Jane’s Addiction are a combustible band who’ve always pushed boundaries in their videos. They ran afoul of MTV back in 1988 with their opus for the thundering single “Mountain Song,” off of Nothing’s Shocking, which featured full frontal nudity. The band learned their lesson, and the hilarious “Been Caught Stealing” got heavy rotation on MTV, maintaining the band’s irreverent sense of humor while slipping its celebration of theft past the censors.
But the band was always good for more than just shock value. For the post-punk generation, Perry Farrell’s keening caterwaul and Dave Navarro’s gigantic riffs made rock’n’roll exciting and dangerous again. Along with the Pixies, the band pioneered the “loud-quiet-loud” dynamic that Nirvana would quickly popularize. Though the band split up just as the alternative rock revolution got underway, their music remained a hallmark of the sound, and it’s aged well. Two new releases have proven the band remains a vital force.
So if you’ve got a budding rock photographer in you, or you’re jonesing to capture Perry Farrell’s primal squawk on camera, get yourself to Terminal 5. And for those of you getting excited for the live stream tonight, get a load of this classic song while you wait.
Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently rocked out to “Mountain Song [Clean Version].”