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Porno For Pyros Reunion: New Song 'Agua' Coming Soon, Says Perry Farrell

Perry Farrell Still Addicted To Porno
Jane's Addiction leader Perry Farrell (left) has been on the vanguard for almost every important musical movement in the last three decades — alternative music, Lollapalooza, the rise of EDM, and Coachella, to name a few.
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Jane's Addiction leader Perry Farrell (left) has been on the vanguard for almost every important musical movement in the last three decades — alternative music, Lollapalooza, the rise of EDM, and Coachella, to name a few.

Jane's Addiction leader Perry Farrell has been on the vanguard for almost every important musical movement in the last three decades — alternative music, Lollapalooza, the rise of EDM, and Coachella, to name a few. Nowadays, though, it would seem the 54-year-old singer has different priorities — hanging with friends.

One of those friends would be Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell. The Chains have experienced a revival since hiring William DuVall to replace the late Lane Staley in 2007. That comeback trail has led to the also-reactivated Jane's Addiction and Alice In Chains teaming up to cross North America under the Rockstar Uproar touring festival banner.

Farrell couldn't be happier about reconnecting with Cantrell.

"I performed with Jerry at Sing Sing prison [for a benefit documented by MC5's Wayne Kramer] probably two years ago. That was the last time we hung out," says Farrell about Alice In Chains' central figure. "But other than that we had really lost touch and it's been great reacquainting and hanging out."

Having been been through the trenches in the late '80s and '90s together, the two bands share similar histories. Farrell says that's an experience you can't duplicate.

"It's great because when you grow up and come up in similar circumstances there's just an understanding and a relationship you have that you just don't have with other people," he says. "So it's been really fun being on the tour and hanging with my pal again."

The pair's reunion has also yielded some potential marketing opportunities. Or at least some chances for witty wordplay.

"Jerry was just on the bus here and we were just kidding around and we had this idea to come up with two t-shirts, one would say 'Alice 'n' Jane's' and the other would say 'Jane's In Chains.' And one would have the image of Alice in the front and Jane's in back and the other would have Jane's in the front and Alice in back... We're having a very good time catching up."

There's also another meaningful musical reunion in Farrell's life. Farrell has teamed up with Peter DiStefano once again to revive the band Porno For Pyros. Except for a brief get-together at Farrell's 50th birthday party in 2009, the Pyros have been inactive since 1998.

Farrell's excited to have DiStefano back in his life.

"Well the first thing I do know is I'm in love with Peter DiStefano, I love him so much," he says of the man he recorded two Pyros albums with. "We remain friends over the years and we get together to go surf and laugh about the old days and every time we do get together we always start to to talk about 'let's do a run,' a run of dates."

That "run" is apparently going to happen. Likewise, there'll be some new Porno For Pyros music coming out as well.

"We went into the studio and recorded a couple tracks," says Farrell. "I wouldn't mind even recording a couple more. We've already gotten offers to go out and tour and play people's festivals and I'm entertaining the idea. It would be like a five week run or something like that."

Although Porno For Pyros were Farrell's main gig at the height of the alternative revolution between '92-'98, he doesn't intend to bank too much on nostalgia in this return. There's going to be some relevance to what they're doing.

"I don't mind being a group that was from past times and people can get really sentimental about it and really want to hear those songs," says Farrell. "I love that. But what I really insist on though is if we're gonna do something like that we want to be current and contemporary, we want to bring musical currency. That's what I call it.

"We have a beautiful song song called 'Agua' that's coming out in the next few months, but I want to get finished with this Jane's tour first and clear the desk of Jane's for a little while and we'll put Porno on the desk and see how to make it a good time."

Jane's Addiction, Alice In Chains along with Danko Jones and a number of other acts will be performing at the Rockstar Uproar festival in Toronto on August 20.

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