Jane’s Addiction and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell takes time out to talk about new supergroup Satellite Party featuring Flea, Peter Hook and Fergie, how to keep your edge, stay ahead of the game and his vision of an egalitarian world though the Global Cool Initiative.
When you’ve founded one of the most coveted, seminal and venerated rock outfits of recent times, make sure the concept behind your new supergroup takes the metaphors of your writing one step further.
The concept, which is a reoccurring theme throughout the record, is the story of a brain trust of people called the Solutionists and they are adept at the art of public display and demonstration. They basically run these flash mob parties which start taking over the city. However, during one of these parties, which are no longer than 30 minutes, in acts of spontaneous celebration the chief Solutionist is wounded in a confrontation by members of the police force who see it as a threat to peace as opposed to a celebration of love. He winds up in hospital where this beautiful night nurse treats him. One evening they are listening to music together on the radio and they are lulled asleep by this voice, which is beckoning them away. The voice is a form of visitation, a vast visitation of energy which comes through the radio, the voice actually belongs to a heavenly host who also is a Solutionist known as heavenly host Jim (i.e. Jim Morrison’s spirit, Entity). This visitation transforms their souls and they are reborn together. During the visitation the heavenly host explains to them that although a beautiful place, the Earth is growing ill at a rapid rate and the chief Solutionist and his beautiful bride-to-be could play a fundamental role in reversing the damage ad corruption on earth. The host sees these Solutionists as cultural architects are fashioning the artist and environmental landscape through their talent, passion and belief.
Take the metaphors of your music and apply it to a genuine cause such as Global Cool.
I’ve become a spokesperson for a flagship environmental campaign known as Global Cool. It is more than an awareness campaign as they have ambitions to reduce carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes within 5 years. The 10-year plan is one of exponential reduction getting emissions down by up to 5-6 billion tonnes if they succeed in their initial 5-yeartarget. They are starting with carbon off setting and green tagging, so in essence those who produce carbon have an option to invest in wind power or solar power and through this you would be erasing your environmental footprint. So you are removing the damage you are doing by re-investing in constructive means of energy generation. In a nutshell we’ve fashioned our own form of revolution and ours is the ‘Revolution Solution’. Uniting philanthropists, artists and environmentalists together to use their means to create a less harmful and wasteful planet.
Always move with the times and embrace new innovations.
I think within 2 years there really won’t be any need for CDs. Everyone can now download via telephone or computers. I brought the idea that the new Satellite Party album should be available via digital download but at the moment the problem is that quite a lot of people still don’t have computers, iPods, and MP3 players. I kind of naively believed everyone would have computers or be savvy in terms of using new means of technology. A lot of urban, South American communities don’t have computers so it seems unfair to make music only accessible to one set of people. Having said that it is important that those people who consume music by new means are catered for and we make the new technology affordable and easy to access for those who don’t have it.
Find the meaning in your life (God is in the numbers).
In the Bible if you go to Leviticus 23 the concept of ‘Jubilee’ is celebrated, God speaks to the Israelites and says count off seven times seven years and on the 50th year declare Jubilee. On Jubilee you should forfeit all debt, forgive people, free the slaves that exist, celebrate through music and dance. So the number 7 is a very interesting number as it’s the number of redemption. American Indians knew nothing about this – or maybe they did through some form of universal consciousness, which ties us all together – felt the practice of Jubilee. The American Indian chiefs had a concept where all their decisions where made taking into account what would happen to their people in seven generations time. If they judged it to be sound they would go forth, if there was an element of danger they would revoke the decision. They really were ahead of their time; I apply their logic to my life now. Do I want to back something that is going to have a detrimental affect on people in seven generations time? No! However if it will benefit populations of the future then of course I’ll do my best to get involved. For me the only viable way of doing this is by supporting causes that utilise nature.
Get yourself a belief system that suits you.
The ideal, which suits me, is one of a cultural architect. The way I see society is that we have the technology and science available to make a better future, all that we need to do is to change the culture. So that people are more accepting of alternative methods energy generation. Culture needs to refashion itself. We need to be more conscious of what we consume and we can neutralise the damage to the environment. The irony is that people constantly say that capitalism is the root of all today’s problems but it’s actually capitalism that will save us. With communism you don’t get the freedom to choose, with capitalism and democratic society you do get an option. With such options we just need to re-educate people to have the freedom to make the right decision.
Always remember to rock the fuck out.
This year I’ve got a couple of my pals playing Lollapalooza. We’ve got Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Pearl Jam”s only U.S. show all year. With Lollapalooza at the start it was all about eclecticism and it’s good to see that spirit in music today in all festivals. I am going on myself just after LCD Soundsystem and just before Daft Punk. It’s great that people can consume all types of music without prejudice for what they love. For me no one should have to suffer for what they believe in as long as it’s just.
Words by Daniel Dangerous
