Why David Bowie urged Perry Farrell to stop calling him
Following an onstage altercation that took part between Jane’s Addiction members Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro earlier this month, the band are currently on hiatus and look set to collapse their current reunion. As a result, the band cancelled the entirety of the remaining fifteen dates on their North American tour.
However, in his younger years, long before Jane’s Addiction, Farrell was a massive fan of David Bowie, looking up to the English performer and seeing Bowie as one of his heroes. Farrell’s admiration of Bowie went so far, that he onjanes addiction ce admitted to Classic Rock that he had impersonated Bowie when growing up, with the first song he ever performed live being Ziggy Stardust. Yet, after rising to fame, the relationship Farrell held with Bowie, was not always perfect. Instead, it was often troubled.
In a resurfaced BUILD interview from five years ago, the Jane’s Addiction lead singer Farrell recalled the time he damaged his relationship with David Bowie. Appearing alongside his wife Etty Lau Farrell, Farrell looked back on his relationship with Bowie and how due to simple mistakes it often stood on unsteady foundations.
“My story is not a classic great story, with my relationship with David Bowie, because I kept screwing things up,” Farrell explained. “I had his email and his phone number and this is when we first started having cellphones. I lost my phone as you do and it got picked up by someone who started calling him [Bowie]. ‘Yo David, what’s up?’ And it was my number.”
Adding to the story, Etty stated her husband would receive an e-mail from Bowie, with the iconic singer begging Farrell to stop calling his phone number. This led to Farrell confirming that he had to own up to his error and that it was not him contacting Bowie before things could get “back on track.”
Despite repairing his relationship with Bowie, it would only last so long for Farrell, with the Jane’s Addiction frontman admitting that his blunder with Bowie’s personal information happened not once, but twice. Stating that a little further down the road, he would this time leak Bowie’s personal e-mail address.
“I did something really stupid. This is back in the days of the early internet, so somebody sent me something [saying] ‘They are poisoning this river in Canada, the fish are dying. Please help me, Perry.’ I’m kind of a do-gooder guy at times, so I go ‘I am going to help them, this is horrible and I’m going to ask David if he will help me too. So, I emailed him, but I didn’t blind-cc him, so everybody got his e-mail.”
This admission from Perry Farrell led Etty to confirm that, once again, Bowie would beg Farrell to delete his contact details.
What’s next for Perry Farrell?
With the future of Jane’s Addiction unclear as of the time of writing, those involved in the on-stage incident have discussed what looks set to be a difficult time.
Since news of the cancellation of the band’s remaining tour dates, Etty Lau Farrell has confirmed that Perry Farrell is now taking the time to “reflect and heal.” Perry Farrell has also issued several apologies including to his bandmates.
Navarro meanwhile has opened up about the fact he thinks it is unlikely that he will perform live with the band again, discussing the release of the band’s latest song ‘True Love’ he wrote on his Instagram: “I am proud of the work we did on this song but I am equally saddened by the fact that you will likely never hear it live.” Many have taken this as a hint that the alternative metal pioneers are over.
