If you're wondering what Jane's Addiction's split and Walt Whitman's groundbreaking “Leaves of Grass” have in common, let rocker Dave Navarro enlighten you.
That is, to mourn a loss rather than remain “in a constant state of dissatisfaction.”
The Jane's Addiction guitarist used the poet's 1855 book to reflect on the band's recent troubles, drawing inspiration from the treasured piece of American romantic literature for his introspective analysis.
“[I]“It occurred to me that there are strong parallels between their work and ours,” the rocker wrote on Instagram Tuesday, a day after Jane's Addiction announced it was taking “some time off as a group” and canceling the remainder of its U.S. tour amid infighting.
“The leaves represent the cycle of life and death, but he continued to work on the body of poems until his own death in 1892,” Navarro wrote of Whitman. “Perhaps he, like us, could not fully understand his own work, as he continually tried to rewrite it, add to it, and expand it, obliterating the life cycle of his own work…just as we have done.
“Maybe it’s easier to recognize when something is gone and learn from the magical lesson of grief than to avoid it and remain in a constant state of dissatisfaction,” she mused.
On Monday, the “Jane Says” singers abruptly canceled the remainder of the band’s reunion tour after an onstage brawl marred Friday’s show in Boston. The band’s initial statement about taking time off was followed by a stinging tirade attributed to singer Perry Farrell’s bandmates, highlighting his “mental health difficulties” following his altercation with Navarro during the show at the Leader Bank Pavilion. Onstage, Perry appeared to punch Navarro, and stage staff broke up a subsequent brawl. Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell, later claimed that bassist Eric Avery “put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times,” then apologized to the audience for ending the show early.
“Due to an ongoing pattern of behavior and our lead singer Perry Farrell’s mental health issues, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to cut short the current U.S. tour,” guitarist Navarro, bassist Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins said in a joint statement posted Monday on Instagram. “Our concern for his personal health and safety, as well as our own, has left us no choice. We hope he finds the help he needs.”
Hours later, Farrell issued a personal apology for having reached a “breaking point” that resulted in his “inexcusable behavior.”
“This weekend has been incredibly difficult and, having had time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, my fans, my family and my friends for my actions during Friday’s show,” Farrell said in a statement to The Times. “Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior and I take full responsibility for how I chose to handle the situation.”
Navarro, meanwhile, expressed regret toward the opening acts Jane's Addiction brought with them on the ill-fated tour, veteran rockers Love & Rockets and Crawlers.
“I would like to personally apologize to @loveandrocketsofficial and @crawlersband and their teams for such a terrible outcome to what started out as an incredibly magical tour,” Navarro wrote on his now-expired Instagram Story.
“@Loveandrockets are my heroes and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to perform on the same stage as them for so long. It’s truly been an honor,” he added (via Loudwire).
The musicians canceled their remaining 15 shows less than a month after Live Nation added seven dates to the Jane's Addiction tour. Before canceling, the band apologized to fans on Saturday “for the events that occurred” on Friday, and then canceled a show in Bridgeport, Connecticut, that was scheduled for Sunday.
The singers behind “Nothing’s Shocking” and “Ritual de lo Habitual” were high school friends who formed the pioneering California pre-grunge band in 1985, fusing their metal, punk, new wave and goth influences. They first announced their breakup in 1991 but reunited this year for the first time in 14 years, playing the YouTube Theater in Inglewood last month with the original lineup: Farrell, Navarro, Avery (who opted out of several previous reunion tours) and Perkins.
