Although we might appreciate many artists and classics, we still tend to develop a more special relationship with some, as we can emotionally connect with them. Smashing Pumpkins frontman, Billy Corgan, also went through a very similar process when he first heard the music of Jane’s Addiction, as he revealed in a new chat with Perry Farrell for Live Nation.
“As I told you recently, the first time I heard you was in Chicago,” said Corgan, recalling his initial interaction with Jane’s Addiction. “I went to somebody’s apartment, and it was like a friend of a friend, and people were getting stoned or something. This person said, ‘Have you heard this band, Jane’s Addiction from L.A.?’ And they put on your first record.”
The singer continued, sharing his first reaction to hearing the sound of Jane’s Addiction. “I remember just sitting there, thinking like, I don’t know how to describe this, but I had an instant attraction. So after that, it was important to me to sort of follow what you were doing. I found interviews, and I’d follow along, and then we happened to play with you.”
“We opened for you, Jimmy’s fourth gig with the band in 1988, right as ‘Nothing’s Shocking’ was coming out,” recalled Billy Corgan. “I think I saw you live even before I heard the record, which is kind of a cool thing if you think about it. Most people don’t have that experience.”
Billy Corgan is lucky enough to spend more time with Jane’s Addiction members in their ongoing joint The Spirits on Fire tour. The 32-city trek across North America started in Dallas on October 2 and is scheduled to end on November 19 in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl.
