JANES ADDICTION POISED FOR COMEBACK IN 2008?

Drummer Stephen Perkins, who is currently putting together Jane’s Addiction Box Set talks about the possibilities of a Jane’s Addiction return in 2008!

Though Jane’s Addiction only released three studio albums and one live album in their brief career, the band’s effect on Rock Music in the 1990’s was something that can’t be overlooked. During their second go-around earlier this decade the band parted ways with bassist Eric Avery and replaced him briefly with Flea and then Chris Chaney, it seems even that couldn’t keep the band from prematurely ending their career for good after their last tour together in 2003.

At the end of 2006, Jane’s Addiction released their first ever greatest hits album titled ‘Up From the Catacombs – The Best of Jane’s Addiction’ and according to the band’s drummer, Stephen Perkins, who controls the ‘Jane’s Addiction Audio Vault,’ that was just the beginning of a three part package the band plans on releasing for their fans.

“Well that was the beginning. It’s a three tier package. That’s the first record (Greatest Hits), later this year in 2008 there’s going to be a box set with a bunch of unreleased weird things, that’s really a lot of it’s coming from my home collection and a lot of cool DVD stuff. We’re going to take ‘Soul Kiss’ and ‘Gift’ and other things and put a DVD out. So, it’s a whole, it’s like a three tier project. So, the first one ‘Up from the Catacombs’ was real simple picking those tunes, they’re just like the staples of Jane’s. The next two projects I think it’s going to be a little more fun finding the odd stuff. Even if it wasn’t mixed right or if it’s not a great visual but it’s something cool, I think it’s going to go in.”

When Dave Navarro was questioned in September 2007 about a possible Jane’s Addiction reunion, he suggested that it would never occur because the band members “did not get along on any level” and that it was “pretty bad.” But how does Perkins feel about the possibility of making music again with his long time friend, Perry Farrell, whom he also collaborated with in Porno for Pyros?

“Well I mean, twenty five years in the making here with Porno and Jane’s and a lot of other things we’ve done together. I’m hoping in ’08 we’ll make some music together. ’07 was very dry between us but I think it was a good time for a break. I’m open to making music with friends. So, if everyone is in good head space, that’s when it’s time to make music. Some of the greatest players in my mind aren’t the technical ones, they’re the cool guys. The guys that have a good personality and you can hear their music and go ‘That guy’s either well read and very intelligent and this guy’s very hyper and he just lives his life on the edge. If you can hear that in the music and in the personality, that’s the kind of people I want to play with. Perry’s a great artist of course. He’s an amazing artist and I like to work with great artists and that’s what Perry is, so hopefully they’ll be a future.”

It seems like just when the band reached their greatest mainstream success they prematurely broke up due to possible drug related personality clashes. We also spoke with Perkins about his thoughts on Jane’s Addiction’s premature break up.

“You know in ’86 to start the band there was a punk movement. There was a feeling of just making music representing the streets that we came from and singing about what we do. And kind of taking what me and Navarro were into, which was still the metal thing Metallica, Maiden, Zeppelin and what Eric and Perry were into, which was Bau Haus, Joy Division, Echo, Souixe, the darkness of that and the electricity of the metal was what the sound was. But the vibe was really to just be a punk band and play for our friends you know. The camp was Fishbone, Chili Peppers, X and that was the scene and as soon as things started happening is when we broke up, like you said. Yeah, and it would’ve been great if we had a manager who said ‘You know what take a year off!’ and instead the manager said ‘I don’t know what to tell you!’ So we broke up.”

Perkins, Navarro and Chaney have teamed with vocalist Steve Issacs to form The Panic Channel, who released their debut album ‘(ONe)’ in 2006. Currently Farrell is performing with his latest band Satellite Party, who released their debut album ‘Ultra Payloaded’ in 2007 yet perform many Jane’s Addiction songs in their live set. Hopefully, the guys can squash whatever differences and animosity that’s still lingering and give their fans what they’ve patiently been waiting for, another Jane’s Addiction studio album followed by a world tour.