Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell on New Music, the Band’s Infighting and a Path to Redemption

Perry Farrell is reclining with a vitamin IV inserted into his left arm, talking about the reunion of Jane’s Addiction, a band that redefined rock music the ‘80s and ‘90s, and offering a stream-of-thought commentary about his music and the state of the world. 

“I don’t want to talk badly about anybody, but I shouldn’t want to let people get away with murder and destroy this planet,” Farrell tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast when asked about his mindset regarding the intersection of music and commerce. “This planet is too precious to me, and my way of of combating that is to sing [and] to wisen myself. And then I try to get through [using] art and music. And then I build the party and I invite the best people I could invite. And they invite their friends, and they want to show up. And then the next thing you know, you’re standing next to people you’d never be standing next to, you know, and they’re all getting off, and they’re doing their thing, and they feel safe and they feel welcome.”

Jane’s Addiction has been through breakups, arguments and a rotating cast of visiting and semi-permanent members since their 1990 LP Ritual de lo Habitual. This time around, though, Farrell has gathered his original bandmates — guitarist Dave Navarro, bass player Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins — for the first time since 2010.

The foursome toured Europe from May to July and released a blistering new track, “Imminent Redemption,” on July 24 that harkens back to the group’s first two studio albums, 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual. “It was wonderful to have us all together again,” Farrell admits.

Next comes a co-headlining tour with Love and Rockets that started on Aug. 9 and runs through Sept. 26. “The tour is centered around the the idea of redemption,” says Farrell. “And the era that we’re living in, the era of redemption, it’s going to be a bumpy road. But then there should be peace for 1,000 years. I’ve studied mysticism for a good 30 years. I’m looking forward to the future of the world.”

With the original members reunited, Farrell says the concerts are featuring only songs they recorded together: the initial three albums — including the 1987, self-titled live album — and “Imminent Redemption.” That means nothing from 2003’s Strays, which features the band’s highest charting single, “Just Because,” nor 2011’s The Great Escape Artist. Strays featured bass player Chris Chaney in place of Avery. Chaney and Dave Sitek from the band TV on the Radio played bass on The Great Escape Artist.

“I wanted everybody to feel comfortable,” Farrell says about the decision not to play songs from other incarnations of Jane’s Addiction. “And I think that was the a good decision. In that regard, I like it. There are other songs that we could do with the original members. That I would like to see before everything is … I don’t want to say busted apart, but I don’t know the next time we’ll be touring again.”

The road to redemption hasn’t been without its bumps, though. Last year, Farrell told a journalist the band planned on entering the studio and recording a new album after a tour in Australia. One of those tracks was “True Love,” a song the band debuted on tour in 2023. But while “Imminent Redemption” reached the public, no album materialized. 

“I’m sad to say we got those two songs out, and I thought we were going in a great direction, and all of a sudden, you know, arguing started happening again,” Farrell says with disappointment. “But we’ll still go forward,” he adds. “I’m not going to give up. Not giving up on this. I have to put my money where my mouth is. If I want to talk about freedom and redemption, I’ve gotta live it—and I’ve gotta be truthful too, about it. So, hang in there and pray, really pray for us. I’m praying for the world to to come together.”

Listen to the entire interview with Perry Farrell at the embedded Spotify player, or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon Music or Everand. 

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Written by Mr. Nimbus