1 April, 2014
Listening to The Great Escape Artist the other day, (Perry Farrell in his latest incarnation and writing effort with Jane’s Addiction), I was taken back to my early twenties, a time when I thought I was invincible, a time when I couldn’t imagine a life beyond my immediate future. My friends and I were angst-ridden and fueled to rebel the only way we knew how. We played music and formed bands. Times were changing and we were at the forefront watching it happen in front of our very eyes.
It was a new era with a young Kurt Cobain and Perry Farrell leading the way, leaving the ‘80s behind for a completely new sound and movement. We thought we were so cool, hip and untouchable, frequenting the local guitar shops, carting our equipment to rehearsal spaces in our little hatchbacks. I remember going to hear my friend Josh play with his band The Sugarplastic and discovering Eenie Meenie opening for them at Spaceland, two spunky guitar and bass wielding girls with David Lovering (during the days of the Pixies’ disbandment). I was in awe.
In the front row of every show they performed in their short career thereafter I watched Denise Seigel (who is now married to Grant-Lee Phillips) own the stage with her own brand of moxy and found solace in identifying with the scene. We felt so much. Yet in our angst, we also had hope for a future we could not have imagined. Everything was a blank page and everything was possible.
I remember meeting Jaime Hernandez of Love and Rockets fame. Our lead guitarist- the multi-talented (now Dr.) Brenda Kwon -at the time was a huge fan of his ground breaking comic strip and she couldn’t believe our good fortune as we stood chatting with him at a West LA rehearsal studio. Who knew he also played the bass? I remember he was down to earth and gracious, but more than anything I will never forget what he told us, “Wow, you guys sound good. You sound like a real band.”
But all good things must come to an end. Bands disbanded, people changed careers, friends married and started families. We all grew older and most of us lost touch. Still every now and then I am reminded of my connection to that time. I met Dave Navarro’s cousin, a fellow architect who relayed a funny story about his mom having a “very nice conversation with a nice young man” at Dave and Carmen’s wedding (I know, this is a little while back). She had no idea who he was. Well, that nice young man turned out to be none other than Perry Farrell, a family man now himself.
Looking back I now realize that ours was not a unique experience. It must have felt the same way for those who first witnessed the Go-Go’s play The Roxy in the early eighties, or The Ramones play CBGB’s a decade before them in New York. At any rate, it was an exciting time, and for those of us who were there, nothing could ever match that feeling of being right there in the midst of it, in the moment.
Hearing Jane’s Addiction on the radio the other day brought back a flood of memories, but more than anything it reminded me of how we all change and nothing stays the same. I now see the cycle repeating in my younger counterparts. Friends in their twenties going through the same things we did, seeing the latest bands at the latest venues. When one of these friends told me about Bird and explained how awesome and innovative he was, I smiled and couldn’t help but make the comparison to Jon Brion, whose live improvisatory shows at Largo paved the way over a decade ago.
As for our own music, our dreams stayed just that – dreams. But we sure had fun playing and living to the fullest. For all I know there are still cassettes (remember those?) and CD’s of us out there somewhere floating around. Or maybe they’ve all been relegated to the trash. Anyway, I’m proud of those days and somewhere inside of me there still lives a twenty-something year old with a Fender in her hand. She shyly pokes her head out every now and then, but mostly she stays hidden, under the guise of the coolest soccer mom on the block :).
p.s. - our former lead guitarist, Dr. Brenda Kwon now plays keyboards for Jive Slinky. Don’t let the tats and platinum bob fool you – she is equally whipsmart (a respected writer and professor) AND talented. If you’re ever in Honolulu, go check them out –she’s the best thing about them by far ;)
