nothing's Shocking, which offered a second version of their acoustic anthem "Jane Says" as well as apocalyptic rockers like "Mountain Song" and "Ocean Size." It was shortly after their 1990 crossover hit Ritual de la Habitual that the band variously imploded, with Avery vowing never to return. Well, until now, that is.
"I've chosen to reject the prospects of reuniting in the past for personal and philosophical reasons," Avery said in a press release. "I have always considered reunions to be a way to make a quick buck, and it sells short my own experience of it the first time around. The reason I started to even consider this is because it's honoring the past instead of trying to recreate it."
The final irony? Avery's debut solo effort was released last week. Its title? Help Wanted. How did that lyric from "Mountain Song" go? Oh yeah. "Cash in now, baby. Cash in now."
Photo: Barry Brecheisen of JanesAddiction.com
