Whores: An Oral Biography Of Perry Farrell And Jane's Addiction - Hardcover

Mullen, Brendan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306813475 ISBN 13: 9780306813474

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2005

Synopsis

Jane's Addiction's 1988 breakthrough album, Nothing's Shocking , had a seismic impact on the music scene of the late 80s. With a bracing combination of metal, punk, and psychedelica, coupled with lead singer Perry Farrell's banshee-in-a-windtunnel vocals, the arrival of Jane's Addiction put what would soon be co-opted as "alternative" on the map. Rising from the depths of Venice Beach's junkie-surfer demonade, Jane's Addiction freely mixed the decadent with the innocent, and paved the way for the mainstream success of bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana. After Nothing's Shocking , Jane's Addiction released another classic album, Ritual de Lo Habitual (featuring the hit "Been Caught Stealing"), founded the Lollapalooza festival, and openly celebrated a bacchanalian lifestyle that blurred all lines of gender and sexuality. Drawn from original interviews with the band (including Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro), their friends, and musical colleagues, Whores will take readers through the early days of the band to their drug-addled breakup and eventual triumphant reunion with the 2003 release of their album Strays . Along the way, providing a candid, sometimes disturbing glimpse into the dynamic alternative rock scene of Los Angeles in the '80s and '90s.

About this title

About the Author:

Brendan Mullen is the co-author of We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of LA Punk and Lexicon Devil , a biography of the Germs' Darby Crash. He lives in Los Angeles.

Review:

"A fascinating read for any fan...Quite possibly the best rock bio of the year." -- Record Collector, January 2006

"A truly epic tale of drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll." -- Syracuse New Times 5/25/05

"A wonderful portrait of a musical Los Angeles in that often overlooked period between...Southern California punk...and grunge." -- Michael Jaime-Becerra, Los Angeles Times, 12/4/05

"An incredible tale...Whores will make you dig out your copy of Nothing's Shocking and pay closer attention." -- Giant April/May 2005

"Entertaining as hell...A must-read for every Jane's fan-oh, and for anyone who listened to music in the 90s...A great read." -- Salt Lake Underground

"Flitting from wacko to genius, Farrell's one-man tour de force of creative debauchery is chronicled in anecdotal fashion." -- River Cities' Reader, 12/27/05

"Masterfully recaptures the manic energy and ruined glory of a brilliant, bombastic era." -- Boston Globe 5/17/05

"Mullen draws jaw-dropping tales from all in their messy orbit while keeping their inspirational music front and centre...utterly compelling." -- Q Magazine 4 Stars, June 2005

"This play-by-play of the 1980s L.A. music scene on up through Lollapalooza is a hoot." -- Jane May, 2005

"[Mullen is] the current maestro of rock-and-roll oral history... Whores is entertaining, basely fascinating and-almost despite itself-informative." -- Boston Phoenix7/21/05

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0306813475
• ISBN 13: 9780306813474
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336