Jane’s Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell spoke to Metal Hammer about everything from the worst part being in a band, to ghosts and studying Kabbalah.
Asked what the worst part about being in a band was, Farrell admitted that it can be hard to organise and create music when you’re working with four different schedules.
“I’ve been in band situations for 35 years and god bless all my bandmates, but it’s very difficult to keep a band going because we all are individual artists and when every decision has to pass through four separate lives, it becomes difficult,” Farrell said.
He added: “Artistically, I’m enjoying all the new collaborations with the new record, but I also like being able to be the captain of the ship and driving where I want to go.”
After revealing he had cried that morning over a story about the Japanese town of Otsuchi that was hit by a huge earthquake 2011, Farrell was asked if he believed in spirits, after which he opened up about having a “personal awakening around 1993”.
“I had what you would call a vast visitation of energy. I was able to speak with a spirit for five minutes. I was asking questions and it was answering my questions,” he said, adding that the event sparked an interest in spirituality.
“It’s why I started to study the Kabbalah because I do think that we all need to understand that other world,” Farrell explained.
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“I started to study all the information I could about the subject. It’s a fascinating subject and it’s led me to trying to be a kind, charitable person and to striving for peace. So that’s not too bad a lesson.”
And while the 61-year-old’s hard-partying ways are long gone, when asked what his worst experience on drugs was Farrell didn’t mince words.
“It was watching somebody who I did drugs with get a big cyst on their arm and they had to go to the hospital. So it wasn’t really anything that I actually went through,” he said, adding, “I’ve woken up from overdoses quite a few times, but I didn’t feel anything, so I really can’t count that as a bad experience.”
“It hurts worse when you see someone that you care about in pain.”
Check out ‘Been Caught Stealing’ by Jane’s Addiction:
