As you read this, there’s a fairly good chance that Jane’s Addiction have already breathed their last breath as a creative entity going forward. At this point, it’s impossible to forecast how things will shake out, especially since they just released a new single — fittingly enough, titled “True Love” — last week. “True Love” emerges amidst a swirl of chaos and uncertainty, released barely 48 hours after the band pulled out of their latest reunion tour with 15 dates still left to go, leaving co-headliners Love and Rockets stranded. (Demand for tickets was brisk enough that six additional shows had been added.)
The tour cancellation seemed inevitable after a much-publicized onstage altercation prematurely halted a show in Boston on 13th September. If the timing of the single seems confusing, it’s more or less on-brand for a group that have teetered on the brink for pretty much their entire lifespan. We should remember that frontperson Perry Farrell planned the first Jane Addiction breakup before they headlined the inaugural Lollapalooza festival in 1991 — their most enduring contribution to the cultural landscape (besides the music).
As Jane’s Addiction fans know all too well, chronic dysfunction comes with the territory in this case. By the height of their popularity in 1990-1991, substance abuse and intra-band friction had reached absurd, even dangerous levels. Yet Jane’s Addiction left a footprint on par with — if not greater than — Nirvana as the ultimate paragon of the alternative zeitgeist. But their legend is effectively synonymous with a sense of unfinished business, having left the world with two era-defining classics and nagging questions about what could have been.
This latest implosion of Jane’s Addiction marks the second reunion of the classic lineup to go off the rails. A previous attempt at reconvening with co-founding bassist Eric Avery may have lasted longer — from 2008 to 2010 — but that reunion also fizzled with the promise of new material left unfulfilled. If you count 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking and 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual as formative touchstones in your life as a listener, then you’ve probably accepted that we’ll never know what Jane’s Addiction could have accomplished had they kept their momentum going.
To be blunt, “True Love” sheds little, if any, light on what Jane’s Addiction might still have left in the tank. A barebones, melodramatic ballad, “True Love”, would probably have been better suited as a rough demo by the likes of theatrical Tejano-influenced folk/indie outfits like Calexico and Murder By Death. “True Love”, lacks all the familiar Jane’s Addiction hallmarks — the reverb-soaked swells of Dave Navarro’s guitarwork, the shamanic pulse of Stephen Perkins’ drums, Avery’s earworm bass hooks, and, of course, Farrell’s ability to reach for the sublime despite the limitations of his warbly voice.
Here’s the catch, though: it’s unfair to try and gauge “True Love” outside the context of a whole album. Unlike their last dalliance with Avery, this time, Jane’s Addiction are reportedly sitting on a record that’s “mostly completed”, according to an NBC News article on the tour cancellation. (The band’s publicist did not answer a request for an official update.) Further, the first offering of new material from this reunion, “Imminent Redemption”, which surfaced in July, lands far closer to that old Jane Addiction magic — tantalizingly close.
If you were lucky enough to catch Jane’s Addiction in concert during their heyday, then you’re aware of the mystifying power they once generated onstage. Undoubtedly, the ineffable alchemy unique to these four players has faded somewhat. Still, it would be a shame if “True Love” were the last thing we ever heard from them, particularly since new music has already come into being. If these new recordings don’t do justice to their legacy, they have simply come too far to turn back now.
Even if the members of Jane’s Addiction can’t reconcile their relationships on a personal level, they owe it to themselves to finish what they started and follow through on seeing this album to term. If we’re being honest, the record is unlikely to match the sheer epic majesty they captured on Ritual de lo Habitual’s. Thirty-four years is a long time for a group’s creative chemistry to erode. But we might as well be privy to whatever’s left of the spark they once shared. Why not?
Jimi Hazel, guitarist and leader of 24-Spyz — a Bronx-based outfit that surfed the same genre-bending wave as their peers in bands like Primus, Living Colour, Urban Dance Squad, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, and Jane Addiction — perhaps put it best. In a Facebook post accompanied by an old photo of him and his bandmate Rick Skatore smiling and cavorting with Perkins and Farrell, Hazel was more empathetic to the human side of the equation.
“At the end of the day,” Hazel wrote, “all I want is for my friends to either shit or get off the pot. If what’s broken cannot be fixed, go forth and live your lives as best as humanly possible”.
Fair enough — Hazel’s perspective is certainly understandable, considering he’s endured his share of career shakeups in his own right. He can look at situations like this as more than just a fan hungry for music. But on the flip side, if what’s broken was never fixed, to begin with, then that brokenness never stopped this band from creating great art. If there’s any inspiration left in Jane’s Addiction’s tired old bones, then it’s only fitting that the inspiration sees the light of day.
Either way, if the past is any indication, we’re probably in for more of the “high stakes and high drama” that Farrell sings about on “Imminent Redemption”. Let’s see how it goes.