Jane’s Addiction was a seminal Los Angeles band of the early alternative rock era and went on to become an icon of ‘90s skate and pop culture.
Formed in 1985, the quartet – singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery – quickly became a Hollywood sensation for a sound that updated the Velvet Underground’s urban nihilism with a tribal streak and seedy L.A. glamour. They were distinctly set apart from the vapid hair metal of the Sunset Strip with a sound and style that was as indebted to Iggy and the Stooges as it was to Led Zeppelin.
After recording its first album live onstage at the Roxy in West Hollywood, the group became cult stars with 1988’s “Nothing’s Shocking.” It featured a racy video for “Mountain Song” that was banned from the almighty tastemaker of the time, MTV.
The band followed it up with 1990’s “Ritual de lo Habitual,” which also coincided with Farrell’s founding of the Lollapalooza festival in 1991. The album and the festival became a cultural touchstone of ‘90s rock. Despite hits like “Been Caught Stealing” and “Stop!,” the band broke up soon thereafter. Farrell continued to host the Lollapalooza tour, which remains as an annual Chicago festival.
The band reunited several times, including in 1997, 2001 and again in 2008 (the first reunion to include Avery). The band toured with Nine Inch Nails in 2009, and though Avery again left the band they released a new album. “The Great Escape Artist.” in 2011. The band earned its Hollywood Walk of Fame star on Oct. 30, 2013.
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