Sometimes these interviews are matter of fact; the player remembers the reason why they chose a particular electric guitar (often because it looked cool) for their Guitar World cover shoot, and there’s some fun anecdotes.

For Dave Navarro, looking back on his ’96 GW cover, it opened up some big memories, of the time he was in the running for GNR, his Black Beauty that he gave to John Frusciante, and also, it was a big deal. It was his first cover…

How exactly did you acquire this guitar?

I was a Les Paul player from day one. It’s actually not very well known, but in the early days of Jane’s Addiction, in the ’80s, I was a Les Paul player. I had a Black Beauty, and that’s what’s on the first live record [1987’s Jane’s Addiction]. I was always playing Les Pauls, but I was on tour once and one of them broke. The neck snapped off.

That’s how I ended up in the hands of Ibanez. At that point, we were so young; the only company that would grant me an endorsement was Ibanez. They turned out to be amazing. I loved them and I played them for many, many years, right up until 1991.

What led you to stray from Ibanez and pick up this Les Paul?

In terms of this guitar, sometime after 1991, I got a call to audition for Guns N’ Roses. And I think you could probably figure out that it was before Gilby [Clarke] joined, so it was right after Use Your Illusion came out. I was looking at my arsenal of guitars, thinking, “What would be right to show up to a rehearsal with?” Obviously, a Les Paul came to mind.

So you bought this guitar with Guns N’ Roses in mind?

I actually bought that guitar to go and play with Guns N’ Roses, which is wild. Now that I’m thinking about it, I ended up buying the Les Paul just to go over and jam out with the band, which actually never ended up happening. So the guitar just ended up staying in a case, because everything else I was doing from that point forward was with PRS, who I’d moved over to during Lollapalooza.

You’d moved to PRS and even used some Strats after you’d joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who you were with in 1996, when this GW cover shoot took place. Why did you use the Les Paul?

Years after the GN’R thing, I knew that guitar was kind of leaning up against the wall. I guess the Guitar World people came to the house to do the shoot, and if you walked around my house, there’s, like, 12 guitars all over the place – and they’re all different makes and models.

For some reason, I picked up that guitar and grabbed it for the shoot. I don’t even know why – and, I think, in hindsight, I was probably contractually supposed to be holding a PRS. [Laughs] I was endorsed by them, so I don’t know why I picked up the Les Paul.

What happened to this guitar after your GW cover shoot?

In a final twist of fate, John Frusciante was in detox at a hospital. He called me and said, “I’m sitting in a hospital and I don’t have a guitar. Can you loan me one?” I was like, “I’ve got this Les Paul sitting here if you want to play that.”

I was still in the Chili Peppers at the time, and he was getting clean. I was like, “I’ll come down to the hospital and bring this to you.” So I ended up giving him that Les Paul, which is… you know, the layers here are kind of bizarre. And I hadn’t thought about it until now.

Did you end up getting the guitar back from John, or did he keep it?

I never heard from John. He apparently sold the guitar once he got out of rehab. And that was that – I never saw that guitar again. That was somewhere in the ’90s.

Have you spoken to John about that guitar since?

Many years later, I was out of the Chili Peppers, he was back in, and I was with Jane’s Addiction; I think we were recording Strays [2003]. I got a call from John, and I hadn’t talked to him in years. I say, “What’s up, man?” He goes, “I remember years ago, when I was in the hospital, you brought me this Les Paul, which was really nice of you. Thank you so much for that.”

He went, “I got out of detox and I sold it. I’m really sorry. I was wondering if I could come visit you.” And I hadn’t talked to him since that day, to be honest, but he came up to my house, and he had a guitar with him. He sat down, opened the case, and it was a Black Beauty.

He was like, “I just wanted to apologize for selling your guitar. I know it’s not the same guitar, but I know you had a Black Beauty in Jane’s Addiction on the original record, and [it] got broken, and you don’t have it anymore, so I got you this.” It was a really nice, kind of an “amends” action on his part. We sat for a couple of hours and talked about music, our histories and how they’ve been intertwined.

Wow. Is it safe to assume you never toured or recorded with the Les Paul on the cover?

It literally had never been played live and wasn’t used to record anything when I had it. But there’s a history to it – and whoever has it now, you know, I wish I could buy it back.

It seems as if the guitar has a special place in your heart.

When it comes down to it, the guitar isn’t very significant in my career, but the tendrils of significance in terms of interpersonal connections are vast. So, in some ways, that’s a special photo. It was the first time I’d been on the cover of GW, so to have that documented reminds me of all the years I’d been in between bands and struggling with drugs…

It’s significant in a nostalgic sense. But I don’t think anybody, including the current owner, has any idea what this guitar is or where it came from. I’m sure [they] bought it off the wall of a pawn shop and have no idea it passed through my or John’s hands.

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

Dave Navarro was Guitar World's cover star for the March 1996 issue – and the guitar he brandished for the occasion, an early ’90s Les Paul, has one hell of a story behind it.

The electric guitar was originally bought for a Guns ’N’ Roses audition – which never transpired – and by the time the Guitar World shoot came about, Navarro had already jumped ship to Ibanez, PRS, and Fender Strats.

“Years after the GN’R thing, I knew that guitar was kind of leaning up against the wall,” Navarro tells Guitar World.

“I guess the Guitar World people came to the house to do the shoot, and if you walked around my house, there’s, like, 12 guitars all over the place – and they’re all different makes and models.

“For some reason, I picked up that guitar and grabbed it for the shoot. I think, in hindsight, I was probably contractually supposed to be holding a PRS!” he adds with a laugh.

The Les Paul's story doesn't end there, however. In a final twist of fate, John Frusciante also, somehow, got involved.

Navarro remembers, “He was in detox at a hospital. He called me and said, ‘I’m sitting in a hospital and I don’t have a guitar. Can you loan me one?’

“I was like, ‘I’ve got this Les Paul sitting here if you want to play that.’ I was still in the Chili Peppers at the time, and he was getting clean. I was like, ‘I’ll come down to the hospital and bring this to you.’ So I ended up giving him that Les Paul, which is… you know, the layers here are kind of bizarre.”

Turns out, once the guitar was with Frusciante, it was as good as gone, as Navarro puts it: “He apparently sold the guitar once he got out of rehab. And that was that – I never saw that guitar again. That was somewhere in the Nineties.”

Frusciante never forgot the gesture, though, and years later made it up to Navarro.

“I got a call from John, and I hadn’t talked to him in years,” Navarro continues. “I say, 'What’s up, man?' He goes, 'I remember years ago, when I was in the hospital, you brought me this Les Paul, which was really nice of you. Thank you so much for that.'

“He went, 'I got out of detox and I sold it. I’m really sorry. I was wondering if I could come visit you.' And I hadn’t talked to him since that day, to be honest, but he came up to my house, and he had a guitar with him.

“He sat down, opened the case, and it was a Black Beauty. He was like, 'I just wanted to apologize for selling your guitar. I know it’s not the same guitar, but I know you had a Black Beauty in Jane’s Addiction on the original record, and [it] got broken, and you don’t have it anymore, so I got you this.'”

For more from Navarro, plus new interviews with Eric Bell and Jim Root, pick up issue 598 of Guitar World from Magazines Direct.

Dave Navarro was a certified guitar hero when he joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1993. And while he cherishes his time with the band, he’s not sure he was the man for the job.

“Whatever magic John brought to the Chili Peppers, I didn’t have that style of magic,” he tells Guitar World.

Nevertheless, Navarro’s brand of magic did breed one spectacular, if not misunderstood, record in 1995’s One Hot Minute.

At the time, although the record went platinum, the perception was that it was an outlier, if not a failure.

Sure, songs like Aeroplane, My Friends, and Deep Kick showcase an amalgam of the Chili Peppers' funk leanings careening with Navarro’s metal instincts, but people didn’t get it.

“When it came down to it, I was a goth kid in a funk band,” Navarro laughs. “If you had to narrow down what the disconnect was, I’d say that would be it.”

And the disconnect wasn’t just with fans, it was also within the Chili Peppers’ ranks.

“It became clear pretty fast that as much as we tried and as much as we wanted it to work, we weren't coming from the same musical place.”

This, along with the grief his bandmates dealt with after John Frusciante’s departure, left Navarro in a tough spot.

“I couldn’t help but feel like the odd man out in a lot of ways,” he admits. “We made a record and embarked upon a world tour, but I had very little history with these guys.”

“The best way I can describe it is that I was in a cover band with the actual band,” he laughs. “And that’s a very strange place to be – especially with the clashing of styles.”

Though the Chili Peppers don’t perform One Hot Minute’s tracks much, time has been kind.

“I get a lot of people telling me how much they love that record – more than I’d expect,” Navarro says. “That’s pretty cool, but on the eve of release, the four of us covered our eyes, and were like, ‘Okay, let’s see what happens here.’ [laughs]”

Though he hasn’t listened to the album in decades, Navarro acknowledges One Hot Minute’s importance.

“The funny thing is, it was one of their least successful albums, but for me,” he says, “it was the most successful record that I’d ever played on at the time.”

“It certainly elevated my visibility as a guitar player,” he says. “Some moments from that record are some of my favorites from my career. But I really believe that when you listen to One Hot Minute, you’re listening to four guys trying to find who they are together.”

You came into the Chili Peppers after John left – and after they’d had huge success with Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

“I was a fan of the Chili Peppers, but it was more for their musicianship than specific songs, you know. Flea called me and asked me if I'd like to come jam with them. Back then, it wasn’t unheard of for friends to get together and play, so I really didn't think much more of it other than, ‘I'm just gonna play with these guys today.’

“I went down and played with those guys for a couple of hours, and they sat me down and asked me if I'd like to become a member of the band. I was working on Deconstruction with [Jane's Addiction bassist] Eric Avery, and didn't have plans to tour that record.

“So, since there were really no long-term plans for the Deconstruction project, and I had just passed on a Guns N’ Roses offer, I figured, ‘Well, these guys are more in line with the scene that I came from,’ and playing with Chad [Smith] and Flea intrigued me. I said, ‘Yeah, I'd be happy to.’”

With Jane’s, you played Les Pauls, Ibanez, and PRS guitars. But with the Chili Peppers, you needed to play Strats to cop what John had been doing.

“Since 1991, I was a Paul Reed Smith player. Once I joined the Chili Peppers, when it came to learning their back catalog to perform live with them, I really needed a single-coil sound. I really needed that Strat sound to emulate and be as authentic to the material as I could.

“I had to relearn my approach to guitar, musicianship, and how to communicate musically with these three individuals, who were very much a tight-knit unit. It was an overwhelming and daunting task. I did it because I loved the guys, the material, and their level of proficiency on their instruments, so it was a no-brainer for me.

“Along with that came my introduction to my thinking, ‘How am I going to make my style of playing work in this arena?’ That was a very tough transition because their sound didn't really call for what I naturally gravitated towards.”

Once you started working on One Hot Minute, a record that's dark in tone compared to the Chili Peppers' other records, were those challenges you mentioned weighing on you?

“Yeah, they were. My first guitar that I played growing up was a Strat. My inspiration to seriously play guitar was Jimi Hendrix. I was like, ‘Okay, that’s what he uses, so that’s what I’m gonna use. Then, I got into Jane’s Addiction, and I wanted a fuller sound that ate up more sonic space, so I moved to the Les Paul.

“But when I joined the Chili Peppers, it was a little too much. And when it came to reproducing the back catalog, and other players that were more single-coil guys, I needed a Strat.

“When it comes to funk, you want that percussive, thin sound, even if it’s dirty. And that was one area where we didn’t line up; I wasn’t necessarily a fan of funk stuff. I was more of a fan of rock, so it was a difficult transition for me.”

According to the liner notes, the tracks were written collaboratively, so there must have been elements of darkness elsewhere, too.

“I didn't necessarily write any of the songs on One Hot Minute; they were more collaborations. And I naturally turned to my effects and played a little bit darker.

“I naturally like to double things and had a way I liked to record. But that wasn't necessarily something that they had done a lot of in the past with their other guitar players, and certainly not with John.”

What was your perception of how it was with John?

“John was very altruistic and pretty much one take, one guitar, whereas I liked really big sonic soundscapes with more of a metal edge. And I think the addition of my approach to guitar playing is what you can hear on the record. And that record really is a documentation of the four of us trying to figure out who we were as a band.”

Did you feel that not having John there weighed on the rest of the band?

“Frankly, I don't really wanna speak for anyone, but I think losing John and having to kind of restart their band, I think the rest of the guys were undergoing a grieving process, you know? Having lost John like that, I think there was an accumulated sadness that went along with trying to make that record – especially after coming off of their biggest-selling record.”

That must have contributed to some of the darkness, too.

“They were such a finely oiled machine, and I can’t say it was a comfortable experience. It was really strange for me to have to jump into an environment where this unit had a way of doing things that was completely contrary to the way I was used to doing them.

“So, I look at that record as a documentation of us trying to find how we fit together. In many ways, I feel that record should have been the demos for that record. They were all brand new compositions that we hadn’t lived with, sat with, and played live.

“I feel like that record was a first pass at what could have been, and we never really got there. And then, without speaking out of turn, Anthony [Kiedis] covers this in his autobiography, so I’m not really revealing anything that isn’t public knowledge – and I’m very careful not to do so – but he was going through his own dark time personally.”

Can you remember what it was like putting together songs like Walkabout, Coffee Shop, and One Hot Minute?

“A song like One Hot Minute, or Coffee Shop, those kinds of songs are truly blends of completely stylistic approaches crammed into a single song. You can hear that. And some of my favorite stuff is a song like Walkabout; like, I’d never played anything like that, you know, the funk guitar. I really enjoyed doing that and exploring different musical spaces.”

Did Rick Rubin help you with stepping out of your comfort zone?

“Working with Rick Rubin was another hurdle that I had to overcome. He was very into few overdubs, live takes, and capturing the band as it sounded in the room – and he does that better than most. But when we’d be playing, I’d have in my head like four other guitar parts that I was planning on laying down, and they’d be like, ‘No, this is done.’

“But my approach to recording has always been to put down as many ideas as I can think of, and then strip away what you don’t want. And their approach was to have your parts, have your song, and have it ready to go. [Then] record the song and have it be organic, and have a lot of space for the vocal. But back then, I really didn’t consider that.”

Aeroplane is probably the most beloved track from One Hot Minute. Do you remember how that came about?

“They did give me some leeway with overdubbing and creating a wall of sound here and there, as I wanted to do. And on a song like Aeroplane, that really was a result of me really kind of doing a deep dive into Parliament Funkadelic and kind of learning to approach guitar playing to where the guitar is more of a percussive thing than a lead thing. That’s what you hear there. It’s all Parliament-inspired.”

The first time you listened back to One Hot Minute, what did you think?

“There’s clearly a disconnect that you can hear on that record. But I also think there are moments of real connection as well. There are moments that I really wish had been done a different way, and wished that I had done differently, but then there were moments that I think are some of the greatest moments that I’ve ever recorded with any band.”

One Hot Minute was a platinum-selling record, but it was considered a failure at the time.

“I had to face the diehard audience of Chili Pepper fans, who didn’t like the fact that I was in that role. There was a lot of backlash from the fanbase because I was filling John’s role.

“I always found it odd that any of that was directed at me. I was like, ‘Well, if you don’t like me being here, you can blame them. I didn’t force myself into this, they asked me. All I did was say yes.’ [laughs]

“Coming off the success of their previous record, and then having the lukewarm reception of this record, that really impacted everybody in the camp. Again, this was odd for me because the record wasn’t what we had hoped in terms of reception from the fanbase, and there were question marks about the direction, and I was feeling the brunt of that.

“But for me, personally, it was the most successful record that I’d ever played on. [laughs] It definitely outsold anything that Jane’s had done prior, so getting a platinum record, to me, felt like a win. But for those guys, it felt like a failure, so it was a really strange dynamic.”

Even so, time has been kind to One Hot Minute.

“I think that’s very nice, but I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. There were a lot of good times during the One Hot Minute era, but there was also a lot of struggle and pain. I certainly could feel the disappointment on their end.

“But, I mean, John is such an incredible musician and songwriter. His contribution to the Chili Peppers can’t be undervalued. These guys were used to coming in and having fully crafted songs, and they’d work on them as they deemed appropriate, so that was something I wasn’t used to.”

Though it didn’t come naturally to you, do you wish you’d been more open to that?

“I look back on those days, and I could have probably tried more to work in that fashion. But I didn’t know any differently, you know? My only experience was another way, and it wasn’t until years later that I realized why things were so difficult like it was.”

How do you look back on the making of One Hot Minute?

“I can summarize that record as an extremely difficult situation with players who were coming from different places, trying their very best to make it work. In some cases, we exceeded our expectations, and in other cases, we didn’t live up to the expectations that we had.

“If you look at it on paper, and I say this with all the love and respect, I wasn’t the right guy to fill that role. I’m grateful to have had the crash course in expanding my musicianship. The only problem is that I had to do it in front of the world, which made it uncomfortable. [laughs]

“I believe that I became a better guitar player as a result of it, but I don’t know that I would repeat that. In hindsight, maybe I was better cut out for Guns N’ Roses than I was the Chili Peppers. But at the time, the Chili Peppers were more from where I came from, but when it came down to getting in a room and musically trying to fit, it was another story.”

Many people wish the Chili Peppers would play more songs from One Hot Minute, but those songs are clearly not in John’s wheelhouse.

“Well, I think that with Josh Klinghoffer, they did revamp Aeroplane a time or two, which was nice. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s kinda cool that they’re doing that.’ But I have no idea what their perspective is on the whole thing. And when I see them, which is infrequent, we don’t talk about it.

“We’re just always like, ‘Hey, man, great to see you. How have things been?’ We just pick it up where we left off, but there’s no reminiscing. And it’s kinda odd to do right now because it was a difficult but valuable part of my career. I think once we get off the phone, I might skim through the record because I haven’t heard it in well over 20 years.”

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how well it’s aged.

“I really love Warped, My Friends, and Transcending. There are songs where I love the A section, but I don’t love the B section.

“I look at it as a kind of interesting musical experiment. I don’t know that this will make sense, but it was like taking Dave Murray from Iron Maiden, throwing him into The Cure, and seeing what happens. [laughs] I’m too old and have been around the block too many times to have any ill feelings about it.”

The late 80s saw a brief explosion of funk-rock. While the Red Hot Chili Peppers are clearly the Beatles of that period of funk-rock in hindsight, the funk-rock invasion saw them initially competing with the likes of Jane’s Addiction, Faith No More, Primus, Living Colour, and 24-7 Spyz.

From that fertile scene came guitarists who combined Hendrix’s chord-melody approach with P-Funk syncopation and Zeppelin-level riffage. RHCP founder Hillel Slovak created the template, but the seven guitarists who later enjoyed stints in the band all created their own delicate balance of funk grooves and rock aggression.

Here’s a rundown of all eight players, and the other places you might find them.

Hillel Slovak – (1982–1983, 1985–1988)

The Chili Peppers’ founding guitarist left an indelible mark on rock history despite recording only two full albums with the band.

Slovak co-wrote five songs on the band’s 1984 self-titled debut, but left before its recording to focus on his other band, What Is This?, who had signed to MCA Records. After an EP and an album, Slovak asked to return to RHCP, prompting vocalist Anthony Kiedis to tell Flea, “I'd give my firstborn son to get him back in the band.”

Slovak’s influence loomed the largest on a young John Frusciante. He was best known for playing a rosewood-board Strat into a cranked Marshall (a 100 watt Superbass), for a style that was equal parts Hendrix and funk, and for his signature use of fuzz and wah – all elements that Frusciante would make his own trademarks.

Frusciante didn’t even play funk before studying Slovak’s style.

“I learned everything I needed to know about how to sound good with Flea by studying Hillel's playing, and I just took it sideways from there,” he told Guitar Player in 1997.

Slovak’s tragic death by heroin overdose in 1988, aged just 26, cast a long shadow over the band’s history. Multiple RHCP songs have been written in his honor, and when the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, Slovak was included.

“He's a beautiful person that picked up a guitar in the 1970s and didn't make it out of the 1980s, and he is getting honored for his beauty,” Kiedis said at the time.

Jack Sherman – (1983–1985)

When Hillel Slovak ditched the Chilis in 1983, Jack Sherman filled the position. He would go on to feature on the band’s self-titled debut album.

Bassist Flea later wrote on social media that Sherman had “played the most wicked guitar part on our song Mommy Where’s Daddy, a thing that influenced the way I heard rhythm forever.”

Although he was fired before the recording of Freaky Styley (1985), seven of the songs he co-wrote still made the album.

Post-Chilis, Sherman recorded with Bob Dylan, Parliament/Funkadelic founder George Clinton, and ex-Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey. He died of a heart attack in 2020, aged 64.

DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight – (1988)

After Slovak’s death, the Chili Peppers needed an emergency replacement, a role that would be filled by Parliament/Funkadelic guitarist DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight. It further solidified the band’s authentic funk credentials, with P-Funk leader George Clinton having produced Freaky Styley.

McKnight didn’t exactly slot into the band smoothly, however, and they fired him three dates into the next tour. The guitarist was reportedly so unhappy that he threatened to burn down Anthony Kiedis’ house.

McKnight later revealed to Guitar World that he had been asked to fill-in for Slovak multiple times before his death, but each time Slovak came back in time to do the show.

“You might even say that they had gotten me in there to coax Hillel back; at least that's how I saw it. But I don't know how it went, and I don't know what they felt because I never talked about that with them.”

Outside of RHCP and P-Funk, McKnight also has credits with jazz legends Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, as well as with the fusion band, The Headhunters.

John Frusciante – (1988–1992, 1998–2009, 2019–present)

Despite Hillel Slovak’s immense influence on the band, John Frusciante is for most the defining RHCP guitarist. He has twice left the band, and each time his return has brought a huge boost to the band’s creative and commercial fortunes.

His 1998 reunion with the band produced the 15-million-selling Californication, while his 2022 comeback with the band, Unlimited Love, shot to #1 in the US and ten other countries, a feat that the band had not achieved since before his departure.

But it was 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik, the band’s commercial breakthrough, that really secured Frusciante’s place in the guitar pantheon. Frusciante may have been following Slovak’s blueprint, but he made it convincingly his own.

On Under the Bridge, Frusciante appropriated Hendrix’s combined rhythm-and-lead style more convincingly than anyone since Jimi himself, while thumpers like Give It Away and Suck My Kiss had punk levels of aggression without the need for heavily distorted tones. While many bands in the funk-rock explosion sacrificed the funk element to sound heavier, Frusciante didn’t compromise on either.

The success was too much for Frusciante, who became a recluse and developed a heroin addiction. He managed a pair of twisted and experimental solo albums before reuniting with the band to power them to even greater success. He also found time for a side project, Ataxia, with Fugazi bassist Joe Lally and future RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

The 2000s were a prolific decade for Frusciante, who released eight solo albums and juggled multiple side projects, as well as releasing By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006) with the Chili Peppers.

Frusciante left the band in 2009 and spent a decade making mainly electronic music, before giving the fans what they wanted in 2019. Whether he will ever leave again remains to be seen, but at this point anyone else who plays with the Red Hot Chili Peppers is just filling in for John Frusciante.

Reflecting on re-joining the band a second time in a 2022 interview with Guitar World, Frusciante said, “There’s an appreciation of the chemistry that I can’t say I really had towards the end of being in the band last time – an appreciation of what we’re capable of. When you get so used to something, you sometimes tend to take things for granted.

“I’d had lots of time making music where I do whatever I want. And that was great. And I continue to do that. But it seemed like a really good step for me as a human being to try to play in a band again. Most of all, I just have a lot of fun playing with those guys.”

Arik Marshall – (1992–1993)

When Frusciante quit abruptly in the middle of the Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour, the band needed a safe pair of hands. Arik Marshall provided those hands, having previously recorded with Tone Loc, Sting, and Etta James.

The band later praised him for learning the set quickly and never letting them down on stage. When it came time to write a follow-up album, however, Marshall quickly got the boot. The band felt he was not the right writer for the job.

Fortunately, Marshall’s stint with the band coincided with their golden-era guest appearance on The Simpsons in the episode Krusty Gets Cancelled, guaranteeing him cool points forever.

Marshall later played with Macy Gray, appearing with her on Saturday Night Live and in the Toby Maguire Spider-Man (2002). Since then he’s been largely quiet, although he was the guitarist in a wedding scene in The Hangover.

Jesse Tobias – (1993)

Anthony Kiedis felt Jesse Tobias was the guitarist to help the band follow up Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and he was hired in 1993 to help write the next album. Unfortunately, the chemistry with the rhythm section just wasn’t there, and Tobias was dumped months later.

It all ended well, though: Tobias joined Alanis Morisette’s band for the Jagged Little Pill tour, and on that jaunt met his wife, Angie Hart, who was singing in support band Frente. The band they formed together, Splendid, which made a cameo appearance on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In 2004, Tobias joined Morrissey’s band, where he is still a member.

Dave Navarro – (1993–1998)

After the arduous audition process for Frusciante’s replacement was over, Dave Navarro finally made himself available in 1993. The band have claimed that Jesse Tobias would have been fired anyway, but Navarro’s interest certainly sealed his fate. The former Jane’s Addiction guitarist made the next Chili Peppers lineup into something of a funk-rock supergroup. The resulting album: 1995's One Hot Minute.

At the time, One Hot Minute was considered a disappointing follow-up to Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but the album certainly has its fans. It went double platinum in the US and sold a million copies in Europe, which is hardly shabby. Pea has become an enduring live favorite, and single Aeroplane was added back to the band’s live set in 2016 because it was one of the favorites of Frusciante's second successor, Josh Klinghoffer.

Outside of the Chilis and Jane’s Addiction, Navarro has had an impressive session career, often getting the call when pop stars want a dose of rock: Alanis Morisette’s You Oughta Know, Christina Aguilera’s Fighter, and live versions of Janet Jackson’s Black Cat have all benefitted from Navarro’s weighty soloing.

In 2001, he released his solo album, Trust No One, and in 2020, along with Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, Navarro began the side project NHC (Navarro Hawkins Chaney).

Josh Klinghoffer – (2007, 2009–2019)

Pre-Chilis, Josh Klinghoffer had carved out a career playing with bands like The Bicycle Thief and Golden Shoulders, as well as being a session musician for Gnarls Barkley.

When Frusciante again stepped down in 2009, Klinghoffer – with his experience in the Frusciante side project Ataxia – was a natural choice. At the time Frusciante commented in an interview with Alternative Nation, “In many respects he's the person who is closest to me, and with whom I can speak honestly about everything. His opinion is very important to me and I value it a lot.”

On the Stadium Arcadium tour, Klinghoffer had played additional guitar and keyboards for the final legs. He offered the band a smooth transition.

In Klinghoffer's decade with the band, they released a pair of albums: I’m With You (2011) and The Getaway (2016). While neither of these reached the commercial or creative heights of the band’s work with Frusciante, they were generally well-received.

Klinghoffer struggled to avoid playing too much like Frusciante, while the band were wary of moving too far from their core sound. That tension arguably kept the band’s creativity on a leash.

Klinghoffer said as much in a 2022 interview with Guitar World, saying his decade with the band was “enormously stifling creatively.”

“They’re an established band with an established sound, and I learned over time how little deviating from that was possible,” he explained.

“When I first joined, I wouldn’t use certain chords when I was writing if they sounded like something John would play. Or if it sounded like a choice they would have made on their last album, I purposely went the other way.”

“As much as I thought they were up for experimentation,” he continued, “they generally stayed in their own lane.”

Post-Chili Peppers, Klinghoffer has released three albums under his pseudonym Pluralone. Since 2021, he has been an additional touring musician for Pearl Jam.

He filled in for Dave Navarro on Jane’s Addiction’s 2023 tour as Navarro struggled with Long Covid. Klinghoffer has also recorded with Iggy Pop and Morrissey, although the latter recordings have not been released. Along with RHCP drummer Chad Smith, Klinghoffer played on Who Believes in Angels? (2025), a joint album by Elton John and Brandi Carlisle.

Members of Jane’s Addiction have sued the band's lead singer, Perry Farrell, following an on-stage altercation in September 2024, which saw Farrell punch guitarist Dave Navarro during a performance of Ocean Size in Boston. As a result, the gig was immediately stopped – and the rest of the tour was canceled shortly after.

Now, Navarro, alongside bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, are seeking at least $10 million from the singer, with claims the band lost that amount from the tour cancellation and suspension of all related activities.

The complaint, as reported by Variety, was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, also includes an assault and battery charge relating to Farrell’s altercation with Navarro, and alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.

Hours after the trio sued him, Farrell filed a legal complaint, not a countersuit, against his former bandmates. In a 30-page complaint, the lead singer alleges he had no say in the tour's cancellation and in the band breaking up, and accuses his former bandmates of a years-long campaign of harassment and bullying.

He asserts that the on-stage altercation was a result of built-up frustration over the other members “playing their instruments at a high volume so that he could not hear himself sing without blasting his own in-ear monitors at an unsafe level,” and also alleges that Navarro assaulted Farrell and his wife backstage.

Conversely, in their complaint, the rest of the band members mention that “Perry’s repeated and unprovoked attack on Navarro was especially painful because Perry knew that Navarro was still weak and suffering from the effects of long Covid-19.”

Furthermore, they state that the altercation continued backstage, with Farrell allegedly throwing “another unexpected punch at [Navarro], striking him on the left side of the face.”

Earlier this year, Navarro spoke about what ended up being the band's last-ever show.

“There was an altercation onstage, and all the hard work and dedication and writing and hours in the studio, leaving home and crisscrossing the country and Europe and trying to overcome my illness – it all came to a screeching halt and forever destroyed the band’s life,” he told Guitar Player. “And there's no chance for the band to ever play together again.

“I have to say that’s my least favorite gig, without throwing animosity around. I’ll just say that the experience prior to that gig, when we were in Europe and gelling, we were getting along. There was no ego issue; it was just four guys making great music, just like we did in the beginning.”

After last year's high-profile Jane's Addiction reunion was cut short, Navarro has picked up the pieces and is now gearing up for his post-Jane's career with a rare PRS build.

Update 7/17: Perry Farrell‘s legal team has now responded to the band’s suit and supplied Guitar World with the following statement:

"This is yet another clear example of the group uniting to isolate and bully frontman Perry Farrell. The timing of this baseless lawsuit is no coincidence – it was filed only after they caught wind of legal action coming from our side. It’s a transparent attempt to control the narrative and present themselves as the so-called ‘good guys’ – a move that’s both typical and predictable.

“Just like when they released a defamatory and entirely unfounded statement about Perry’s mental health and unilaterally canceled the remaining tour dates without his input, they’re once again scrambling to get ahead of the truth in a desperate effort to save face."

Dave Navarro has poured cold water on the last remaining cinders of Jane’s Addiction by saying that he will never play with the band again.

The electric guitar ace made the not-so-surprising revelation while discussing the best and worst gigs of his career with Guitar Player, with what has now been confirmed as Jane’s Addiction’s last show getting selected for the latter – and for good reason.

The guitarist’s return to the band in 2024 was meant to be a cause for celebration. Having been sidelined with long-COVID for three years, he returned to action last summer and marked the occasion by playing a brand new song. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen had both filled in while he recovered, but few would have predicted the band’s demise would come so soon after his comeback show.

While playing in Boston, MA on Friday 13th September, vocalist Perry Farrell punched Navarro during Ocean Size. The gig was brought to an immediate end, and the band’s remaining tour dates were canceled shortly after.

Just days before the incident, bassist Eric Avery had told Bass Player that new Jane's Addiction music was a possibility. Now, it seems the rest of the band are recording music without the singer, with a very interesting PRS involved.

The band’s guitar tech has since shed light on the reasons for Farrell’s aggressive behavior on the night, while Farrell's wife, Etty, offered her husband's side of the story. She also praised Navarro's handling of the situation.

Now Navarro has spoken out about the night the band turned sour.

“There were a couple of gigs on this last run that were some of my favorite Jane’s Addiction gigs of all-time,” he says. “There was no bullshit: No props. No dancing, no pyro, and no gimmicks. It was just the four of us and some colored lights, and we were playing the songs, expanding on them, and [doing] weird, experimental jams that we’d never done before as a band.

“I have to speak in broad stroke,” he develops, turning towards the gig in question, “because there are other individuals involved. It’s still very tender and unresolved.

“There was an altercation onstage, and all the hard work and dedication and writing and hours in the studio, leaving home and crisscrossing the country and Europe and trying to overcome my illness – it all came to a screeching halt and forever destroyed the band’s life. And there's no chance for the band to ever play together again.

“I have to say that’s my least favorite gig, without throwing animosity around. I’ll just say that the experience prior to that gig, when we were in Europe and gelling, we were getting along. There was no ego issue; it was just four guys making great music, just like we did in the beginning.

“And that gig, September 13th, in Boston, ended all of that. And for that reason, that is my least favorite gig that I have ever played.

“I think that’s a pretty bipartisan way to go about it,” he admits. “The experiences are there, but the potential of having those types of experiences ended that night. And so, you know…. it is what it is.”

Dave Navarro is currently gearing up to record his first new post-Jane’s Addiction material, and he’s already picked out which electric guitar he will use for the project – and it’s a celebratory milestone build from PRS.

Navarro is poised to start the latest chapter in his musical career, after last year’s high-profile Jane’s Addiction reunion came to an abrupt end when the guitarist was punched on stage mid-solo by vocalist Perry Farrell.

A few days after the incident took place, Navarro seemingly pulled the curtain down on Jane’s Addiction when he released a statement that confirmed the band had “made the difficult decision to take some time away”.

Now, though, Navarro is about to head back into the studio to do some “work” with his former Jane’s Addiction bandmates Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins, and he’ll be bringing a PRS beauty with him for the job.

The guitar in question is an ultra-limited 40th Anniversary Custom 24 of which only 25 examples – all signed by Paul Reed Smith himself – have been crafted.

Stylistically, it looks similar to Navarro’s own PRS SE signature guitar (it’s got a pristine white finish and HH configuration) but opts for white humbucker rings and chrome hardware. It also has a 40th Anniversary truss rod cover and Smith’s signature scrawled on the back of the headstock.

“Thank you to @bevfowlerprs_ar and @prsguitars for this amazing 40th Anniversary edition work of art,” Navarro writes on Instagram. “This is 1 of 25 builds signed by Paul himself and I am humbled and honored to be gifted such a rare and historic piece. Getting ready to do some work with @ericaveryinsta and @stephenperkinsdrummer and this will be the first tool I reach for.”

2025 marks the Maryland brand’s 40th birthday, and as such PRS has been celebrating accordingly with a string of limited edition instruments – and a star-studded celebration concert. Over the past few weeks, the firm has unveiled special edition 24-08, Charcoal Phoenix, Custom 24 Dragon guitars.

Given there’s only been 25 of these guitars built and signed, and there’s no sign of a wider release, we’re guessing they’re being kept as gifts for the firm’s nearest and dearest – so it will be interesting to see if we can spot any more of these appearing ‘in the wild’.

For Navarro, this marks the latest milestone in his long-standing relationship with PRS, whose guitars he’s been playing since 1991. Speaking to Guitar World last year, Navarro reflected on his affection for PRS guitars, and recalled how he made the switch after throwing out all his Ibanez guitars to the audience during a gig.

2024 Year in Review: Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro ended up missing their reunion tour co-headlining arenas with the Smashing Pumpkins in 2022 as a result of his battle with Long Covid.

He was replaced by Queens of the Stone Age and A Perfect Circle multi-instrumentalist Troy Van Leeuwen, eventually making his return to the stage after some well-needed rest in May of this year.

But it proved to be short-lived. Singer Perry Farrell attacked the guitarist on stage in September during a performance at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion.

A few days later, it was confirmed the rest of the tour had been canceled, with the group identifying the singer’s “continuing pattern of behavior and mental health difficulties” as the cause, leaving them with no alternative while also hoping “he finds the help he needs.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ former guitar tech Dave Lee has revealed that Eddie Van Halen’s tech once helped John Frusciante source an elusive vintage wah pedal – but the electric guitar god wasn’t particularly impressed with his gear choice.

Lee joined the RHCP’s wider circle of behind-the-scenes pros during Dave Navarro’s short stint in the band, having originally been recruited by the Jane’s Addiction man. Four years later, though, Lee was helping Frusciante – who rejoined the band in 1998 – to assemble his Californication pedalboard.

“It was a relatively small pedalboard for John to begin with,” Lee tells Boss. Among its humble inclusions was an original Ibanez WH10 wah pedal borrowed from SIR (Studio Instrument Rentals).

“John liked it so much that we took it with us when we left the studio. He wouldn’t use anything else,” Lee expands. However, Froosh’s reliance on the pedal would eventually prove to be a bit of sticking point as the shows rolled on.

Lee continues: “At the time, I didn’t realize how fragile they were. They kept breaking because they’re made of plastic. I thought I could just keep buying more, but they became increasingly difficult to find.”

Not one to be defeated, Lee turned to his Rolodex of contacts to get hold of another example of the revered-but-feebly-built wah – and Van Halen’s own guitar tech answered the call.

“Eddie Van Halen’s tech, Matt Bruck, was a genius at locating hard-to-find gear,” Lee says. “He helped us get John a WH10 and a Marshall Major [amp head]. I was at John’s house when Matt called me and said, ‘I’ve found you a WH10. I’m at Eddie’s house. You can come on over and pick it up if you like.’

“So, I drive over to the Eddie Van Halen residence, and when I pull up outside, Ed is standing there with the WH10 wah in his hand, just kind of looking at it. He goes, ‘Why does John Frusciante want a piece of crap like this?’

“I laughed and said, ‘Yep. You’re right. It is made of plastic, and they break all the time. That’s why we need this one. We only have one left,’” Lee relays. “He looked at me very seriously and said, ‘Listen, man. You need to tell John this is the only one left. Because when I’m using a pedal, and I think it’s the only one I’ve got, I’m a lot more careful with it.’

“That was some good guitar tech advice from Eddie Van Halen. John thought that was hilarious.”

Frusciante would leave RHCP for a second time in 2009, with Lee saying “the writing was on the wall” long before that moment. 10 years later, Froosh asked Lee to fix up some of his neglected Stratocasters – a move that hinted he was about to return to the band yet again.

Frusciante was recently bestowed with his first-ever Fender signature guitar, coming in at an eye-watering $20K.

It was all going so well. Dave Navarro had made his way back from a years-long battle with Long Covid to reclaim his place on stage beside Jane’s Addiction 1.0 bandmates Perry Farrell, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins.

But “was” is the operative word. As of late September 2024 (press time for the issue of Guitar World in which this interview first appeared), things aren’t going so well. Jane’s Addiction had been stampeding across Europe and the U.S. with old friends Love and Rockets. New music was afoot in the seemingly (but not really) aptly titled Imminent Redemption, and the fans were loving it.

But Jane’s Addiction has always been a band bred through dysfunction, and this reunion based on brotherhood wasn’t any different.

The cracks were subtle at first, mostly consisting of Farrell struggling to keep pace live. But then the spacey rants and erratic onstage behavior started. Fan footage shows that Farrell, who openly admits to spending 40 years of his life loaded, was slipping a bit.

On September 10 in New York City, he told the audience he was struggling in terms of his vocals. After the show, Navarro took to Instagram, jokingly (but not really) referring to the performance as an “art” show.

But things went entirely off the rails in Boston on Friday the 13th, when Farrell started shooting a few knife-edged glances at Navarro, who mainly was minding his own business in Shredville. Things got weird during Mountain Song, when Navarro tried to keep Farrell on track and tapped him on the shoulder.

More Farrell eyeball daggers followed. The tension was palpable through the night’s 11th – and unexpectedly final – song, Ocean Size. Once again, Navarro was ripping it up and gave way to Farrell’s final angered grunts.

Usually, these grunts would be directed toward the ether, but Farrell again turned his attention to Navarro, screamed, “Fuck you” and shoulder-checked the confused guitarist. Navarro kept calm, keeping Farrell at arm’s length. But that didn’t stop Farrell from swinging at Navarro’s chest.

If you’ve seen the footage, images of Navarro’s tech, Dan Cleary, bassist Avery and other stage crew gang-tackling Farrell are reminders of how sad the situation was, as is the sight of a confused Navarro gently placing his guitar down and walking off stage.

Two days later, Jane’s canceled their remaining 15 U.S. dates. Soon after, Navarro, Avery and Perkins collectively posted a statement on social media: “Due to a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to discontinue the current U.S. tour.

“Our concern for his personal health and safety, as well as our own, has left us no alternative. We hope he will find the help he needs. We deeply regret that we are not able to come through for all our fans who have already bought tickets. We can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis. Our hearts are broken. Dave, Eric and Stephen.”

As for Farrell, he posted a story on Instagram calling his actions “inexcusable,” while also apologizing to Navarro. None of it changed the fact that he crapped in the proverbial punchbowl, ruining a final chance at being seen as anything less than dysfunctional. At 65, once and for all, Farrell has confirmed he is indeed the problem.

A day after being assaulted, Navarro posted a picture of himself from the Boston show with an acoustic guitar that simply said, “Goodnight…” In the ensuing days, while musing on Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, he said, “Perhaps it’s simpler to recognize when something is gone and learn from the magical lesson of grief rather than avoid it and remain in a consistent state of dissatisfaction.”

The company line is that Jane’s Addiction is on hiatus. But one would be remiss to buy that – especially after Navarro’s comments on Instagram after the September 18 release of the horribly timed new single, True Love.

“I am proud of the work we did on this song,” Navarro said. “But I am equally saddened by the fact that you will likely never hear it live. I am gutted that things ended this way and that so many jobs were lost as a result. May all of our hearts mend together.”

Before the latest episode of the Jane’s Addiction Dysfunction Show unfolded, Navarro had been open about having no idea if it would last. Was he offering up cryptic insight – as he often does – into the state of the band? Or was he simply speaking on experience?

“It could go on for five, 10 more years,” he said in late August. “Or it could be done in… I don’t know. Based on our history, if you look at the amount of times we’ve broken up… It’s like, ‘Don’t make plans. Just show up to rehearsal today.’”

Navarro is understandably quiet right now. Odds are, there’s more to come in this developing story. Looking back on Navarro’s words as he dialed in with us just weeks before the event that halted the band, it’s hard not to be heartbroken.

“I think being at the age we are, it’s easier to let go of petty shit and focus on what matters,” Navarro said. “We’ve learned over the years that hanging onto the petty shit is nothing but a vibe killer and a band killer. None of us want to see that happen. We can’t be doing this forever, but we have a chance to do it again.”

Jane’s Addiction’s latest chance at “imminent redemption” and “true love” has been squandered. And this time, it looks like there’s no coming back. But when Navarro dialed in with GW back in August, he didn’t know that yet…

Over the summer, Jane’s 1.0 lineup wrapped up its first tour in years. How are you feeling?

“My initial feelings when we started up in Europe, you know, were really the first time I’d been back with the band for a couple of years. That was so complex; I was emotional. It was nerve-wracking and physically draining, but it was magical in the sense that we started out in a room that held maybe a couple hundred people.

“And with the original lineup and no production, it really felt like 1989 Jane’s Addiction. It had that feeling of where you’re looking over a cliff, and you want to see what’s on the ground, but you don’t want to fall, you know? That kind of nervous energy of something exciting happening. So that was really great.”

Getting back on the road in smaller venues probably made it easier to shake the rust off, too.

“Yeah, the shows in Europe were in relatively small rooms, so there was a real sense of tapping into the melancholy of the early days of this band.”

Jane’s is as much about a vibe as anything else. Having Eric Avery back in the band no doubt helps with that.

“Right. So it’s primarily because it was the original lineup with Eric Avery and me back together. We just had a blast. And to be honest, some of those shows were my favorite shows that we’ve ever done as Jane’s Addiction.”

Really? In an age where old-school bands are dropping like flies, and given the general volatility of the Jane’s experience, that’s great to hear.

“Those shows were moody and ambient and had very little production. It was mainly lights, like moods of lights rather than rock lights. We’d drench the stage in blue, play a song and just be a silhouette. It let the music speak and breathe; there were not a lot of antics. It was really magical.”

It wasn’t that way in the past?

“I think we’ve all kind of re-tapped into the music again in a way we hadn’t in a long time. For the last 20 or 30 years, we’ve been playing these songs, and it’s been great, but we’ve had a bunch of stuff going on with the lights and video. At a certain point, you get a little… it starts to feel redundant.

“And in the name of taking this thing back to the start and rebuilding not only the creativity but the relationships within the band, it makes sense that you’d strip Jane’s back to its core.

“Since it was the original lineup, we needed to strip away all the distractions so that it really felt like the early days when we’d be playing clubs in Hollywood. My very first show with Jane’s Addiction was in an abandoned warehouse, and maybe a couple hundred people were there. It was a word-of-mouth, downtown party. It’s been feeling like that.”

Is taking things back to the start, so to speak, tapping into emotions you haven’t felt in a long time?

“I’ve felt and heard the music in a different way than I had in a long time. We were really focused on that. This is a band that’s had five bass players; all of them are great, and all of them are different. But to be playing with Eric again – especially since I’ve been playing with him since I was 17. God, if that’s true, that’s 40 years.”

Listening back to Jane’s first two records, Eric’s bass might be even more important than your guitar.

“I’ve been playing with the guy for 40 years, and the way he digs into the bass, the way his pick hits the strings, and the energy he puts out, you can’t compare it to anybody. There’s tons of guys we’ve had who did very serviceable, great jobs, but I can tell the difference because I was there at the beginning. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s how it’s supposed to go.’ He’s playing the same notes on the same frets in the same key at the same tempo, but it’s his hands that make a difference.”

Considering that, along with your health, do you feel ready for the upcoming U.S. leg?

“I’m really looking forward to bringing the same kind of enthusiasm and freshness to the States. We haven’t done that in a long time. We’ve toured a lot in the States, but in different configurations.”

There’s a lot of lore associated with what you’re doing. A lot of people didn’t think you’d do it at all. Have you had a moment to step back and reflect on what it’s taken to make Jane’s 1.0 a reality again?

“I don’t need to take a step back to be aware of that. It’s pretty easy to remember. [Laughs] When you look at other bands from our era, the fact that very few of them are lucky to have the original lineups or have all their members survive… I feel grateful for that. Whatever obstacles we’ve overcome, or I’ve overcome, I think it makes me appreciate it all that much more.”

I’m reading between the lines a bit here, but would you say you’re lucky to be alive?

“I certainly feel I’ve had a blessed life. In that same way, I’ve had somewhat of a cursed life. I think it evens out at the end of the day. All the experiences we’ve lived through and gone through shaped us into what we are today. You can’t really look back and regret things, or wish they went in a different direction because here we are. Those types of challenges inform your present and your future.”

On the cursed side of things, you were laid up with Long Covid for two years. But on the blessed side, you lived to tell the tale.

“The fact that I’m back together with my old band after going through a pretty severe illness for a couple of years – I didn’t think I could come back at all! – that I’m able to do this is exciting, daunting and scary. But all in a very positive way.

“It’s like adrenaline, I guess you’d say. It’s going to be a rush and fun, but just jumping out is the part you’ve got to worry about. All these things are what shaped the new music we’re writing, like Imminent Redemption. And we have more material that’s going to come out.”

As a band, Jane’s has obviously had to put aside a lot of old stuff. Touring is one thing, but it must have been a new challenge to get together in a room and record.

“I don’t know if challenge is the right word; it’s very democratic. But I will say the songs are predominantly kicked off by Eric’s basslines. Once he puts a bassline down, it’s Jane’s Addiction. You take one of our songs and take the drums and guitars away but leave the vocals and bass, and it’ll still sound like Jane’s Addiction.”

Having not recorded with Eric for a long time, did it take long for the old chemistry to resurface?

“Our fluidity was still intact. It’s kind of like I found the musical partner I was supposed to find. Name any two bassists and guitarists, like John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page or John Entwistle and Pete Townshend; the way Eric and I work together has its own sound.”

So getting in the studio is still fun.

“Yeah, because it’s been fun and really collaborative. It’s my favorite part of the job. I like being creative. I like being in the studio, spending 12 hours there, working on something, trying out different things.”

Listening to Imminent Redemption, Jane’s idiosyncratic nature is there. The returns seem good, but there’s expectations of reforming the 1.0 lineup. Does that factor into your thinking?

“I don’t think it really enters into anybody’s head. We just try to come up with stuff we like. It’s really the same spirit we had when we wrote in 1986 and ’87. When Ritual came out in 1991, that was always the spirit.

“We’ve always wanted to push the envelope, but it wasn’t a conscious decision. What ended up being was all our influences – which are vastly different – came through as either cohesive material or clashed terribly. But that clash led to something new, fresh and exciting.”

You’re not compromising artistic integrity for what someone might want to hear.

“I can promise you that nobody said, ‘What would the fans want to hear from us today? Let’s think of something to play that they would like.’ We’re all in our 50s and 60s, and everything is streaming. The music business isn’t what it was, so the intention – which it always was – is to write songs we’re proud of.”

Don’t fix what’s not broken.

“When you think about Mountain Song, Stop, Been Caught Stealing, Jane Says or Three Days, none of them really have choruses. They have these repetitive parts that are singable and memorable, but they’re not like, ‘Here’s the chorus.’”

Anyone who has followed you knows you can cover any genre, so there must be a lot of satisfaction in the approach you’re describing as a guitarist. Do you gravitate toward certain tones?

“I feel like tones are really more representative of the moods. Whatever mood the song calls for, or what mood I’m feeling at the time of writing the part is going to dictate what kind of tonality I go for. I’m one of those guys who grew up on Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.

“Those were my guys when I was really young. I studied everything I could about them by dropping the needle, hearing something and trying to play it. I still go back to those guys as far as moods and tones.”

I hear everything from ambience to blues in your playing. But I also hear a ton of heavy metal.

“When I got into Pink Floyd, I became aware of ambience, space and the minimalistic approach. Gilmour would take a solo and hang on a single note with just enough vibrato to make it tear your heart out. That got my attention. But at the same time, I was heavily into Van Halen, Iron Maiden and early Metallica.”

Is it true that Dave Murray’s sound is responsible for your use of delay?

You could say Dave Murray was a huge influence. There’s a song called Wrathchild from Killers, and it’s got this lead guitar with tons of echo. I’m pretty sure that made me go, ‘Oh, that should be part of my sound.’ If you put on that song, you’ll hear what I’m talking about.”

Who is Dave Navarro as a guitarist in 2024?

“I love simplicity and how you can play a riff in a modal way off a tone. I just love arpeggiated, memorable melodies and a lot of hooky, simple lines that aren’t really technically proficient but powerfully effective on an emotional level.

“I started gravitating in that direction, but I never stayed in one direction long enough to become a master of a style. I don’t think I’m a great shredder, but I can shred a little bit. I’m not an ambient guitar player, but I can touch into some ambience. I don’t think I’m an experimental guitar player, but I definitely experiment with all kinds of weird devices and sounds.”

Three Days is a great example.

“Yeah, that starts off with an arpeggiated picking part, and it sounds very English to me. And then it changes and modulates, going into different parts before I end up doing a five-minute solo that goes into a completely different part. That song almost goes heavy metal and then goes into a Grateful Dead kind of jam.

“And it’s got a glorious outro with wings spread wide open; I get to touch on different styles. That song is our masterpiece because of the emotional impact, and the instrumentation is special.”

Nothing is overplayed or overdone.

“That’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be. I learned at an early age that just because there’s space in the music doesn’t mean I have to fill it up with a bunch of sound. If you leave space and then come in with sound, there’s impact. If you don’t have any space, there’s no impact and no memorable moments.”

You’ve been away for some time and working on other projects outside of music. I think people’s perception of you as a guitarist has shifted because of those things.

“It’s not really in my mind, but I understand what you’re speaking to. Coming out of the L.A. underground, we didn’t expect to be on the radio. We didn’t expect to headline Lollapalooza. We didn’t know what was gonna happen. We were just a bunch of kids, and as the years went on, I got older, wound up in a famous marriage and was on a reality show about that marriage.

“I found myself on TV, which was essentially hosting a game show [Ink Master], though I had a great time doing it. But I think some of those decisions and some of those choices kind of eclipsed the perception out there of me being a musician. Because now, the band’s in the airport, and people are walking up to me going, ‘You’re the Ink Master guy, right?” You know what I mean?’”

This feels like a time when you have a chance to reclaim a spot at the forefront of the guitar scene.

“I think all that kind of watered down any musical impact I may have had. It’s been nice to simply be focusing on my two true loves: guitar and painting. Funny thing is I don’t like being on TV. I don’t like having cameras playing.”

So why did you do it?

“I’m a great believer that when opportunities come, give them a whirl. Why not? But what I love to do most is play music and paint. So now, that’s what I’m doing at this stage of my life. I can’t speak for anybody else’s perception, but I can certainly say it’s my intention to make the guitar and music the forefront of my journey. And I absolutely hope that helps touch people.”

Given that, the idea that you thought you might never come back at all must have been heartbreaking.

“Yes. And there were two factors involved in that. One is that I got hit with Long Covid, which completely zaps you of energy and causes intense fatigue. It made doing a two-hour show impossible. And then, the loss of [Foo Fighters drummer] Taylor Hawkins, who I had just finished an album with. After we lost him, I couldn’t pick up the guitar. I just couldn’t do it.”

At a time when you’d think your guitar would be an outlet for you, you put it down.

“When you’ve got emotional carnage happening and the physical malady I had, when it came to my instrument, I had to grieve it for a while. I was like, ‘Oh, well. I guess I had my run. I’m lucky for the run I had. This is the next chapter of my life… watching documentaries about World War II in my bedroom until I die.’”

You truly didn’t know if you’d play guitar again?

“I just didn’t really know. Being that sick alone is really, really, really tough. It’s tough on the sick person and on their loved ones. It’s tough on the psyche and emotional wellbeing. Not being able to participate in the world or your life like you used to… I was always very busy. To then come to a complete, grinding halt with two dramatic events; I was in a really bad place for a long time.”

Was it hard to watch Jane’s go on tour without you during that period?

“As I started getting a little bit better, the guys in Jane’s called and said, ‘We want to do this tour, go to South America’ and all this stuff. I was like, ‘Guys, I’m in no shape to do that. I’m sorry. You’ve got my blessing to find somebody to fill in.’ I didn’t want my circumstances to affect their careers or stop them from doing what they were put on this planet to do.

“So the band connected with Josh Klinghoffer and Troy Van Leeuwen, both of whom I fortunately love as far as playing and their approach. They did a great job. But that almost kinda solidified it to me, like, ‘Yeah, that chapter’s over.’ I was grieving. I was grieving the band; I was almost making peace with it.”

How did you pull yourself out of that to where you could play guitar again?

“I was also kind of relieved on some level, like, ‘Okay, now this is done.’ I slowly started playing guitar, getting interested in other players I’d never paid attention to and listening to Steely Dan, songs I’d never learned.

“It kind of became a hobby, and that’s how I got a guitar back in my hand. Next thing I knew, I was watching YouTube tutorials and interviews, ordering effects and going down rabbit holes of Eddie Van Halen, Gilmour and Hendrix.”

When did you decide to rejoin Jane’s?

“In doing all that research, I got re-inspired to play guitar. Then, at that time, the guys were back from the tour and were in the studio. They said, ‘If you want to come down for a day, just to see if anything piques your interest… no pressure.’ I was like, ‘You know what? It’s time. It’s been about two years; what’s the harm? It’s just an afternoon.’”

Was your health still an issue?

“I just kind of said, ‘I’m gonna push myself as far as I can while I’m here. If a day comes when I can’t do this anymore, I’ll deal with it. But for the time being, let’s just stay put and keep doing what we’re doing.’ I also noticed that being in the studio, playing guitar and trying to create prevented me from looping in my brain about my current condition.”

You got through it and this recent tour. Where’s your health at now?

“As it turns out, I was able to maintain [on] through the recording sessions. The next step was to stand up for two hours and play some songs. We booked a room to rehearse for a couple of weeks, and I was like, ‘Wow, this sounds good.’

“I was surprised and thought, ‘I have the strength for this.’ I didn’t know if I could do it, but I said, “I’m gonna go for it and see what happens. It’s like we were on autopilot. I still gotta be careful. I still have some residual fatigue, but for the most part, I’m pretty good. I’m really proud of the music we’re making and love playing with these guys I’ve known all my life.”

You’ve survived a lot of volatility, as has Jane’s. What’s your outlook on life and on this band?

“My outlook as a guitar player right now is to serve the other three members I’m working with, have fun and really enjoy the gift of this instrument. It’s been exciting and fun and a potential trainwreck onstage. [Laughs]

“Nine times outta 10, it ends up being something cool, and if it’s a trainwreck, so be it. It keeps us on the edge of that cliff I mentioned earlier. I just want to make it fun. This is a gift that I lost for a couple of years.

“And as far as the band, I don’t know. I’m focused on this tour and trying to bring the best performances and sonic landscapes we can bring. I’m grateful. With this band, you learn not to make plans, like, ‘Let’s not plan anything. Let’s just do what we’re doing.’ That’s where I’m at.”

On September 13, Jane’s Addiction were forced to end their show in Boston early after singer Perry Farrell verbally then physically attacked his bandmates, culminating in him punching guitarist Dave Navarro.

Video footage of the altercation immediately went viral, and in the weeks since, the internet has been rife with speculation over what caused it. So far, Farrell’s wife, Etty Farrell, has been the only member within the Jane’s camp to speak out, blaming the outburst on “stage volume” issues.

The band swiftly cancelled the rest of their tour, and published a statement about making a “difficult decision to take some time away”, but the circumstances that led to the incident have yet to be discussed publicly.

Now Dan Cleary, guitar tech for both Navarro and bassist Eric Avery, has shared his account of the build-up to Farrell’s onstage breakdown, and the dramatic aftermath, on his podcast Rare Form Radio with Navarro’s longtime friend and film-maker Todd Newman.

Cleary, who has worked with the Jane’s camp for 17 years, alleges tensions began before the tour even came about – and it all started with rows over onstage dancers.

According to the tech, when the group’s original members – Farrell, Navarro, Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins – reunited in 2022, it was agreed the band would be a democracy. But the three instrumentalists were at odds with Farrell over his insistence on employing onstage dancers – his wife, Etty, being among the troupe.

“It was decided by the majority: ‘We just want to be four guys on stage, no backup singers, no dancers, none of that,’” Cleary says. “‘Let’s be a rock show, and let’s connect the four of us and do this thing together.’ And I do know that there was immediate pushback from Perry on that issue.”

Although Cleary alleges the singer did not show up to any rehearsals with the group, their initial European run – which kicked off sans dancers on May 23 at London's Bush Hall – went ahead, despite tensions backstage.

But the issue reared its head again on their return to the US, says Cleary, reaching a climax when Farrell presented video footage for use at the debut show of the tour in Las Vegas on August 9, just hours before showtime.

“It was more of Etty and maybe another women in the desert dancing scantily clad,” Cleary says. “We agreed to no dancers on the stage, but now you want to put them behind us.”

Arguments ensued, and Cleary alleges Farrell quit the band there and then, before the first show of the 10-week tour had even taken place.

Eventually, the singer was talked down, went on stage that night and the tour continued, with the band staying relatively amicable.

Tensions resumed following unsatisfactory shows in Florida and night one at New York, the latter of which Cleary dubs “the worst show I've ever seen in my life,” blaming the situation on Farrell’s inebriation, and shooting down allegations of sound problems.

“I don't want to talk about people's personal shit,” Cleary begins. “But when Etty Farrell goes on social media and says this has to do with sound issues onstage, I have to say that's fucking bullshit, right? Because the Tampa show, the New York show and the Boston show, I'm sorry, but Perry was fucked up.

“Through the whole set, he didn't know where he was in the songs. He didn't know the words he was singing, [singing] words from other songs. These are not sound issues.”

Accusations of Navarro’s amp being too loud are also inaccurate, says Cleary, claiming that the guitarist’s amp hasn’t got louder in 15 years – it’s as loud as it needs to be to get feedback (an essential part of the guitarist’s sound), but that volume is “not very loud”.

Partway through the fateful – and likely final – Boston show, the band had grown wary of Farrell’s timing issues and huddled together, which did not go down well with the singer.

“He goes over and starts screaming lyrics at them, which was just strange, like he was angry at them, but he doesn't know what's going on,” says Cleary.

“It's hard to watch because he looks and sounds out of control, right? And that hurts, because I want him to be great every night, right? Nothing makes me happier than [when] he has a fantastic show.”

During Ocean Size, Farrell began yelling expletives at his bandmates – “Fuck these motherfuckers. Fuck them, fuck them, fuck him” – into his microphone. And that’s when Cleary knew something was wrong.

“I have my in-ears in and I clocked that right away,” says Cleary. “I think we all started feeling like, ‘Okay, this is not good.’ He goes over and he pushes Dave. I'm tuning a guitar, I see the push, guitar comes right off, and I make a beeline right for both of those guys.”

Footage from the gig shows the tech intercepting the two bandmates and restraining Farrell. Avery joined Cleary in holding Farrell back and, according to Cleary, punched him in the stomach to divert Farrell’s attention from the guitarist. The show ended early. But things escalated further backstage.

“No-one in the public knows this yet, but they need to,” Cleary says. “Right after the altercation that's on video, Perry punches Dave in the face again backstage.”

Cleary also presents audio of the backstage confrontation, claiming that after Farrell is “consoled”, “Dave walks up to ask what the fuck happened, and Perry punches him again.”

The band were five weeks into a 10-week tour, and a new single, True Love, had already been slated for release on September 18, followed by Dave Navarro’s signature Supreme Cry Baby wah the day after. Indeed, as an emotional Cleary tells it, the band were preparing for years of activity.

“I have cried about this five or six times since it happened, because it's so much bigger than just this one moment, right?” he says. “We had plans. I mean, this was supposed to go for a couple more years. There are songs that they recorded that you guys just aren't ever gonna hear. There are shows that you're not gonna see.”

He concluded by saying in no uncertain terms that the band is over. “I know that there's a fingers-crossed fanbase, but like, guys, yeah, it's done with.”

Although Cleary’s account represents the Navarro camp, he is quick to point out his own affection for Perry and Etty Farrell, and that he wishes them well.

“They have big hearts, and they can be very, very generous people,” he says. “I do hope [Perry] gets help, and I do appreciate all him and Etty have done. I appreciate what the band has done, but it’s just a very unfortunate, crazy thing.”

Guitar World has reached out to Jane’s Addiction’s representatives, who have said there is no comment at this time on Cleary’s allegations.

It’s a tragic end for the influential alt-rock outfit, particularly after Navarro fought Long Covid to return to the stage, telling Guitar World earlier this year, “We’ve broken up like 30 times, so I’ve learned my lesson to be excited about where we’re at. It feels the best it felt in maybe ever.

“The inner turmoil added to the angst and the ferocity onstage. That doesn’t exist anymore, so we’ve moved into this new realm of exploration in sound, which is much more healing.”

Bassist Eric Avery, however, foreshadowed Boston’s events just days before they happened, telling GW, “I still don’t know if we’re a band that you ever assume will be here a year from now. That being said, yeah… there is a revitalization and a reconnection. Let’s hope it lasts.”

It’s been a difficult few days for Dave Navarro. Mere months after the OG Jane’s Addiction lineup released their first new single in 34 years, the band were forced to cancel the remainder of their current tour following an on-stage altercation that saw vocalist Perry Farrell punch the electric guitar player in the chest mid-solo.

Navarro, who only recently returned to the stage after a battle with Long Covid, will also have to watch on as Jane’s Addiction (whose very future is in doubt) continue to release new music. Their latest single, titled True Love, dropped yesterday, with little fanfare.

So, it’s not been a particularly pleasant set of affairs the guitarist has found himself caught up in, but a sense of normality seems to have somewhat resumed, with Navarro now announcing his newest piece of gear: a signature Cry Baby wah pedal.

However, this one has a twist – it’s been designed in collaboration with New York fashion and streetwear powerhouse, Supreme.

Not much has been revealed by way of specs or performance, apart from the fact it’s a variant on the classic Cry Baby Wah GCB95, and it features a Fasel inductor for “focused wah sound”.

Apart from that, all we have to go on is what we can see, and hear: the pedal is metallic red, has a few Supreme logos knocking about on the top and bottom, and it sounds mega. It's priced at $298.

“Super stoked to work on this collaboration with @supremenewyork and @jimdunlopusa,” Navarro wrote on social media. “The #crybaby wah has always been a staple on my board and now it’s available with an ungodly amount of @supremenewyork steeeeeeeeeze!”

“Steez”, apparently, is “the quality of being effortlessly stylish or fashionable”. A rather accurate descriptor indeed, if Supreme is to your tastes.

Supreme’s presence in the guitar world has been steadily growing over the past few years. Mötley Crüe’s John 5 told Guitar World that his sleek Ghost signature Telecaster was inspired by none other than the Supreme/Fender Stratocaster that was crafted in 2017.

Visit Supreme to find out more.

UPDATE (09.17): Perry Farrell has shared his own statement, which has been added to this story.

Jane’s Addiction have announced they are canceling the remaining dates on their US tour in the wake of frontman Perry Farrell’s mid-solo attack on guitarist Dave Navarro at a recent show.

The band’s statement reads as follows:

“To all the fans,

“The band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group. As such, they will be cancelling the remainder of the tour.

“Refunds for the cancelled dates will be issued at your point of purchase – or if you purchased from a third-party resale site like Stub Hub, SeatGeek, etc, please reach out to them direct.

“Thank you, Jane’s Addiction”

The statement follows the dramatic scenes that took place on Friday night (September 13)’s show in Boston, with fan footage capturing a visibly frustrated Farrell repeatedly missing song cues, verbally attacking his bandmates and landing a punch on Navarro before being restrained by guitar tech Dan Cleary and crew.

Fans had speculated that the band may break up immediately after the incident, particularly when Navarro posted a cryptic Instagram post captioned simply, “Goodnight…”, but this has since been followed by a statement signed by Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, who was celebrating his birthday on the night of the altercation. Their statement reads:

“Due to a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to discontinue the current US tour.

“Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs.

“We deeply regret that we are not able to come through for all our fans who have already bought tickets. We can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis.

“Our hearts are broken.

“Dave, Eric and Stephen”

Perry Farrell has since shared his own statement:

“This weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday’s show.

“Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation.”

Farrell's wife, Etty Lau Farrell, offered her own take on proceedings via Instagram, blaming “extremely loud stage volume” that resulted in “[Perry's] voice… being drowned out by the band”, and accusing Avery of punching the singer in the stomach three times following his restraint.

The singer had been struggling with his voice during the reunited outfit’s US tour, apologizing to a New York crowd for vocal problems two nights prior to the Boston show.

The band had recently released their first new single with their original lineup in 34 years, and had several more songs due for release over the coming months. The curtailed trek had also marked Dave Navarro’s return to the stage following his Long Covid battle.

Earlier this year, Navarro told Guitar World, “We’ve broken up like 30 times, so I’ve learned my lesson to be excited about where we’re at. It feels the best it felt in maybe ever.

“The inner turmoil added to the angst and the ferocity onstage. That doesn’t exist anymore, so we’ve moved into this new realm of exploration in sound, which is much more healing.”

Bassist Eric Avery, however, was more cautious, telling GW, “I still don’t know if we’re a band that you ever assume will be here a year from now. That being said, yeah… there is a revitalization and a reconnection. Let’s hope it lasts.”

UPDATE (09.16): Jane’s Addiction have canceled their remaining US tour dates and released a statement in response to the events described below.

The newly reformed Jane’s Addiction were forced to end a show in Boston, MA, early last night after singer Perry Farrell threw a punch at returning guitarist Dave Navarro, before being restrained by the band’s crew.

The incident took place during Ocean Size, the 11th song on the band’s setlist, which would normally be followed by three more tracks, but Farrell’s behavior made it clear the band would not be making it through the full set that evening.

Fan footage shows Farrell yelling “fuck these motherfuckers” midway through Navarro’s closing solo, following up with verbal attacks on individual band members. As the solo comes to a close, the singer can be seen mouthing “fuck you” to Navarro before landing a punch on his chest.

Navarro’s guitar tech, Dan Cleary, moved quickly to restrain Farrell. A struggle ensued and the rest of the band’s crew escorted the frontman offstage.

As boos began to ripple through the crowd, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery joined Navarro to give their thanks to the audience. Perkins, who was celebrating his birthday that night, shared an embrace with Navarro before departing the stage.

Posting on Instagram after the show, Cleary shared a photo of the venue accompanied by the caption, “The calm AFTER the storm. Thank you Boston. Sorry Boston.”

The circumstances surrounding Farrell’s outburst are unclear, and band members have yet to comment on the incident.

Two shows prior, the singer apologized to a crowd at Pier 17 NYC for vocal problems he was experiencing that night.

The fracas has cast uncertainty over the future of the band, who released their first new single with their original lineup in 34 years in July, and have another new song due out on September 18. The group are currently touring the US with Dave Navarro for the first time since his battle with Long Covid.

Jane’s Addiction had a history of onstage scuffles during their original tenure. Navarro once gave away all his Ibanez guitars to get back at Farrell after a physical altercation at a Lollapalooza show in 1991.

Still, this latest incident will come as a shock to the band. Earlier this year, Navarro told Guitar World, “We’ve broken up like 30 times, so I’ve learned my lesson to be excited about where we’re at. It feels the best it felt in maybe ever.

“The inner turmoil added to the angst and the ferocity onstage. That doesn’t exist anymore, so we’ve moved into this new realm of exploration in sound, which is much more healing.”

Bassist Eric Avery, however, has remained more cautious about the future, telling GW, “I still don’t know if we’re a band that you ever assume will be here a year from now. That being said, yeah… there is a revitalization and a reconnection. Let’s hope it lasts.”

Dave Navarro has recalled the time he was offered the opportunity to join Guns N’ Roses, which he ultimately turned down.

In 1991, Navarro was in the market for a new electric guitar gig following Jane’s Addiction’s split. Guns N’ Roses – who were on the hunt for a replacement for the outgoing Izzy Stradlin at the time – came calling for his services, but it wasn’t to be.

According to Navarro himself, there was too much disparity between his own playing style and the musical output of Slash and his fellow GNR bandmates. In other words, it simply wouldn’t have been a good match.

“I don’t think that would have been the right call at the time,” Navarro says in a recent interview with Guitar Player. “I’ve played with Slash a million times since then. I love playing with Slash. But I think I’m a little more left-of-center than they were.

“Guns was pretty much a straight-up, in-your-face rock band, which I fucking love,” he continues. “But as a guitar player, I like to get down on my knees, turn delay knobs and make a bunch of noise like Kraftwerk or some shit. [laughs] That does not work for Guns N’ Roses.”

They did try to work on a compromise, but none could be found. Speaking to the Appetite for Distortion podcast in 2021 (via Blabbermouth), Navarro revealed, “We talked nearly every day about ideas and the way the band could work with me in it.”

Though he passed on the Guns gig, Navarro soon found himself tasked with replacing John Frusciante as the new guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“That was a very difficult role to step into,” Navarro reflects of his time with RHCP. “They were so set on what they were. It really was another trial by fire. All of a sudden, I had to work within another context that had completely different influences, and these were musicians that I’d never worked with in my life.

“There’s no question that I became a better guitar player as a result of having done that. Playing with Flea and Chad Smith was a crash-course masterclass in musicianship.

“I’m really grateful for the time spent with them, but it was a bizarre concept to join the group, and a very bizarre time.”

In related news, Navarro recently sat down for a sprawling interview with Guitar World, during which he recalled the first time he and Frusciante finally played together after decades of friendship.

He also discussed his battle with Long Covid, and revealed he stopped playing guitar for a year after the death of Taylor Hawkins.

Head over to Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Guitar Player, which features the full interview with Dave Navarro.

After the release of 1989’s Nothing’s Shocking and 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual, Dave Navarro was a wunderkind teetering on guitar hero status with Jane’s Addiction.

The band had it all: a poet turned vocalist in Perry Farrell, a punk-loving bassist in Eric Avery, a technical monster on drums in Stephen Perkins, and Navarro, an alt-meets-metal player with an affinity for shreddy yet spanky solos. Jane’s helped usher in the alt-rock revolution with swagger, style, and a decidedly non-grunge sound.

Infighting, drugs and alcohol dogged them, leading to their 1991 breakup. But fame did come, as did Navarro’s hero status. In the years since, Jane’s has been on again and off again, resulting in 2003’s Strays and 2011’s The Great Escape Artist. Neither featured Avery, leaving the original lineup in the past until they regrouped in 2022.

Navarro had to sit things out for two years due to a battle with long Covid. While he healed, Queens of the Stone Age's Troy Van Leeuwen and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer stood in. And while he’s not entirely recovered, Navarro is back.

“I’m just excited,” he says. “I’m living in the moment right now. We’re having a good time. We’ve broken up like 30 times, so I’ve learned my lesson to be excited about where we’re at. It feels the best it felt in maybe ever.”

Good health and vibes are all around. There’s new music in Imminent Redemption – their first song with Avery since 1991 – and a new album to follow. Navarro says it’s not a rehash, but a rebirth. “The early days were really magical; we can never repeat that.

“The inner turmoil added to the angst and the ferocity onstage. That doesn’t exist anymore, so we’ve moved into this new realm of exploration in sound, which is much more healing.”

You’re back on the road after being laid up with long Covid. How did that impact you?

“I’d just completed making a record with Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney [as supergroup NHC]. We mixed and mastered it, and then we lost Taylor. That was in the middle of Covid, and it was actually very painful for me to pick up the guitar after that.

“I didn’t pick up the guitar for about a year. He was such an inspiring artist – not only was he a phenomenal drummer, he was an amazing songwriter and lyricist… just one of those humans that everybody loved.”

It must have been difficult to ramp up again after that.

“After losing Taylor I didn’t play for a long time. Then, about a year into it, I picked up the guitar, started playing some cover songs, and just kind of got used to the instrument in my hand again. Since I had the illness, I was housebound for a long time, and that’s when I really started getting into some out-there guitar players I normally didn’t study, like [session great] Jay Graydon.

“I started studying Jay, and I started diving deep into Van Halen, tone chasing, and reading everything I could about the gear he used, may have used, or that’s rumored to have been used.

“There are rumors that on the first Van Halen album he used a Plexi. There are rumors it was a Fender Bassman with Celestions and JBLs. Who knows? But I got really nerdy about that stuff and started traveling down those paths.

“Just learning the technical aspects of other players kind of got me interested in the guitar again. I started playing a lot more, and it was a lot of fun. When I grew up, I didn’t have YouTube, so it was impossible to search for a song or a part of a solo and learn how it was done or what gear was used.

“I got really deep into some of the Hendrix pedals that he used. I just kind of turned back to my favorite artists, and that re-inspired me.”

Jane’s had to work with temporary guitarists while you healed – that must have been difficult, too.

“Jane’s had to be on tour with, first, Troy Van Leeuwen, and then Josh Klinghoffer. I love both of those guys, and I was fine with that, but it was hard not to be with my original band.

“I’m glad they brought guys I liked. Since then, I’ve become friends with Josh – which is kind of ironic since I was in the Chili Peppers for a while, and Flea joined Jane’s Addiction [on tour in 1997]. Josh was in the Chili Peppers for a while and then joined Jane’s; it was kind of a weird, full-circle thing.”

How did you ramp up once you decided to get back on stage with Jane's?

“I spent most of my days during my illness just kind of woodshedding guitar and relearning things. I played Jane’s Addiction records front to back and tried to relearn things I’d played in the ’80s and ’90s that I’d forgotten. That was a challenge, and that was fun.

“And because I knew I was gearing up to join again at some point, the band wanted to start working on new music. I was well enough to go in a studio and sit in a chair. I’d sit for 10 hours, so that was easy, and we wrote some new music.”

How do you view yourself as a guitarist today versus the early days?

“I’m a little bit more confident in terms of my approach, and there are a number of reasons for that. In the early days, when we were in rehearsal, we’d be playing and writing, and I’d go home and I wouldn’t touch the guitar. Now, we’ll play in the rehearsal studio, then I’ll go home and work on parts, melodies, solos, and ambient sounds that I think might work well within the track.

“It's an exciting experience for me. In the early days I really enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen. That was on tape, too – they would hit ‘record’ and I’d just start playing. I’d listened to bootlegs growing up, and I heard guitar players improvise on the spot, not doing everything the same; I was under the impression that that’s how it was done.

“I never planned out a guitar solo in the studio. I’d just kind of hit ‘record,’ let it rip, and see what happened. I really think that accommodated the music at the time. I remember doing the solo for Three Days – we were tracking it live, and some executives from Warner Brothers came down. They were sitting in the studio and the whole thing was one take.

“I think that's the only song on that album [Ritual de lo Habitual] that was done in one take. And I think it's because the executives were sitting there. We were trying to be like, ‘Alright, you guys wanna see who you signed here? Here you go!’ As soon as [producer] Dave Jerden hit ‘stop,’ we were like, ‘That’s it. That’s the take.’”

“You know, that was all improv. I mean, the structure was written, but the soloing was improvised. And the time between vocal breaks and how we changed from part to part, that was all eye contact.

“I really love recording like that because you get to play with an experimental song. Imminent Redemption is more structured; it’s more verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. But the original concepts and structures were written on the bass by Eric.”

How important is Eric to Jane’s sound?

“I’ve always thought of him as the musical backbone of the band; you can remove the guitar and drums, but if you have his bass and vocals, you’ve got the song.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘You know you have a great song if you can play it on an acoustic guitar and sing it.’ But in our case, you have a great song on the bass and singing. So the song was written by Eric on bass, and I got to explore.”

So that element of exploration and improv is still there.

“I tend to record way too many tracks. I can sit there and have 100 ideas, and I like to throw them all down, and then I’ll sit there with the engineer and Eric and go through each part.

“It’s like, ‘Yeah, this is great; keep that,’ or, ‘This one, although it’s cool, gets in the way of the vocal.’ It’s almost like painting with too many colors then removing the colors to create the necessary contrast.

“I overplay in the studio. There’s no contrast; it’s all guitars and you don’t hear the bass or drums anymore. But everybody knows that’s how I work so nobody worries. They know we’re going to peel it back. In Imminent Redemption, there are two guitar tracks because I wanted the verses to have a real out-of-tune sound.

“I used the tremolo on the low E, and I kind of bent it and was like, ‘That’s cool, and that’s out-of-tune. But it’s not rubbing enough. There’s not enough attitude.’ So I doubled it, and obviously there’s no way to double the bends at the same time, so you get this really wobbly sound. I liken it to U2’s Bullet the Blue Sky – that might have been an influence there.

“It’s probably one of the more ‘normal’ rock songs that we have. But the way Perry approached it takes out the ‘normal’ world and puts it into the worlds of psychedelia, shamanism and outer space. Perry’s not going to ever write parts that are obvious. I’m really stoked on that song.”

You said you’d listened to Jane’s early records to relearn the tracks. Which are the most challenging?

“Actually, there’s a couple of times during the set where I’ll give Perkins a look over my shoulder, like, ‘Slow down – watch the tempo here.’ But the more we play, the less I have to do that, you know what I mean? It’s just muscle memory.

“We’ve also gotten really experimental live, where some songs are seven minutes one night and 12 minutes the next night. I think Eric and I have really boned on ambient, droning, spooky, vibey, weird things that go on for too long – uncomfortably long, if that makes sense!

“If we’re making a droning noise and you’re in the audience, you might say, ‘What the hell is going on here? Are they gonna play a song?’ But Eric and I are completely lost in another dimension. If you go with it in the audience you’ll kind of get into a trance.

“It’s really exciting. We’ve just extended Three Days and added an entirely new section that’s just a soundscape. It’s certainly been different every night, primarily because we’re just exploring. When we play these songs live, the majority of them, we don’t really know where they’re gonna go!”

Do you attribute that to the chemistry of the original lineup?

“We’ve been playing together for so long that we’ve managed to avoid train wrecks, which is pretty special. Stephen will play some bizarre pattern in a song that he’s never played, and me and Eric will look at each other and go, ‘Okay, I guess that’s how it’s going tonight!’

“It makes playing those songs fun again. You’re on the edge of a cliff and you don’t know if you’re gonna fall off. So far, we haven’t. And even if we did, that would be kind of a memorable moment!

“There was a time we played the Paradiso in Amsterdam, and I was standing on the edge of the stage with one foot on the barrier, and I fell into the audience. That’s what’s happening musically with us right now – although we haven’t fallen into the audience yet!”

Speaking of the unknown and unexpected, Tom Morello turned up on stage with you recently, which reminds me of when you unexpectedly jammed with John Frusciante. What’s it like for you in those moments?

“They’re nothing but exciting because these guys are great, and I have love and respect. I know they’re phenomenal guitar players, and it’s fun for me to hear our songs with a completely left-field take on the soloing.

“But there’s more than that: there’s a brotherhood and a unity among musicians, and with guitar players especially. The time with John was the first time I’d ever played with him. After all these years, and with me being in the Chili Peppers, I’d never got the opportunity to play with him.

“The Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction were playing a benefit. I called John and said, ‘Dude, you have to join us for a song. I’m not going to let you not play with us!’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I’d love to.’ And that’s how it happened. I was just floored to have him because he’s one of my favorite guitar players, and he’s a contemporary favorite.

“And then, Tom has been a friend of the band for years. We’ve played with him many times. Tom was in a band called Lock Up before Rage Against the Machine.

“One New Year’s Eve, as a prank, we had Lock Up come out as Jane’s Addiction. Tom had a Dave Navarro wig, the singer had a wig with dreadlocks, the bass player had a punky Eric Avery wig and the drummer, I think, had like a weird, crazy Phyllis Diller wig!

“We had them come out and open up with one of our songs, and Tom Morello was dressed as me – though, of course, he sounded nothing like me. Midway through the song, the four of us came out, stopped them, plugged in ourselves, and continued on with the song!”

How did the crowd take it?

“We thought it would be really funny, right? It did not go over well at all! They had no idea what was going on. Not one person thought it was funny or understood what happened! We were talking about the night the other night in Cologne with Tom. It was definitely a worthwhile gimmick!”

What’s been your most important piece of gear on the road?

“It’s always my guitar. I’ve been playing Paul Reed Smith guitars since 1991, the first Lollapalooza. It was the first show in Arizona, and back then, drugs and alcohol were a big factor in our band’s life. Sometimes we’d be at the same level and have a great time, and sometimes people would go in different directions.

“On that particular night I went in a different direction. Three songs in we got into a physical altercation and I decided, ‘I’m done playing this fucking show.’ I took all my Ibanez guitars and threw them into the audience.

“I looked at Perry and I was like, ‘What are you going to do now?’ Like, ‘Ha ha ha, I got you! I don't have any guitars to play now!’ Five minutes later, I was like, ‘Oh shit, what am I going to do now?’ I was so focused on getting back at him that I didn't realize I'd just cut my own feet off.

“The guitarist of the Rollins Band, Chris Haskett, was playing with Corey Smith. At the next gig he said, ‘Why don’t you borrow one of my guitars and see if you like it?’ So for the second Lollapalooza show I was playing a PRS, and I said, ‘I fucking love this.’”

What made the PRS feel different?

“I always ride the volume knob. I never like having my sound thin when I’m on the volume knob, but I liked the PRS. So, Chris said, ‘Let me introduce you to Paul.’ They overnighted two or three guitars; I used them for the rest of Lollapalooza and the rest of my career – with the exception of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”

Because their sound is so closely intertwined with Strats?

“I played Fender Stratocasters because I wanted to do their back catalog service. It would have been kind of impossible to play their old material with a humbucker. So with the exception of the Chili Peppers, I’ve been playing Paul Reed Smiths for about 33 years.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m going through effects pedals or what kind of amp I’m going through; it’s the way the strings feel on the neck. It’s the sustain within the body of the guitar. It’s the consistency of the volume knob. It’s the multitude of pickup selectors I have at my disposal.

“I can really make that thing sound like just about any guitar, you know? I was a Les Paul guy in the early days of Jane’s Addiction, and then I got into the Ibanez world because I was really focusing on my shredding skills. And then I found the PRS had the output of the Les Paul, but not the weight.

“I could get a single-coil tone out of it without getting any thinner as I turned down my volume. I really have to be able to do that based on where Perry is vocally.”

You’ve said effects aren’t as important – but are there one or two that you use most often?

“I would say delay. When I came down for my Jane’s Addiction audition, Perry had an Ibanez DM-1000 rack-mounted delay, and I had a DM-1000 delay. We looked at each other and said, ‘We use that, too!’ It was just like magic; we were both on the same page.

“Whenever I would go to do a solo, it always felt like a huge section of the band dropped out. It felt like, with no rhythm guitar, I really needed to fill up some more space. So I would use my delay. I think that my love of delay on lead guitar came from Wrathchild by Iron Maiden.”

Jane’s is putting out new music, while also being in the position of looking back. What’s the band’s legacy?

“You know, the fact that there could or might be a legacy of any kind is an incredible honor. I can’t tell you what it would be. That’s very difficult to ask somebody from the inside. I think if you asked Robby Krieger that question about The Doors, he wouldn’t know what to say.

“I would hope that part of the legacy would be that we were a band that didn’t fit any molds, broke rules, and got into the corners of all types of genres of music. And that we were led by an incredible poet and consisted of very efficient yet totally different musicians who somehow managed to make their differences work.”

• Imminent Redemption is out now. Jane’s Addiction kick off a new tour leg on August 9 – see JanesAddiction.com for full dates.

Back in February 2020, John Frusciante played his first gig with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in over a decade as part of a memorial show hosted by the Tony Hawk Foundation.

The event was also attended by ex-RHCP electric guitar player Dave Navarro, who – along with the rest of his Jane’s Addiction bandmates – was present to perform a four-song set for the gig.

During proceedings, Froosh was invited onstage to join Navarro and the LA alt-rockers to perform Mountain Song – a cover, it turns out, that marked the first time the two guitarists had ever played together, despite their close friendship and RHCP ties.

In a new interview with Guitar World, Navarro reflects on the experience, and recalls how the impromptu performance came about.

“The time I played with John was the first time I'd ever played with him,” Navarro explains. “After all these years, and with me being in the Chili Peppers, I never got the opportunity to play with him.

“We were doing a benefit for a guy who lost his son – God rest his soul – and the Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction were playing.

“I called John immediately and said, 'Dude, you have to join us for a song. I'm not going to let you not play with us.' He was like, 'Yeah, I'd love to.' And that's how it happened.”

Navarro joined RHCP to fill the space left by Frusciante, after the band’s most decorated guitarist left in 1992. Following brief tryouts with guitarists Arik Marshall and Jesse Tobias, Navarro – who had left Jane’s Addiction at the time – was recruited. He recorded 1995’s One Hot Minute with the band, before departing in 1998. Frusciante rejoined that same year.

The two guitarists remained close over the years, with Navarro previously recalling how he once brought a Les Paul for Frusciante to play in rehab after his first departure from RHCP. Frusciante ended up selling the guitar to buy drugs, but years later, he apologized to Navarro by gifting him a replacement Gibson Les Paul.

Reflecting on the pair finally sharing the stage after such shared experiences, Navarro continues in his GW interview, “I was just floored to have him because he's one of my favorite guitar players, and he's a contemporary favorite.”

Expanding on what it’s like to play with such high-profile guest stars such as John Frusciante and Tom Morello – another player with whom Navarro jammed recently – the Jane’s Addiction member adds, “They're nothing but exciting because these guys are great, and I have love and respect.

“I know they're phenomenal guitar players, and it's fun for me to hear our songs with just a completely out-of-left-field take on the soloing. There's like a brotherhood and a unity among musicians. And with guitar players especially, that happens. It's really special.”

Read the full interview with Dave Navarro, in which he recalls how he stopped playing guitar for a year after the tragic death of Taylor Hawkins, and discusses his battle with Long Covid.

Dave Navarro has revealed he and Taylor Hawkins had finished recording an album together before the Foo Fighters drummer passed away – and the loss was so painful for the Jane’s Addiction guitarist that he didn’t play guitar for a year.

Last month, Navarro finally returned to onstage action with Jane’s Addiction, having been sidelined for three years following his battle with Long Covid.

The electric guitar hero came down with the condition back in December 2021, mere months after he launched new supergroup, NHC, with fellow Jane’s Addiction bandmate Chris Chaney, and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

The band played live a handful of times together – including one occasion where they were joined by Pat Smear – but the trio continued their collaboration in the studio, where they recorded an entire album together.

However, Hawkins passed away suddenly in March 2022, and Navarro was so devastated by the sudden news that he didn’t play guitar for a long, long time.

In a new interview with Guitar World, Navarro was asked how his Long Covid battle impacted his guitar playing, responding, “If I'm being perfectly honest, I just completed making a record with Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney.

“We mixed and mastered it, and then, we lost Taylor. That was in the middle of Covid, and it was actually very painful for me to pick up the guitar after that.”

“I'll be honest – I didn't pick up the guitar for about a year,” he continues. “And because he [Taylor Hawkins] was such an inspiring artist… Not only was he a phenomenal drummer, but he was also an amazing songwriter and lyricist, and he was just one of those humans that everybody loved. Everybody loved him.”

A year after Hawkins’ death, Navarro – who was housebound with Long Covid at the time – slowly got back into the swing of things, and found himself returning to the instrument.

“For the first year after losing Taylor, I didn't play for a long time. Then, about a year into it, I picked up the guitar, started playing some cover songs, and just kind of got used to the instrument in my hand again.”

During their show in Cologne, Germany on Tuesday (June 25), Jane’s Addiction invited Tom Morello onstage to help them perform Mountain Song.

It was clearly an impromptu performance, though, as Morello arrived onstage following vocalist Perry Farrell’s introduction without his trademark Arm the Homeless custom model or even his Soul Power Fender Stratocaster, and armed instead with a PRS electric guitar.

Specifically, Morello – who has been a Fender player for much of his career – looked to have borrowed a guitar from Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro, who only returned to the stage with the band last month following a three-year long battle with long Covid.

And so, wielding Navarro’s Custom 24 signature guitar – the white finish, matching headstock, black humbuckers and gold bridge give it away – the Rage Against the Machine riffsmith helped hold down the see-sawing power chord progression.

Having dutifully allowed Navarro to take the first lead spot, Morello then got to grips with the unfamiliar terrain of the Custom 24’s fretboard, sizing it up with a solo of his own that was as Morellian as they come.

Open-string lines and some frantic reach-around harmonics looked to be the most exciting elements of the solo, but Morello took things up a notch by seizing Navarro’s guitar to his face and shredding with his teeth.

So, despite the impromptu gear change, it sounded exactly like Tom Morello. After all, tone is in the hands – or, in this case, the teeth.

The moment was captured by fan footage, and a post published on Jane's Addiction's Instagram, which was captioned, "Look what the cat dragged in."

While it is strange to see Morello playing something other than the Soul Power Strat, we don’t imagine he’ll be making the switch to PRS permanent, as his former fellow Fender signature artist John Mayer did back in 2018.

While he is best known for his Arm the Homeless model, Morello has often spoken about his affinity for Fenders, and previously discussed why the Strat is unlike any other electric guitar.

“One of the things that differentiates the Strat from other great electric guitars is the sound of those other guitars leading the player,” Morello explained. “With the Stratocaster, the player leads the sound.”

Dave Navarro returned to the Jane's Addiction saddle for the first time in three years after long Covid forced him to take a break from touring, with the band reuniting for an intimate UK warm-up gig last night.

The show on Thursday (May 23) at London’s Bush Hall boasted a cozy capacity of 400, and saw Navarro return to the stage in style. The occasion also marked the first time the classic lineup has performed together since March 2010. 

The rest of the band – bassist Eric Avery, who rejoined in 2022, vocalist Perry Farrell, and drummer Stephen Perkins – have all seen Josh Klinghoffer and Troy Van Leeuwen fill in for Navarro during various touring legs in recent years.

In May last year, Navarro revealed he’d “been sick since December” as a result of his illness, and that “nobody knows how long” it will be until he’s fit to shred on stage again. 

His message came after the band was forced to pull out of the Welcome To Rockville festival, with the guitarist adding “the fatigue and isolation is pretty awful”.

Long Covid – or post-Covid – can see people suffer from prolonged symptoms of the illness for weeks, or even years, after initial infection, with Navarro seemingly getting the worst of it.

It makes the return of the classic lineup all the more triumphant, and fans have been waxing lyrical about the show. 

The intimate gig – preparation for their Bearded Theory festival headline appearance in the UK this weekend (25 May) – saw the band hurtle headfirst into Kettle Whistle. It was the first time the song had been performed since 2001, and its opening bars rattled like a freight train out of Navarro's PRS electric guitar. 

There's a mix of joy, relief, and concentration etched on his face as he tears through the track’s wah-drenched solo. Scott Rowley, Content Director for Future's Music division, was at the show, and labeled the performance “peak-Navarro”.

“To me, he’s great because he’s a guy who grew up on Page and Van Halen, but also listened to the textures and stylists of the new wave,” he reflects. “He’s as influenced by Daniel Ash of Bauhaus and Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins, so his parts are weird, and angular, and delicate – and then he shreds like a bastard, which he did last night. Lots.”

But the band wasn't just there for nostalgia. The show also saw the live debut of a brand new song, Imminent Redemption, with the band currently working on a follow-up to their 2011 album, The Great Escape Artist – and it sounds like it will be well worth the wait.

Avery introduces the song with a rolling bassline, before Perkins provides thumping toms for assistance, with gut-punching rhythm guitars and pepperings of supple leads delivered by Navarro.

The band is speculated to release their fifth studio album later this year, having debuted another new track, True Love, at one of their Klinghoffer-depped shows last year. 

While the wait for official news on the album stretches on a little longer, it’s a joy to see Navarro back on stages where he belongs. 

Whether One Hot Minute was a disappointment or a criminally overlooked album in the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s arsenal is up for debate. Many consider it to be one of their weaker efforts, but it certainly yielded some great songs. The addition of ex-Janes Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro brought a heavier slant to the group’s sound, with borderline metal moments on Warped and Coffee Shop.

"Actually, Aeroplane was the only song I was worried about,” said Flea in his 1996 Bass Player cover story. "I thought it sounded like another stupid white boy trying to be funky! When I played it live in the studio, the bass didn't record right, so it was one of the few things I had to overdub. I put it out anyway, but it's the one thing I'd go back and fix. The part kept feeling stiff to me, as if it wasn't my day. I wanted to redo it, but Rick Rubin said it was cool."

Don't let Flea's humbleness fool you. Aeroplane has to be one of the funkiest use of slapped octaves ever. The bassline in the verse isn’t as flashy as Flea’s earlier slap style, but his wiry tone and heavy thumb perfectly illustrates his commanding-yet-essential approach, while the fingerstyle line in the chorus, with its huge slides and groovy fills, weaves effortlessly in and out of the vocal melody. And there’s an awesome bass solo to boot. Weak effort? We think not.

The following interview is from the February 1996 issue of Bass Player. During a two-week break from the Chili Pepper's gruelling tour schedule, Flea took some time to explain why he's fallen back in love with his instrument, how not to be a player who's "all flash and no smash," and how practicing Transcendental Meditation helped him to become a better musician.

There are a bunch of different styles mixed together in the bassline of Aeroplane. How did you come up with the slap part in the verses?

"I was sitting in my garage with a bass guitar Louis Johnson gave me – a Treker Louis Johnson Signature 4-string – and I started playing that '70s funk line. The bass had light strings on it and had that whacka-whackita sound. It's kind of a ‘been done’ groove, but it's nice and Anthony liked it. The chorus part was one of those things where we were stuck; sometimes when we're looking for another part, I'll have no idea what I'm going to do, but I'll say, 'What about this?'"

Compared to the full-bore thumbwork of early Chili Peppers records, your parts on Blood Sugar Sex Magik showcased a more stripped-down approach. On One Hot Minute, did you try to combine elements of both?

"I was trying to play simply on Blood Sugar because I had been playing too much prior to that, so I thought, I've really got to chill out and play half as many notes. I think my playing on One Hot Minute is even more simple; I thrashed through the recording and didn't care about the parts being perfect. It's not that I don't love the bass passionately anymore – I just felt I'd been getting too many accolades for being Joe Bass Player."

Some might argue that this record is one of your stronger bass efforts.

"Really? Maybe not thinking about it made me play better. I definitely left lots of mistakes on there, and I can't even think of anything I played that was complex; even the slapping stuff is simple. It's original-sounding, and I'm proud of that, but what I played was more a matter of aesthetic choice. On the other hand, I guess Giant Steps was simple to John Coltrane, because it was him playing it. It's easy if you can do it!" 

Coffee Shop is chock full of bass stuff, including a solo.

"It's funny – Coffee Shop would never have been a song if it weren't for this effect called the Electro-Harmonix BassBalls. I started playing with it one morning in Hawaii, and it had the most amazing underwater, Bootsy kind of sound – and it also had this siren effect going on. But when we got to L.A. to start recording, the box never made the sound again. I got so mad, I crushed it! I almost didn't even want to record the song, because to me, it was all about that bass sound. I ended up using a Boss Dynamic Filter on the record."

In the solo, it sounds as if you're ripping the strings off the fingerboard.

"We didn't know what to do at the end, so I said, 'I'll solo.' I played the track once, and I wanted to fix it later because I thought it sucked, but I never did."

Pea, your bass-and-vocals solo piece, features an acoustic bass guitar.

"Yeah – it's a Sigma acoustic bass guitar. There's not much to say about Pea. I mean, it's just a song I wrote."

Are you catching any flack for it?

"Because I say, 'Homophobic redneck dick'? I did get some shit for it, but fuck those people! We had to put out a version of the album for Wal-Mart without that song."

Did that upset you at all?

"No. If someone says, 'I'm not going to buy your record, but I'll buy these songs,' then okay – buy those songs. I'd rather they hear it all, but to hell with my ego."

The ending of One Big Mob has a heavy feel.

"That song was actually part of a 12-minute movement. The end was the intro to another song called Stretch You Out, which is more of a funk thing, but we didn't put it on the record. It's too bad, because bass players would probably like that tune more than any other song on the album. I think we'll put it out as a B-side."

Walkabout is built around the bass, especially the verses.

"I had gone to see the Spike Lee movie Crooklyn, which has this cool '70s funk soundtrack. I came home, picked up my bass, and started playing that verse line. I wrote the intro at rehearsal – it was another of those 'What about this?' things."

Transcending centres around a twisted b7 bass riff.

"I play the root and the b7, which ring at the same time, and then I play the 4th and bend it up while I keep plucking. I wrote that part on my acoustic bass guitar while I was sitting on the beach in Hawaii."

How did you get that ultra-slimy sound on Falling Into Grace?

"It's the BassBalls, the Boss Dynamic Filter, and maybe a Boss Auto Wah, too. I had all three hooked up, but I may have used only two of them."

How do you think One Hot Minute differs from Blood Sugar Sex Magik?

"There are two big differences. First, I was in a different place emotionally for this record. I was coming out of a two-year period of misery, when I was down emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Second, Dave Navarro is intensely different from John Frusciante. Dave is really into the studio; he would spend weeks on every song, put something like 15 tracks of guitar on every tune, and weed through it in the mix. Dave's sound is more layered and 'effecty' than John's, which was like, boom – play it dry and leave it alone."

So the contrast between your styles created the album's textured sound?

"The contrast made a big difference. John was a huge fan of the band when he joined, so it wasn't a big change for us. He did come into his own aesthetic as time went on, and he had a huge amount to do with the sound of the band, but Dave's coming from his own trip – the Jane's Addiction thing in particular, which was very different from the Chili Peppers."

Did adjusting to yet another guitar player affect the feel?

"We were playing something new, and it was exciting – but on the negative side, we'd never toured together. The record is what it is, though: a document of that time. It has good energy, the grooves are good, and the music is good. I'm happy with the way I played, but I'm already onto another groove."

The band's jams seem to be stretching out into new areas.

"To me, this is the least jam-oriented record we've made. I mean, we definitely jammed on the ideas, but there's only one groove on the whole album that came from a jam, Deep Kick. The rest of it came from sitting down with a guitar or bass and saying, 'Check this out, guys.' I wrote almost all of the music on the record."

So you've expanded beyond writing only grooves?

"I've always had a major hand in writing, but on some of the One Hot Minute songs, I wrote the chords and the melody and most of the words. I wrote a lot of the lyrics on Deep Kick and Transcending, for example."

Did you put the songs together on a 4-track?

"I've got one, but mostly I'd play acoustic guitar and come up with the chords and melody, and Dave would take my simple guitar part and play it in his magical Navarro way. Or, I would have a bassline, and Dave would think of a guitar part to go with it."

When did you start learning to play guitar?

"I started a couple of months before we began making this record. Rick Rubin gave me a Martin acoustic, and I bought a Neil Young songbook to learn chords. Playing guitar has definitely helped me as a songwriter; instead of thinking in terms of basslines and grooves, which is an amazing way to think, I now think about chord progressions and melodies. It's another musical dimension for me."

One Hot Minute is available to buy or stream

Jane’s Addiction have announced they’ve recruited former Red Hot Chili Peppers electric guitar player Josh Klinghoffer for a string of upcoming live dates.

Klinghoffer, who played with Jane’s Addiction for some shows back in 2022, will once again return to the band’s lineup in place of Dave Navarro, who continues to recover from a particularly strong case of long Covid.

In a statement posted to social media, the band confirmed Klinghoffer’s temporary appointment, and ended speculation over Navarro’s future role in Jane’s Addiction by affirming he will return only when he’s “healthy and ready."

“We'd like to address the questions surrounding Dave and the upcoming Jane's shows,” the band wrote. “As a band we are in a great place, writing new music, and the bond is tighter than ever. We all hope Dave can be out playing with us; when he feels healthy and ready.

“For the near future, our brother Josh Klinghoffer will jump in for the upcoming shows on the West Coast, South America and some additional international shows to be announced soon.

“We want to thank you for being there with us over these thirty some odd odd years. You know, we're going to keep throwing down for you.”

Klinghoffer is the second guitarist to fill in for Navarro in recent months, after Queens of the Stone Age axeman Troy Van Leeuwen took up the role for the band's North American tour last fall.

Last November, Klinghoffer added to his impressive resume of live and session credits by joining Jane's for a handful of live dates – including a cameo at the group’s show at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

Navarro continues to be absent from Jane’s Addiction activities after he announced back in May 2022 that he has been battling a case of long Covid – a condition that sees viral and other symptoms remain after the illness itself has gone.

The Jane’s Addiction guitarist has been battling the condition since December 2021, and told fans early last year that “nobody knows how long” it will be before he is fit to play and tour again.

As such, Klinghoffer will see action across plenty of dates in March, with Jane’s Addiction set to perform on eight nights across the duration of the month.

The short stint is set to commence on March 5 at the Mechanics Bank Theater in Bakersfield, California, and will conclude at Lollapalooza Brazil in São Paulo. Head over to Jane’s Addiction’s website for a full list of dates.

It's Klinghoffer's latest high-profile fill-in role with a legendary '90s alt-rock band, after the guitarist was recruited to the ranks of Pearl Jam as a touring guitarist in 2021.

Jane’s Addiction’s upcoming 2023 material could feature guitar contributions from Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen, former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and Bauhaus’s Daniel Ash, frontman Perry Farrell has revealed.

The trio of guitarists each filled in at various points on the band’s recent Spirits on Fire tour for Dave Navarro, who has been battling a case of long Covid since last December.

“I don’t know who will end up recording the guitar tracks [for the new material], but I’d love to see Dave, Troy, Josh and Daniel contribute – all the guys on the tour that really stuck it out,” Farrell says in a new interview with Alternative Press.

The band reportedly have three songs in the works at the time of writing, and are keeping an open invitation to Van Leeuwen, Klinghoffer and Ash to make contributions when it comes to recording the material. And Van Leeuwen, at least, appears keen to participate when the time comes.

“There’s a connection there, and it’s a no-brainer,” he tells AP. I’d like to see what they do with Dave, but if they have a plan, I’m going to show up when I can to be a part of it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Farrell explains that the band are in a good mental space following the Spirits on Fire tour, which wrapped up at LA’s Hollywood Bowl on November 19, and explained how the trek has lit the flame of wanting to write new music.

“It was a shared sense of [camaraderie], which translated into us really feeling like a band again,” says bassist Eric Avery, who officially rejoined the band in August after 12 years out of the role.

“This time out, there was a real connection between the people onstage that I haven’t felt since 1986. We were all pulling in the same direction, and it was surprising in many ways. I think it’s really important for us to write new material.”

“I had one of the best tours of my life,” Farrell adds. “I just love at the end of the show seeing how many happy people there were. We got to them, and that’s the best feeling in the world,” Farrell says.

But while the tour was a resounding success, as Farrell explains, the band were selective about who they called up to fill Navarro’s position.

“At first, there was a lot of weight on my shoulders. This was our return tour right after Covid, and we didn’t have Dave," frontman Perry Farrell admits. "Jane’s is a unique band, and you can’t just grab any guitar player and they’ll pick it up. That’s Dave Navarro we’re talking about – those are big shoes to fill.”

There's currently no date set for new Jane's Addiction music, but with such an all-star lineup, it looks likely to be one of the guitar highlights of 2023.

Over the weekend (October 2), Jane’s Addiction kicked off their fall North American tour with the Smashing Pumpkins with a show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Intriguingly, the band's lineup included – for the first time in over a decade – founding bass guitar player Eric Avery. Even more notable, though, was the absence of electric guitar ace Dave Navarro, who's been battling a nasty case of "long Covid" since last December.

In his place, Jane's have drafted longtime Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen. You can see fan-filmed footage of Van Leeuwen playing Three Days with the band – during their October 3 show at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas – below.

“When we booked this tour and Dave was sick, we didn’t know he’d take this long, to be honest with you,” Jane's frontman Perry Farrell said in a statement to Rolling Stone about the decision to enlist Van Leeuwen. “You have to be able to adapt. I really do have to consider everybody on the crew and their families. They have mouths to feed, and they haven’t had a paycheck in almost two years.

“I wish I could have waited longer for Dave. Maybe he will call me in a week and say, ‘I’m good to go.’ And what could happen is, he could just slide right next to Troy.”

Earlier this year, Navarro's ongoing illness forced Jane’s Addiction to pull out of a scheduled performance at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. In their place, Farrell reunited his post-Jane’s Addiction band, Porno For Pyros, for their first full performance in 26 years.

Smashing Pumpkins, for their part, debuted two new songs – Neophyte and Harmageddon – on the first night of their tour with Jane's.

For a full list of Jane's Addiction/Smashing Pumpkins North American dates, and tickets for the shows, visit the bands' respective websites.

Dave Navarro has revealed he’s been battling with “long Covid” for the past six months – a condition that sees viral and other symptoms remain after the illness itself has gone.

Writing on social media, the Jane’s Addiction guitarist shared he’s “been sick since December”, and said that “nobody knows how long” it will be before he is fully fit again.

The message comes less than two weeks after Jane’s Addiction were forced to pull out of their appearance at this year’s Welcome To Rockville festival as a result of Navarro’s recurring health issues.

Navarro wrote, “So yeah, I’m one of the ones who came down with the ‘long haul covid’. Been sick since December and supposedly will be back to my old self in… nobody knows how long.

“If there are any of you who are still suffering long after your negative results, I’m just saying you aren’t alone,” he continued. “The fatigue and isolation is pretty awful but try to spend your time with the ones you love and stay creative. 

“That’s how I’m trying to get through this thing. Also lots of spiritual practices, meditation and yoga have been very helpful. I’ll be okay, just don’t know when.

“Anyway, thanks for listening and don’t worry about me. All indicators are pointing to a full recovery at some point.

“There’s really no more to say on the matter so I’d appreciate not receiving a bunch of DMs or texts. Not out of disrespect for you guys, I’m just so tired of talking about this, I’m sure you can imagine.”

According to the CDC, long Covid – or post-Covid – is the continuation of a “wide range of symptoms that can last more than four weeks or even months after the infection”.

“Most patients’ symptoms slowly improve with time,” a statement on the CDC website states. “However, for some people, post-COVID conditions may last months, and potentially years, after COVID-19 illness.”

Jane's Addiction are set to hit the road with The Smashing Pumpkins for a North American tour later this year, which will kick off in early October.

Perry Farrell reunited his post-Jane’s Addiction band Porno For Pyros for an appearance at Daytona festival Welcome To Rockville yesterday evening (May 22). 

The announcement came after Jane’s Addiction were forced to pull their set due to guitarist Dave Navarro’s ongoing struggles with Covid-19. 

Farrell first revealed the plan in a statement peppered with lyrical references on Welcome To Rockville’s Facebook page.

“The gang and the government are no different. That makes me 1%,” said Farrell. “Rockville, although we are blue that Jane’s cannot be with you at this time due to Dave’s long bout with COVID, I am still coming to Daytona, bringing to you for the first time in 26 years Porno For Pyros Featuring myself, Perry Farrrell, Stephen Perkins, Peter DiStefeno and Mike Watt. 

“We’ll play some Jane’s songs for you as well, but for now let’s recall: My boat’s capsized it’s gonna sink to the bottom. I can see the lights on the shore…”

Fan footage from the set has now appeared online, though it remains to be seen whether the move will lead to further Porno For Pyros appearances.

Jane’s Addiction were not the only cancellation of the weekend, as several major sets were abandoned due to storms and inclement weather. Headlining sets from Guns N’ Roses and Korn were among those cancelled, as well as appearances from Shinedown and Rise Against. Megadeth also failed to appear after they were delayed on their return from a previous date in Canada. 

“Tonight’s cancelation at Welcome To Rockville was a massive disappointment,” Slash tweeted. “We were really looking forward to the show. But the weather had other ideas. We sympathise with all you guys who got rained out along with us, it fucking sucks. Another time, sooner than later!”

Jane’s Addiction are set to return to the stage in October with Smashing Pumpkins for the Spirits On Fire tour.

NHC – the supergroup-power-trio made up of  LA rock stalwarts Dave Navarro, Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney – have released a new EP, Intakes And Outtakes. 

The release contains four new tracks, including covers of Pink Floyd’s Fearless and Level 42 track Something About You, alongside original songs One and the Same and I Could Be Someone Else.

It’s an eclectic, fun mix of influences very much in-keeping with the group’s progressive and delightfully unruly approach to writing and recording. 

“I’m really proud of this collection of songs,” says Navarro. “They really showcase the range that we like to explore collectively.”

And those of you wondering what the band is thinking covering the two UK groups on Intakes and Outtakes should know that Hawkins has no damn time for that sort of attitude.

“If you can’t see the connection between what we do, what Pink Floyd does, and what Level 42 did well then you’re just not getting it,” says Hawkins. “We had tons of fun as usual creating these little gems.” 

The new EP follows four previous tracks from the group, including 2021 debut double single Feed The Cruel / Better Move On and follow-up Devil That You Know and Lazy Eyes. 

The EP is available now via streaming services, and we have to say it does make a weird sense. Combining a lighter touch on the covers than their heavier originals (eg, One and the Same), it’s a dark and melodic brew of swirling psychedelic sounds and expansive arrangements.

We also can’t help but wonder if the Intakes and Outtakes title hints that this material has been cut from a larger body of recordings, suggesting the possibility of an NHC album is in the pipeline. For the record, that would be very much OK with us… 

Listen to NHC’s Intakes And Outtakes EP.

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates Dave Navarro and Anthony Kiedis teamed up at a charity event on Monday (December 20) to perform a cover of Lou Reed’s Walk On the Wild Side.

The performance – which marked the first time the pair have shared the stage since Navarro’s RCHP departure in 1997 – took place during Navarro’s Above Ground charity concert, which raised funds for people in the music industry battling mental health issues.

Navarro and Kiedis’s cover shared the bill with a handful of other rock ‘n’ roll heavyweights, with Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Billy Morrison and more all making guest appearances.

RCHP vocalist Kiedis joined the acoustic guitar-wielding Navarro – who was in the band from 1993 to 1997 – on stage while the guitarist was making his way through a set of songs honoring Lou Reed’s Transformer album.

Navarro and Kiedis were also joined onstage by Billy Morrison, with the trio collaborating for a performance of Walk On the Wild Side – footage of which can be found above.

On social media after the concert, Navarro wrote, “Been a very long time since I performed with my brother Anthony! What a magical night.”

Navarro had been brought in to replace John Frusciante back in the early ‘90s, though left after a brief four-year fling with the band, which saw him contribute to RCHP’s 1995 album, One Hot Minute. Frusciante was then redrafted to fill his space for a second stint that lasted between 1998 and 2009.

Frusciante was brought back into the fold once more in 2019, and in October this year the band revealed that they were “almost done” working on their first new album since the storied guitarist’s return.

They also announced that they’d be embarking on a world tour next year, with the support of The Strokes, St. Vincent, HAIM, Beck, Thundercat and others.

Navarro, meanwhile, recently shared details surrounding his new supergroup NHC – which also features Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney – along with two debut singles.

Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist Pat Smear joined NHC – the new band formed of Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins, and Jane's Addiction guitarist and bassist Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney – during their show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood last night (November 23).

New fan footage shows the band opening their set with I Know a Place – an original which is yet to receive an official studio release – before offering up renditions of their four singles to date – Feed the Cruel, Better Move On, Devil That You Know and Lazy Eyes – as well as a host of other new originals, closing with a cover of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust.

The band teased Smear's addition to their lineup for the Troubadour show in a series of Instagram posts earlier this week, which show Hawkins, Navarro, Chaney and Smear practicing at the band's rehearsal space – which is decorated to the nines with electric guitars, framed band photos and other musical memorabilia.

While Pat Smear joined NHC at the Troubadour – and at their October 2 show at Ohana Festival's Encore weekend at Dana Point, California – Rolling Stone report that he's already told the band a “soft no” to taking part in any future tours.

Hawkins, Navarro and Chaney announced the formation of NHC back in September, kicking things off with two debut singles: Feed the Cruel and Better Move On. The tracks showcased the trio's versatility from the off, the former being the more high-octane of the pair and the latter dabbling in more down-tempo arrangements.

The band doubled down with two new tracks earlier this month – Devil That You Know and Lazy Eyes – a cathartic, wah-laced ballad and a more intense, proggy number, respectively.

Hawkins and Navarro first met at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995, where Alanis Morissette and the Red Hot Chili Peppers – the musos' respective gigs at the time – both performed. The impetus to start NHC arrived when the trio – joined by Slipknot's Corey Taylor – delivered a rendition of Man in the Box during Alice in Chains' MoPOP Founders Award virtual celebration last year.

The group – minus Corey Taylor – reportedly gathered at Hawkins' house to jam prior to the performance, during which they began to work on new original material based on some of Hawkins' pre-recorded demos. Though Navarro says: “What we ended up with sounds nothing like those demos.”

Outside the realm of NHC and Jane's Addiction, Dave Navarro has been active on social media as of late. Earlier this month, the guitarist got in touch with a YouTube guitar teacher to correct his lesson of Jane's Addiction's Been Caught Stealing, telling Matt from Let's Play All: “It's actually easier than you're doing it.”

Hundreds, if not thousands, of song lessons get shared on YouTube every week, so the last thing you’d expect is for the original guitarist to chime in with a few pointers – yet that’s exactly what happened to one guitar teacher when he uploaded a tutorial on Jane’s Addiction classic Been Caught Stealing… and Dave Navarro got in touch.

The tutor in question is Matt from Let’s Play All, a YouTube channel dedicated to covering classic ’90s grunge and rock.

He first caught Navarro’s attention with a lesson on how to play Feed the Cruel, one of the debut singles from new supergroup NHC, featuring Navarro alongside Jane’s bandmate Chris Chaney and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins.

The former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist got in touch with Matt to say he loved the video, but wanted to correct one small subtlety. He then sent the YouTuber a cornucopia of NHC-branded picks, before reposting Matt’s cover of Feed the Cruel’s solo via the NHC Instagram account.

But it was after teaching one of his favorite songs, Been Caught Stealing, that Matt truly got the lesson of his life, as Navarro – entirely unprompted – shared the secret to that elusive verse shuffle riff.

“It’s actually easier than you’re doing it,” Navarro says in the clip, revealing he lifts both fingers off for the track’s funky muted strums. Matt then breaks the part down, with Navarro-approved accuracy.

This isn’t the first time a guitar legend has got in touch with a YouTuber to share a correction – Tony Iommi once called out one channel for getting his tone wrong, commenting “Where do they get it from?”

NHC, the new supergroup and/or power trio from Dave Navarro, Taylor Hawkins, and Chris Chaney have announced the release of two new songs, Devil That You Know and Lazy Eyes.

Devil That You Know is a cathartic, wah-laced ballad that alternately sings and jangles, at points recalling the mournful reverberations of early Foo Fighters songs. Navarro’s crisp playing is given the space to reverberate over a cycling rhythm section, while Hawkins’ voice is sounding in great shape, too.

Lazy Eyes is a little more intense, juxtaposing a marching drum beat over some proggy vocal lines. There is a little bit of Jane's Addiction-style pomp in there, while the breakdown, which is laced in a minute from the end, even brings to mind a bit of Yes or Rush. Either way, it’s clear they’re having some fun with this one… 

The new tracks follow on from the Jane's Addiction/Foo Fighters men’s debut singles Feed The Cruel and Better Movie On. At the time, Navarro said the energetic sessions attributed his new “awakening of everything he loved about playing”.

The band made their live debut at Ohana festival in early October, but have now turned their attention to their first headline date at LA’s Troubadour on November 23. Unfortunately, tickets are long-gone, but we’d wager there are more dates on the way…

To keep up to date with all the band's activities, head over to NHC's official website.

Dave Navarro, Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney have announced they’ve united for a new band project called NHC, and have celebrated the surprise news with the release of two debut singles, Feed The Cruel and Better Move On.

Electric guitar hero Navarro and bass guitar titan Chaney, currently bandmates in Jane’s Addiction, have brought Foo Fighters drummer Hawkins into the fold for their new project, the latter of whom labels Navarro as “the best lead guitarist in alternative rock”.

Hawkins and Chaney also have a musical history of their own, having both played in Alanis Morisette’s band in the mid-’90s. Chaney has also been a part of Hawkins’s solo project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders.

Said to be the result of “pure, unharnessed creativity”, NHC – Navarro, Hawkins, Chaney – has also been dubbed by Navarro as an “awakening of everything he loved about playing”, having felt his guitar chops plateauing in recent times.

Such inspiration and enthusiasm can certainly be heard in the band’s first two tracks. Feed The Cruel, the more high-octane offering of the pair, is a galloping alt-rock romp loaded with twang-y electrified lead lines and punchy riffs.

Better Move On, meanwhile, slows things down for a more ethereal listening experience, though doesn’t compromise on Navarro’s tastefully assembled decorative licks and melodic flourishes.

The trio are set to make their live debut later this year on October 2 at the Ohana Festival, tickets for which can be purchased from the festival's website.

To keep up to date with all the band's activities, head over to NHC's official website.

Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison are set to have their artwork featured at an upcoming post-pandemic installation at Julien’s Beverly Hills inaugural art exhibition, Degrees of Separation.

The exhibition is being hosted by Julien’s Beverly Hills of Julien’s Auctions, the latter of whom have been at the center of some of the guitar world’s most eye-catching online auctions.

Set to showcase never-before-seen artwork from a handful of the street art world’s finest, including Blek Le Rat, RISK, Estevan Oriol and Meg Zany, the exhibition will see the sale of over 50 original pieces.

Chief among the installations is a mixed medium piece by renowned street artist Plastic Jesus titled “The Art of Noise”, which features a genuine cherry red Fender Stratocaster that appears to be melting.

The six-string-inspired piece is one of the artist’s latest projects and will be sold at the event for $20,000, with Plastic Jesus’s website labeling the Strat at the center of the sculpture as “fully operational”.

Navarro and Morrison will also have their artwork represented at the exhibition, having collaborated with artists RISK and PADHiA. Navarro’s piece, an immersive cuckoo clock installation, will feature alongside Morrrison’s large-scale butterfly painting.

For more information about the event, which will be open from June 25 to June 27, head over to Julien’s Auctions.

Ground Control – a supergroup consisting of Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins and Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney – will take the virtual stage at A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day, a livestream event commemorating the life and legacy of the influential music icon.

They join an already massive list of musicians scheduled to appear, including Gavin Rossdale, Joe Elliott, Taylor Momsen, Lzzy Hale, Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, YUNGBLUD, Perry Farrell and Atticus Ross, to name just a handful.

Of course, Bowie's influence goes far beyond the realms of music, so such names as Ricky Gervais and Gary Oldman will also appear.

They'll join an alumni of the late icon's bands spanning his 1969 self-titled album to his final record, Blackstar, including Peter Frampton, Rick Wakeman and longtime producer Tony Visconti.

The three-hour event will kick off tonight (January 8) at 6pm PT / 2am GMT, and will be available for tickets holders for 24 hours after its initial stream. General admission tickets are on sale now for $25, with $2 from each ticket donated to Save the Children.

VIP experiences are also available for purchase, and include access to a pre-show soundcheck, an after-show Q&A and exclusive merchandise. For more information, head to Rolling Live Studios.

Ground Control's performance won't be their first – the quartet previously joined forces to play Alice In Chains’ Man In The Box at another livestream event, organized by the Museum Of Pop Culture.

Paul Reed Smith built his very first guitar in 1975 when he was a student at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Although he was just 19, he realized the only thing he wanted to do was build guitars, and he eventually dropped out of school.

When Smith sold the second guitar he ever made – a copy of a double-cutaway late-Fifties Les Paul Junior – to Derek St. Holmes, who was Ted Nugent’s rhythm guitarist at the time, he realized that his dream of becoming a professional luthier could easily become a reality.

From the very beginning of PRS Guitars, artists have played an essential role in both the company’s success and the design of its instruments. When Smith established his workshop in an attic at 33 West St. in Annapolis, Maryland, during late 1975, the very first guitar he built was a custom solidbody styled after a Gibson Byrdland commissioned by Nugent.

When Smith completed a new guitar, he would take it to concert venues in the Washington, D.C., area and Baltimore when major acts passed through and try to make his way backstage to show guitarists his work.

Soon he was building guitars for Peter Frampton (the second guitar from the 33 West St. workshop, completed in April 1976) and Al Di Meola, and by the time Smith had built his first 20 instruments, about half of them were made for artists.

Other notable early PRS players included Roy Buchanan and Howard Leese, who purchased the first curly maple top guitar that Smith built, which was originally commissioned by another artist who flaked out on paying for it.

Leese’s bandmate in Heart, Nancy Wilson, ordered a 12-string after she saw his guitar. Carlos Santana, who Smith first met in 1976 but turned down Smith’s offer as he had just started endorsing Yamaha guitars, ordered a guitar in the fall of 1980.

Smith ended up making four guitars for Santana before the guitarist gave his official approval, as Santana thought the first three were “accidents of God” and the fourth finally convinced him that Smith’s guitar-making talents were genuine.

Making a guitar that Carlos Santana would play was Smith’s goal from the very start. “I figured if I could build Carlos a guitar, I’d be made,” Smith said in The PRS Guitar Book by Dave Burrluck. “We couldn’t have done it without his support. He gave my instruments instant credibility, (as did) Howard Leese and Al Di Meola. Their mark of approval was crucial. I guess I had it right.”

Hundreds of artists have joined the ranks of PRS artists since the company was officially established in 1985. Surprisingly, it took 10 years before PRS introduced its very first artist signature guitar – the Carlos Santana model.

The second PRS artist signature guitar – the Mark Tremonti model – followed six years later in 2001. But since then PRS has introduced dozens of artist models, including various Private Stock, Core and SE models, as well as a few acoustics.

MiIn celebration of the 35th anniversary of PRS Guitars, we reached out to 35 PRS artists and asked them to tell us about songs that they recorded using a PRS guitar.

Mikael Akerfeldt – Opeth

• MODEL: PRS CE24
• SONG: Bleak – from Blackwater Park (2001)

“A second-hand black CE24 that I bought from a friend became my primary tool for Opeth,” Mikael Akerfeldt says. “The year after I bought it, I used it to record all of Blackwater Park. That guitar stayed with me for many years, both on tour and in the studio, although it’s now resting because it has massive sentimental value to me.

“Since then I’ve used so many different PRS guitars in the studio that I’ve lost count, really – a late-'80s blue Custom 24, a black quilted-top Custom 24, a Modern Eagle Singlecut and many others.”

Martin Barre – Jethro Tull

• MODEL: PRS 513
• SONG: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – from The Jethro Tull Christmas Album (2003)

“I first was introduced to PRS around 1998,” Barre says. “I was in my local guitar store in Exeter, and my eye was drawn to a very attractive McCarty hollowbody on the shop wall. I bought it straight away, and to this day it is my first-call instrument in my studio. It’s the guitar I would grab in a hurry when the aliens invade!

“A few years later I started using PRS 513 guitars with Jethro Tull, both in the studio and live on stage. In 2013 we made several videos that feature my PRS collection – yes, it grew! Today I have a pair of PRS P22 guitars stored in the US and the UK, which are my current go-to stage instruments.”

Brad Delson – Linkin Park

• MODEL: PRS CE24
• SONG: One Step Closer – from Hybrid Theory (2000)

“I remember that Mike Einziger from Incubus had a PRS, and it was the most aspirational guitar I had ever seen,” Delson recalls. “When my band Xero got its first publishing advance, I convinced the guys to let me spend a portion of it on my first PRS – a blue CE24.

“Later, that became the main guitar I used to record Hybrid Theory. I’m pretty certain I used it on ‘One Step Closer,’ which epitomizes the iconic sound of that guitar in drop C# tuning through a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier.”

Al Di Meola

• MODEL: PRS Custom Singlecut Trem
• SONG: Broken Heart – from Opus (2018)

Al Di Meola was one of the very first artists to play a Paul Reed Smith guitar. During the mid-'70s, he ordered a custom 12-string electric from Smith, which Di Meola played on Elegant Gypsy Suite from Elegant Gypsy. However, about 30 years passed before PRS introduced its first Di Meola signature model, the Prism, in 2008.

“Designing my signature model with Paul was one of my most enjoyable experiences,” Di Meola says. “It has the most beautiful finish ever! I’ve owned a lot of PRS guitars, and I’ve recorded many albums with them: Soaring Through a Dream, Tirami Su, Consequence of Chaos, Elysium and Opus, to name a few.”

Dan Estrin – Hoobastank

• MODEL: PRS Custom 24
• SONG: Crawling In The Dark – from Hoobastank (2001)

“I rented several guitars when Hoobastank recorded our first album,” Estrin says. “Two of them were PRS Custom 24s, and they sounded killer! I recorded a lot of the first album with both of them, including our first single, Crawling in the Dark. A few years later while we were on tour, I took a trip to the PRS factory.

“They took me around the factory, showed me how everything went down and introduced me to a lot of the amazing people who work there. When we got back to the artist relations rep’s office, he asked if I would like to have a custom PRS built for me. I was so stoked!”

David Grissom

• MODEL: PRS Standard 22
• SONG: Are You Listenin’ Lucky? – from Joe Ely Live At Liberty Lunch (1990)

“I used a 1985 Seafoam Green and a 1987 Goldtop Standard 22 for many years,” David Grissom enthuses. “The Goldtop was my main guitar in the late Eighties. It had the headstock broken twice and seemed to sound as good or better after each repair.

“I switched to a McCarty when that first came out, and I’ve been playing various DGT [David Grissom Trem] models since 2007. Every record I’ve ever played on – including all my solo records, Storyville, Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Buddy Guy, John Mayall and Robben Ford – has been with one of my PRS guitars.”

Chris Haskett – Rollins Band

• MODEL: PRS CE24 Bolt-on• SONG: Disconnect – from Weight (1994)

“In Rollins Band, the PRS’s pushed out all my other guitars,” Haskett says. “A PRS is pretty much all you hear on anything I did after 1991. Rollins Band was a hard band to capture in the studio, but of all our recorded material, I think ‘Disconnect’ from Weight is one of our best.

“My PRS guitars, especially the opaque black CE24 Bolt-On with a Wide Thin neck and three-way toggle replacing the rotary switch that was my main guitar, are like a pair of classic jeans: over the years they don’t wear out, they wear in.”

Warren Haynes 

• MODEL: PRS Custom 24
• SONG: Seven Turns – from The Allman Brothers Band's Seven Turns (1990)

“My very first PRS guitar was a gray-black Custom 24,” Haynes reminisces. “I recorded all of the Dickey Betts Band album Pattern Disruptive and a lot of the Allman Brothers album Seven Turns with that gray-black guitar. In the video for ‘Seven Turns’ there’s a long slide solo at the end that features this guitar.

“I also have a black guitar that Paul built for Dickey Betts, which was made with a lacquer finish that gives it a different sound. It has ‘Custom Built for Dickey Betts’ hand-written on the back of the headstock.”

Chris Henderson – 3 Doors Down

• MODEL: PRS Chris Henderson Signature Prototype
• SONG: It's Not My Time – from 3 Doors Down (2008)

“It’s Not My Time was recorded with the prototype of my signature Singlecut model,” Henderson says. “I became a big fan of the Singlecut model when 3 Doors Down shot the video for ‘When I’m Gone’ in 2002 on the deck of the USS George Washington off the coast of Portugal. I used the first Singlecut I ever got from PRS for that.

“At one point it was knocked off a stand, fell from the stage and landed on the steel deck. Even though it fell more than 5 feet, it was still in tune and played true! I sent it to the factory for repair, and they gave it a flame ‘hotrod’ paint job. That guitar has been all over the world and through the ringer – it was even stolen and recovered – but it still sounds and looks great.”

Jimmy Herring

• MODEL: PRS McCarty Hollowbody
• SONG: Mud Bug – from Project Z's self-titled album (2000)

“The first PRS I ever spent any real time with was a big McCarty Hollowbody that was prototype #6,” Herring says. “I instantly fell in love with it. It had one volume/one tone but I really wanted two volume/one tone, so I asked about adding another volume knob. They said, ‘We’ll just build you another one.’

“Once I got the new guitar, I don’t think I put it down for five or six years. Soon I got to try another thinner McCarty Hollowbody and fell in love with that one, too. The Hollowbody series guitars were like nothing else I had ever played before.

“They inspired me in a huge way, and I used them a lot with Jazz Is Dead, Project Z, the Allman Brothers Band and every other project I was a part of between 1996 into the early 2000s.

“The quality control at PRS is second to none. Paul and his team continue to improve these guitars in significant ways. I love the NF3, which is such a unique instrument with several things that set it apart from other guitars I have.

“I also have a prototype McCarty 594 that’s one of the best guitars I’ve ever played. It’s so inspiring to see how driven Paul is to evolve and improve something that was already great. These instruments are the best tools any musician could ask for.”

Mark Holcomb – Periphery

• MODEL: PRS Mark Holcomb Signature Prototype
• SONG: Graveless – from Juggernaut: Omega (2015)

“I first used my original six-string signature model prototype all over Juggernaut, when we were recording back in 2014,” Holcomb says. “You can hear it on songs like ‘The Bad Thing,’ ‘Omega,’ ‘Graveless’ and so on.

“That prototype was the basis for my Core signature model. It was my main live guitar for several years, so it’s taken quite the beating, but it’s still got this magic to it. Since then I’ve collaborated with PRS on my six- and seven-string SE signature models.”

Paul Jackson Jr.

• MODEL: PRS JA15
• SONG: B.F.A.M. (Brothers from Another Mother) – from Stories From Stompin' Willie (2016)

“When I first started with Paul and PRS Guitars, I was scheduled to work on the Grammys,” says Jackson, who has enjoyed a long, illustrious career as an A-list sideman, session player and solo artist. “I played a 513 onstage with Christina Aguilera and Chris Brown. I used an SC 250 for nine consecutive seasons of American Idol, and I used my 245 for a 3 1/2-year stint on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

“There was a joke that folks used to say about me in the Rickey Minor Band (musical director for the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, The Tonight Show, American Idol, etc.). They’d say, ‘If you wanna get seen on TV, stand next to Paul,’ because I got lots of shots on television. I think that was because my PRS guitars look so good.”

Tom Johnston – The Doobie Brothers

• MODEL: PRS Custom 24
• SONG: Nobody – from World Gone Crazy (2010)

“I used various PRS guitars on every album the Doobie Brothers have done since 1989’s Cycles,” Johnston says. “All of my guitar work on World Gone Crazy was done with a couple of PRS guitars because they sound great using both clean and distorted sounds. They’re such versatile guitars.

“We still tour every year and play between 80 and 90 shows a year. And I play PRS guitars every night. I can depend on Paul and the PRS folks to have my back for any repairs, pickups, fret work, volume and tone pot fixes, paint touch-ups – you name it!”

Davy Knowles

• MODEL: PRS Custom McCarty
• SONG: Ain't No Grave – from The Outsider (2014)

“I recorded my version of the old spiritual tune ‘Ain’t No Grave’ with a cool, one-off, Goldtop McCarty with a single bridge humbucker and a single volume control,” Knowles says. “I tuned it down to Drop C with some big, heavy strings. Love the sound on that!

“My Number One PRS is a prototype that used to belong to Paul. He gave it to me onstage when he sat in with my band in Virginia about 10 years ago. It has some mad quirks, like no truss rod but a strip of carbon fiber instead. It’s such a cool and unique guitar, and it sounds huge.”

Howard Leese – Heart

• MODEL: PRS Golden Eagle
• SONG: The Wolf – from Heart (1985)

“The first PRS guitar I ever played was my Number One, the Golden Eagle,” says Leese, who bought the guitar from Smith in 1980.

“I bought it on the virtue of a Polaroid photo that Paul passed to one of my techs. I was blown away by the flame on the top. When the guitar arrived, it was so amazing that I called Paul and ordered a backup guitar, a single-pickup model that I call the Golden Eagle II.

“I never played it as the Golden Eagle never needed backup. The Golden Eagle II is still mint! I played the Golden Eagle on every Heart record and every Heart concert from when I got it in 1980 until I left the group in 1998. I believe it is the first PRS to be on a Platinum record, and the first to appear on a Number One record.

“Paul has been my guitar builder since we met in 1980, and we have fun with the instruments. In the Eighties, I would send Paul swatches of material that was being used to make my stage outfits, and Paul would stain the guitars to match. The first purple PRS came about in this way. I believe that PRS makes the finest instruments being built today.”

Alex Lifeson – Rush

• MODEL: PRS CE24 Bolt-on
• SONG: Dreamline – from Roll The Bones (1991)

“I received a CE Bolt-On from PRS in early 1990, and I immediately became partial to that model for most of the Nineties,” Lifeson says. “I recorded Dreamline from Roll the Bones with a black CE Bolt-On that was my main guitar during that entire period.

“More recently, I’ve done a lot of recording with my PRS Alex Lifeson Private Stock Thinline Signature Acoustic model. It is very easy to record and sounds great in any application. It is an everyday guitar for me that sits proudly on its stand in my living room where we happily meet each day for our special workout, and I don’t mean pushups!”

Clint Lowery – Sevendust

• MODEL: PRS Custom 22
• SONG: Denial – from Home (1999)

“I’ve used an amazing custom black charcoal burst beauty Custom 22 that I affectionately call ‘Bruce Lee’ on every record I’ve done since 2000,” Lowery says. “It’s my favorite guitar, hands down.

“Once when I was on tour with Dark New Day supporting Seether, I was joking around and did an old-school guitar spin around my neck. It flew off the strap and the neck was cracked. I finished it off with a few more slams since the damage was done.

“Everyone on the tour signed it. I decided to save it for memory’s sake and sent it to PRS to see if they could put it back together. A few months later it showed up at my house completely restored with all the signatures intact. The PRS folks put it back together better than ever.”

Tim Mahoney – 311

• MODEL: PRS Standard 24
• SONG: Down – from 311 (1995)

“I’ve recorded with PRS guitars on every 311 record and performed probably every 311 performance with a PRS since 1992,” Mahoney says.

“One of my favorite PRS guitars is ‘Ol’ Red,’ a Standard 24 I’ve had since its birth in 1993. I used it to record on every song on our self-titled ‘Blue’ album, which contains some of our most popular songs like Down and All Mixed Up. When the Thomas Fire tore through my property in 2017, I kept ‘Ol’ Blue’ (a light blue 1999 Standard 24 with custom Bob Vessells tiki inlay) in my vehicle for preservation.”

Bernie Marsden

• MODEL: PRS Modern Eagle
• SONG: Kinda Wish She Would – from Shine (2014)

“I used my blue Modern Eagle a lot on my 2014 album Shine, which I recorded at Abbey Road,” Marsden says. “It’s a really great guitar. I have fond memories of visiting the PRS factory and talking to the staff in every department. The community spirit to produce fabulous quality guitars was tangible.

“I also always had a great time at the PRS Experience each year I attended. The atmosphere and vibe were always terrific. The achievements that Paul and his staff have attained over the last 35 years are impressive. I am very proud to have been involved in a small way.”

Brent Mason

• MODEL: PRS Brent Mason Signature
• SONG: Storm In A Shot Glass – from Reba McEntire's Stranger Than The Truth (2019)

“I am extremely grateful to Paul for supplying me with guitars after I lost most of my instruments during Nashville’s 2010 flood,” says the first-call Nashville session guitarist. “I lost my main utility guitars, but before my next session Paul came to the rescue with a 12-string, baritone, DGT and more.

“I’ve used my PRS guitars on many recordings. I played an SE Mike Mushok baritone on This One’s for You by Luke Combs and my Brent Mason Signature model for the guitar solo on Ronnie Dunn’s cover of How Long Has This Been Going On and Storm in a Shot Glass by Reba McEntire.”

John Mayer

• MODEL: PRS McCarty Hollowbody
• SONG: Wheel – from Heavier Things (2003)

“Back in 2003 while I was working on my second album, I realized it was time to get a hollowbody guitar. I was living in New York City at the time, so I headed to Rudy’s Music on 48th Street to get my hands on as many jazz-centric guitars as I could.

“I played everything they had, including all the big-body Gibsons, new and old. Then, [owner] Rudy Pensa handed me a PRS McCarty Hollowbody – that was the sound I was looking for. I was blown away, not just by the guitar, but by the fact that after playing all the usual suspects, the PRS became the one that lit up in my hands. The guitar solo for Wheel on Heavier Things is that hollowbody.

“I have used dozens of my signature Silver Sky guitars over the past few years, but it feels like there’s only been one. Each time Paul makes an incremental improvement, I put it to the test, and if it’s better than the one I already had in my hands, it becomes Number 1.

“That Number 1 crown jumps from guitar to guitar, kind of like king of the hill. I actually think the one I have now is going to be Number 1 for a real long time, but I’ve said that before!”

John McLaughlin

• MODEL: PRS McCarty Violin
• SONG: Guitar Love – from Now Here This (2012)

“The first PRS guitar I ever played was one of Carlos Santana’s guitars,” recalls McLaughlin.

“He loaned it to me when we played in a jam a long time ago. I loved the instrument right off. I’ve lost count of how many tunes I’ve recorded with my PRS’s, but one that immediately springs to mind is Guitar Love.

“At the end of my US tour in 2017, I put the wonderful Turquoise doubleneck that Paul made for me especially for the tour on auction to raise funds for the NGO [Non-Governmental Organization] for traumatized kids in Ramallah, Palestine that we support.”

Tony McManus

• MODEL: PRS Private Stock Tony McManus Signature Acoustic
• SONG: Gnossienne #1 – from Mysterious Boundaries (2013)

“I recorded the whole Mysterious Boundaries album with my first PRS Signature acoustic guitar,” McManus says. “It’s that one guitar on every track, solo, except the final piece, which was played on a baritone guitar. The first piece to be recorded was the Bach E major prelude for solo violin.

“Paul was so encouraging of that whole project, and had me record in his studio with Peter Denenberg engineering – fantastic experience.

"I was very excited to get back home from NAMM in 2011 with my signature guitar to show off. When I landed at Toronto airport, having changed in Denver, my guitar was missing so I went to the baggage claim desk and gave a description of my missing McManus guitar to the attendant. Her first question made me chuckle: ‘Is your name on it?’ ‘Oh yes, madam, it took me 38 years of playing, but my name is definitely on that guitar.’ It appeared the next day.”

Mike Mushok – Staind

• MODEL: PRS SE Mike Mushok Signature
• SONG: Failing – from Staind (2011)

“I’ve recorded pretty much everything with my PRS baritones,” Mushok says. “One track I really love that stands out is Failing off the last Staind record. I have a signature model tobacco sunburst that for some reason sounds just a little better than some of my other baritones.

“I use that guitar a lot. It’s on the Saint Asonia record and Flawed Design as well. It’s just a stock, off-the-shelf SE signature model, but it’s really a special guitar. PRS has become a huge part of my sound, from my signature baritone to a beautiful hollow body that I’ve used on a ton of records. I just know which guitar to go for which sound and they never let me down. They really are great crafted instruments.”

Zach Myers – Shinedown

• MODEL: PRS 305
• SONG: Bully – from Amaryllis (2012)

“I’ve recorded so many songs with my PRS guitars,” Myers says. “One guitar that I use in the studio and that I don’t use live is the 305. It’s one of my most versatile guitars. That guitar can get me through any sort of tone I need. When making the video for ‘I’ll Follow You’ I needed a guitar that could get wet for a rain scene in the video.

"PRS sent me a beautiful 25th Anniversary Hollowbody II that had a crack near the toggle switch, and I was told it didn’t work. It turned out that the guitar worked fine even after getting soaked in all the rain, and it’s now one of my number one go-to guitars live.”

Dave Navarro – Jane's Addiction

• MODEL: PRS Dave Navarro Signature
• SONG: Superhero – from Strays (2003)

“I was first introduced to PRS by Chris Haskett of Rollins Band in 1991,” Navarro reminisces.

“I had a nervous breakdown and threw all of my Ibanez guitars into the audience, so I didn’t have any guitars to play at my next show. I borrowed one of Chris’s PRS guitars and instantly fell in love with it. I went on stage having never played a PRS before and came off stage needing one immediately. I’ve played them ever since.

“In 2006, PRS introduced my signature model which was a Jet White Custom 24 with gold hardware, and in 2012 they released an SE Navarro model. I’ve recorded many songs with my PRS signature models. You can hear my PRS [guitars] all over the Jane’s Addiction albums Strays and The Great Escape Artist.

“I always felt guilty for having solid-color guitars because PRS has always been known for their beautiful transparent finishes that show off the gorgeous wood grain. But I just liked things simple back then. Now I’m really starting to love and appreciate the beautiful grain and finishes on the guitars, and I think I want one!”

Orianthi

• MODEL: PRS Custom 22
• SONG: How Do You Sleep? – from Heaven In This Hell (2013)

“One of my favorite guitars is ‘Manos,’ a Custom 22 that I used for the recording of ‘How Do You Sleep?’ on my Heaven in This Hell record,” Orianthi says.

“My other favorite PRS is my purple Custom 24 with Lotus inlays, which I used on my brand-new album. I absolutely love that one. I used my Santana model with Steve Winwood and Sheila E at the 2013 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors gala honoring Carlos Santana.”

Vernon Reid – Living Colour

• MODEL: PRS S2 VR Vela
• SONG: Theme Song from W. Kamau Bell's United Shades Of America (2019)

“When Living Colour were on tour with Aerosmith in the summer of 2015, my prototype signature Vela was sent to me in Michigan,” recalls Reid. “Right out the box, the guitar was absolutely fantastic, with a ‘V’ neck profile that is perfect. I used it enthusiastically for the rest of that tour.

“More recently, I used my signature model S2 VR Vela when I recorded the current theme song of W. Kamau Bell’s CNN show United Shades of America. It’s a version of James Wheldon Johnson’s spiritual ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing.’”

Tony Rombola – Godsmack

• MODEL: PRS Custom 22
• SONG: When Legends Rise – from When Legends Rise (2018)

“The first PRS I played was Mark Tremonti’s,” Rombola recalls. “I had a side band called Another Animal, and we did a 10-week tour with Alter Bridge. Mark and I traded licks, and I had a great time jamming with him.

“I primarily use Custom 22 models. On Godsmack’s last release, I used my Custom 22 on the track When Legends Rise. My PRS guitars never let me down. Their top quality and killer tone and looks give me confidence night after night.”

Carlos Santana

• MODEL: PRS Custom 1980 "Santana Prototype" Model
• SONG: Blues For Salvador – from Blues For Salvador (1987)

“The first PRS I ever played was a Santana model, but it wasn’t called that yet,” Santana says. “It looked like candy – perfect color of cherry red and dark, rich wood. It looked so delicious, sounded great, stayed in tune and felt like my voice. This model later became the Santana I.

“I recorded the song Blues For Salvador with one of my custom PRS models. It was one of those solos that you play and you don’t remember – it just happens. Everyone was like, ‘Oh my God!’ as soon as I hit the last note and the tape ran out and started spinning around the tape machine. That moment will always stand out in my mind.

“Picking up a Paul Reed Smith Guitar is like breathing to me. I don’t have to think about the guitar. It gives me clarity, certainty and confidence to play my heart and not have to think about anything. When PRS first arrived, it changed the narrative. It was a whole other sound, and it was powerful. A PRS has and always will have impeccable integrity.”

Neal Schon – Journey

• MODEL: PRS Custom Doubleneck
• SONG: Only The Young – from Frontiers (1983)

“I’ve been playing PRS guitars since the very beginning,” Schon says. “I used to own one of the first three curly maple guitars that Paul ever made, but he talked me into giving it back to him so he could display it in his museum. I used that guitar on It’s Alright from the Neal Schon & Jan Hammer Untold Passion album. I also owned the first doubleneck that Paul ever made.

“I used it on Only the Young, and Jonathan Cain used the 12-string neck for rhythm guitar on Stone In Love on our Escape album. I just acquired several new, amazing Private Stock guitars this year, so you’ll be seeing them on tour soon. I truly believe they are among the best guitars ever made.”

Martin Simpson

• MODEL: PRS Rosewood Martin Simpson Private Stock Acoustic
• SONG: Blues Run The Game – from Trails & Tribulations (2017)

“The first prototype of what became the Martin Simpson Model acoustic guitar arrived at my house in December 2009,” Simpson says. “Shortly after I opened the case and started to play it, my phone rang. It was Paul Smith who simply said, ‘You’re happy.’ It was not a question, but a statement of fact. I have used that guitar on numerous recordings, and I’ve lost count of the number of films and videos of live performances I’ve played a PRS on.

“In 2012, Paul made me a guitar from Honduras Rosewood with an Adirondack spruce top and the thinnest of finishes. I equipped it with three different pickups: a Highlander IP2, a McIntyre Feather and a Fifties DeArmond soundhole pickup. I’ve played that guitar on so many gigs and so many recordings. It’s ready for anything!”

Pat Travers

• MODEL: PRS Singlecut Trem
• SONG: Black Dog Blues – from Blues On Fire (2012)

“I got my first PRS in 2004 – a beautiful Custom 22 that I called 'Crème Brûlée' because of the honey-colored ‘10’ top,” Travers says. “That guitar felt wonderful to hold and play and look at – a very sensuous experience.

“In 2005 I acquired a ‘10 Top’ Singlecut with a tremolo. I later had it modified with the addition of PRS 57/08 pickups. It has been my number-one stage and studio guitar ever since.

I have played ‘Blackie’ on almost every recording I’ve done in the last decade or so. It’s amazing that Paul Smith has created a guitar company that rivals and exceeds all of his competitors. Paul once told me that he had been in a cover band that covered a bunch of Pat Travers tunes. I think that’s pretty cool!”

Mark Tremonti 

• MODEL: PRS Mark Tremonti Signature
• SONG: Blackbird – from Blackbird (2007)

“The first PRS I ever played was an Artist Series model during the Nineties,” says Tremonti, who became the second guitarist honored with his own PRS signature model when the company introduced the Mark Tremonti model in 2001.

“I recorded ‘Blackbird’ with my favorite charcoal burst signature model. The first video I filmed with a PRS guitar was the video for ‘Higher’ with Creed in 1999. One of the most recorded PRS guitars I’ve ever owned is a US-built baritone, which has been played on many other records produced by Michael Baskette.”

John Wesley – Porcupine Tree

• MODEL: PRS Singlecut
• SONG: Pointless Endeavors – from A Way You'll Never Be (2016)

“My favorite song that I recorded with a PRS guitar was ‘Pointless Endeavors,’” Wesley says. “In 2007, Paul and Winn Krozack had a Singlecut made for me that included one of the first tremolo piezo setups in a solidbody. That guitar has done hundreds of gigs and hours of recording, and it is still my main guitar to this day.

“I used it for Pointless Endeavors, which has some tones, including the solo section, that were a pinnacle of all the elements I had been chasing since I was a kid guitarist coming up.

“When Porcupine Tree did the Arriving Somewhere live DVD, I played a stellar Hollowbody II. Before I got it, I had been struggling to find a guitar that could cover the nuances of the Porcupine Tree sets, switching from piezo acoustic tones to super heavy and gutsy tones to a beautiful clean tone. Porcupine Tree was a demanding gig that required a ton of varied tones, and that guitar helped me keep that gig.”

Honorable mentions - 3 high-profile PRS performances

Gary Moore

• MODEL: PRS Custom 24
• SONG: Let It Be – from Ferry Aid (1987)

The highlight of this all-star single, recorded as a charity fundraiser and tribute to victims of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, is the guitar solo section where Gary Moore and Mark Knopfler trade lines. Moore’s appearance in the accompanying music video playing a brilliant Cherry Red Custom 24 played a major role in introducing British music fans to the PRS brand.

Jimmy Page

• MODEL: PRS McCarty
• SONG: Let It Be – from Ferry Aid (1987)

What started off as a one-off reunion between the two former Led Zeppelin members for MTV Unplugged turned into a triumphant comeback, with a pair of sold-out world tours and a Top 10 album of entirely new material called Walking Into Clarksdale. When performing the album’s title track live on the supporting tour, Page played a custom PRS McCarty, giving the tremolo a good workout.

Mike Oldfield

• MODEL: PRS Studio
• SONG: Tubular Bells / In Dulci Jublio – from London Olympics Opening Ceremony (2012)

Oldfield has played PRS guitars for nearly 30 years, but by far his highest-profile appearance with a PRS was his performance during the London Olympics opening ceremony in 2012, which was viewed by a global audience of almost 350 million people.

Over the weekend, John Frusciante played his first gig with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in over a decade, as part of a memorial for aspiring film producer Andrew Burkle, hosted by the Tony Hawk Foundation.

Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins - who stepped in for an absent Chad Smith - played a three-song set, comprising Give It Away, I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges) and Gang of Four’s Not Great Men, likely a tribute to the band’s guitarist Andy Gill, who passed away earlier this month.

The show also played host to another surprising reunion, as Frusciante joined forces with ex-RHCP electric guitar player Dave Navarro for Jane’s Addiction classic Mountain Song, during a four-song stint by the LA alt-rockers.

You can see a compilation of fan-shot footage above, which shows Frusciante in fine form, with his ’62 Strat-into-Marshall Silver Jubilee pairing positively shining.

Frusciante last performed with the Chili Peppers at the UK's Leeds Festival back in 2007, although he didn't officially leave the band until two years later.

RHCP announced the guitarist's Frusciante in December last year, which resulted in the ousting of Josh Klinghoffer, who later reflected, “It’s absolutely John’s place to be in that band.

“If John coming back had happened five years ago, it would have been hard for me, temporally, to weigh against what they had.

“Now, after 10 years, two tours, and almost three albums of writing, I'm really proud of what I did with them. I feel like we did create something.

“John and Flea have a musical language. I'll never be able to contend with the history him and John had.”

The band’s first full shows are slated for May, with a run of festival dates in the US stopping at Hangout Music Festival, Bottlerock and Boston Calling.

28 years after he pawned it off for cash in L.A. during the first Lollapalooza tour, Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro has been reunited with his long-lost custom Ibanez guitar. 

"A lot of the great Jane's Addiction songs were written on this guitar, the music that just changed my life and put it in a different direction,” Navarro told guitarcenter.com. "When Ibanez signed me, it was a big deal unto itself, because I was a kid, self-taught listening to Hendrix and Page, and now I’ve got a sponsorship with the same guitar company as Steve Vai?"

Navarro pawned the instrument off in 1991, while Jane's Addiction were—on the backs of their multi-platinum album, Ritual de lo Habitual—in the midst of the inaugural Lollapalooza tour. Though he made a mental note to himself to go back and grab the instrument, he never did. 

Improbably, the guitar resurfaced late last year, in fantastic condition no less. 

"A couple of customers came into the store with the guitar, and I instantly recognized it," Eric Bradley, artist relations manager at Guitar Center Hollywood, said. "I was like, what? How do you guys have that?"

With the help of former Sex Pistols guitarist and Jonesy's Jukebox host Steve Jones, Navarro was soon reunited with the instrument. 

"An instrument like this is not unlike a relationship with a human being," Navarro added. "It's something you connect to, that hears you, understands you. It's your tried and true that's never going to leave you—unless you pawn it for drugs.

"At the time, I was really trying to get clean. These forks on the side represent the fact that heroin cannot be cooked up in a fork, because it drips through. I was trying to change my utensil of choice from the spoon to the fork. And pawning this, clearly, I chose the spoon. But luckily, it found its way back, and I'm clean and healthy now. I get to take this home with me today, which I'm super psyched about!"

Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of the latest episode of String Theory, starring guitarist Dave Navarro. Watch it below.

A web series created by Ernie Ball, String Theory explores the sonic origins of influential and innovative musicians. In the episode, the Janes Addiction guitarist discusses his beginnings with music and guitar, his love of playing, his relationship with Ernie Ball, and much more. 

Below, you can find five facts revealed in the episode.

1. He started playing guitar at age seven, inspired by his cousin (0:17): "Guitar playing is a gift. It's something I got into when I was, I think, seven years old. I was inspired by my cousin, Dan Navarro, who is a singer-songwriter. I expressed an interest in learning guitar, and he showed me some chords. And that was probably one of the most profound gifts I've ever received from anyone. Just learning three simple chords led me on a journey that forever changed my life."

2. He considers guitar to be a great form of expression (2:06): "Sometimes there aren't words to express the multitude of feelings that we have as human beings. To be able to create a soundscape and have that translate to the listener—it's the ability to describe the indescribable."

3. Navarro started playing Ernie Ball strings at age ten (3:18): "I think I first started playing Ernie Ball strings..I had to be about ten years old. And this was back in the day when I couldn't just go buy a pack of strings, I had to wait until one broke and bring that string into the store. I didn't know what they were called, what they were numbered, I didn't really get that."

4. His taste in guitar players runs a wide spectrum (8:14): "My interests, as far as  guitarists that I adore, are completely bi-polar. On one end of the spectrum, I'm super into Steve Vai. I think he's one of the best guitar players to pick up the instrument. And on the other end of the spectrum, I'm into Junior Kimbrough, who's just an old, blues, just down and dirty guitar style. And I'm also interested in a lot of the English players, like Daniel Ash, Robert Smith—that approach to guitar. Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine is another guy."

5. He's a big into art and vinyl collecting, and draws huge inspiration from both (10:25): "I'm a massive art collector, and I'm a massive vinyl collector. And I think that there's certainly a connection there. I mean, we're taking about art forms, or genres of art—visual arts and audio arts—that are gifts to the world. That are open to interpretation. That can feel different every time you see it or look at it."

Of course, these are just five facts pulled from the clip. Be sure to watch the entire episode below.

For the latest on Ernie Ball, visit ernieball.com.

Steve Vai has announced the first round of guests that will perform at his "Big Mama Jama Jam-a-Thon," an open, improvisational music and art event where the music won't stop for 52 hours.

The lineup for the event, which will take place at Musicians Institute’s brand new venue, LiveHouse, in Los Angeles, on September 28-30, will include Dave Navarro, Moby, Dweezil Zappa, Al Di Meola, Steve Morse, Lee Ritenour and Andy Vargas and Souleros, with more to be announced. Vai will serve as the host and musical director.

One-hundred percent of the profits raised will benefit Extraordinary Families, a leading nonprofit foster family, and adoption agency in the Los Angeles area dedicated to improving the daily lives of children and youths in foster care. Professional and novice musicians, visual artists, poets and speakers from all walks of life are welcome to join in on the event, which will be streamed live worldwide through various cable TV stations, websites and radio outlets. 

The current schedule is available here.

Auction items, including instruments donated by Vai, Slash, Devin Townsend, Gregg Bissonette, and online lessons open to the public donated by Steve Vai, Tommy Emmanuel, Stu Hamm, Bumblefoot, plus other unique and fulfilling opportunities to donate to Extraordinary Families are now available online. 

A PledgeMusic store offering upcoming CD and vinyl volumes to be culled from the Jam-a-Thon, limited edition “Jam-a-Thon Jammies”, VIP t-shirts, a dad-style baseball cap, and much more can be viewed here. 

Tickets for the event are available at jamathon.org.

Bands that burn hot and fast like Roman candles—they’re closer to the truth of rock and roll than well-adjusted veterans. Jane’s Addiction weren’t meant for the long haul.

They arrived like a stink bomb, jolting the giants of hair metal off their late-Eighties pedestals.

Anticorporate in nature, they nonetheless stole MTV’s limelight, cramming vegetables into unlikely places and dashing for the supermarket door in the legendary “Been Caught Stealing” video. They turned their fans into happy thieves. If you were into punk or metal—a culture-jammer or a tripped-out hippie chick swirling in the front row—you could love them. They pointed toward something rawer on the horizon, the flannel-checked shape of grunge.

Twenty-five years after their bitter, premature 1991 farewell (after only two studio albums), the band’s twin magnetic poles—volcanic lead guitarist Dave Navarro and soulful singer and lyricist Perry Farrell—still have disparate views about what exactly went down.

“As far as I know, we were just doing what we did,” a no-bullshit Navarro tells Guitar World from Los Angeles. “We wrote songs, toured them, played them, got them together and recorded them. The process was much truer and less product-oriented than it is now.” Navarro makes no mystery of his spotty memory, wrecked by serious drug use, the spoils of fame and musical exhilaration: “It was a very convoluted time,” he explains.

Farrell, soft-spoken and thoughtful, remembers something more ambitious. “What I was personally shooting for was greatness,” he says, aware of the immodesty but owning it. “I wanted to be in league with, you know, the Beatles and the Stones and the Who and Hendrix and the Doors. That was what my dream was.” Farrell, like Navarro, is a survivor. You can’t tell the story of Jane’s Addiction without a fair amount of haze. Both men will be hitting the road this summer to play 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual, the album that crystallized their highest highs and ruinous lows. “We went for integrity,” Farrell says. “We wanted to live life and experience life and report about life on the wild side. And we didn’t apologize for it.”

We begin roughly four years in. Jane’s Addiction have already gone through four guitarists before a teenaged Navarro clicks with Farrell. They’ve commandeered the Sunset Strip club scene, particularly the sweaty stage at Scream, where Guns N’ Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers cut their teeth. Warner Bros. have signed them with an advance rumored to be the largest in the label’s history. The group quickly records a self-titled live album in 1987, then their first studio album, Nothing’s Shocking, the next year. Heavy touring commences.

“I somehow lucked out,” Navarro says, “being able to hook up with these guys who were coming from a really artistic place. I feel like I’m one of the rare guitarists who 'got away with it'—got away with being part of that technical metal world that was happening at the time, but also had a foot planted in the alternative world. I’m very fortunate.”

Farrell, for his part, saw a kind of artistic completion in Navarro. “The minute he arrived, I just had this feeling we were going to be able to do it,” he recalls. “We were going to be remembered. We were going to have parts that the world would air-guitar to.”

As complex as Jane’s Addiction’s music could be—loaded with calypso steel drums, strummy folk idylls and screaming solos in a Jimmy Page mold—it’s worth noting how out of step their lyrics were with the prevailing mood, one best summed up by Tawny Kitaen squirming on a car hood. Farrell was more liberated than most. “How about the fact that we were speaking about women not as ‘cherry pies’ but as ‘classic girls’?” he snipes. “How about we took the misogyny out of the music that was currently happening? And we made it important to be romantic and look at your significant other like a person you got ideas from.”

Farrell’s mother as well as his artist girlfriend took their own lives, the former when he was only three. It's a large part of his feminism. Suicide haunts Ritual’s powerful track “Then She Did…,” a standout on a collection of songs that was slowly coming into focus, alongside many cultural influences, especially the Angelino presence of Caribbean Santería art with its vivid mix of pagan and Christian. “I was really enamored and fixated on Santería stores that we have around here in Los Angeles,” says Farrell. “They’re very colorful and, at the same time, they have a great potency—a religious and magical potency. A lot of the artwork that I was doing was Latin-inspired.”

Keeping pace with the band’s artistic curiosity was a different kind of subcultural injection. “In those days, we were hitting speedballs really hard,” Farrell allows. “Our daily life would consist of waking up, going to a spoon, drawing back heroin-cocaine admixtures, slamming them and getting your day going. So that was our daily ritual. Originally, somebody came up with the phrase 'ritual of the habitual' and I thought it would be better if it came off the tongue ritual de lo habitual—again, the Latin influence made it that much more romantic and passionate.”

True to their process, the material shaped up in front of audiences, not in the recording room. “By the time we got to the studio, these songs were well-oiled, finely tuned packages,” Navarro says. “We ended up recording them pretty much live, and then Perry and I did our overdubs.”

“You can’t hide behind all the technology,” Farrell agrees. “Once you show up and you can’t sing, you’re as good as gone. We were smart in that we did it like the Grateful Dead. We built our career on our live appearances.”

Already, though, seeds of discontent were sown, unbeknownst to fans. Even as the band grew an unusually diverse audience by the millions, it was coming apart, its members the victims of an incessant touring schedule—13 months to support the new album (released in August 1990)—that wreaked havoc on an addict’s schedule.

“The breakup was based on emotional reasons,” Farrell disagrees. “I felt that I couldn’t go on expressing ideas because they were getting constantly knocked down. Everything I brought up was looked at with disdain, negativity. We were at the top—the top of our game, the top of the world. But artistically, I had run up against a wall. I just needed to go in a different direction. I wasn’t going to smash through the wall. I wasn’t going to try to climb over the wall. I would just simply walk in a different direction. And I knew I’d be okay, but I wish it never had to come to that."

Navarro is more blunt: “The 'why' isn’t the big mystery to me. We all know why.” He means Farrell’s intensity, but also the drugs, the fights that began spilling into their performances. “What’s unusual is that we never talked about it. I know that I went home and slammed a bunch of coke and heroin, and I know those guys did too, and we never picked up a phone again.”

But before that point, there was a tour to honor, one that was increasingly feeling like a farewell.

Ritual de lo Habitual was becoming that most unlikely of things: a multi-Platinum monster. Much of that was due to the low-budget video for “Been Caught Stealing,” a sensation when MTV still drove audiences to new music.

“You see in those close-ups, I put a stocking over my head,” Farrell notes. “I really didn’t like being even seen. I didn’t want people to know what I looked like. The idea that I would be in a pop category in any way, shape or form—other than an Iggy Pop category—made me want to slit my wrists.”

He sounds like an unlikely grocery thief, but it’s a true story. “You have to understand that we were essentially living in a house with 12 other musicians. So we didn’t have money. As a result, all the clothes that I had were thrift-store clothes, and a lot of them were stolen.”

On the phone with Guitar World, Farrell has moved into the room in his Santa Monica Canyon home where his MTV Video Music Award sits, the one for Best Alternative Video. “I’m staring at the award right now,” he says. “I didn’t go to the ceremony. To be honest with you, I thought MTV was a rip-off. They didn’t pay artists residuals. And they played the video all day. They made money off us. They got credibility off our video, they became hot shit, but they weren’t helping. As far as I was concerned, fuck them.”

Out on the road, crowds were lifting them higher anyway. “Rockers were coming to our shows,” says Navarro. “They were die-hard metal fans until they heard Jane’s Addiction. The guitar playing brought them in, but the band opened their mind to a whole other slew of music.”

The guitarist is moved by what he remembers as a spirit of change. “It was a celebration of music regardless of who you were and what you were supposed to be a part of and what you were supposed to like,” Navarro recalls. “It was more like a youth movement—that was the spirit that launched Lollapalooza.”

Farrell, widely credited with coining the term alternative nation, concurs. “We had a community of people who were not your typical Sunset Strip crowd of spandex and teased-up hair,” he says. “We were underground, hanging out with punks and gays and artists and rock and roll guys. You could look in one corner and there’d be rockabilly punk, and in another corner, there’d be hardcore punk: Minor Threat, Fugazi, straight-edge.

And then you’d look in another corner and there was us. And what was that? We were a lot of rock, but we weren’t derivative.”

Lollapalooza would become Jane's Addiction's goodbye. It was a roadshow that brought together a still-breathtaking lineup of musical nourishment: goth legends Siouxsie and the Banshees, Vernon Reid’s radical Living Colour, a pre-megafamous Nine Inch Nails, the crime-rhyme rapper Ice-T (and his controversial metal offshoot Body Count). Punks like Butthole Surfers, Henry Rollins and Violent Femmes were also represented. The Lollapalooza concept would also eventually give birth to the “second stage,” to the idea of choice within choice. You could see scary magic with the Jim Rose Circus Side Show. You could join an alternative-energy campaign. You could register to vote.

And closing out every night—at least that rudimentary first year—would be a band that, for all its internal dysfunction, was suddenly a symbol of utopian unification.

“It was crazy,” Navarro says. “We’d be playing and I’d look out and see a bunch of kids dressed like [the Cure's] Robert Smith, and I’d see a bunch of black kids, and I'd see a bunch of hair-metal dudes. And they were all just chilling together, having a blast. It was unbelievable. I’m from an era when heavy-metal kids and punk-rock kids fought each other—like fist fights! In high school, we were gangs. We would beat each other up. And then Lollapalooza happened and, all of a sudden, we were pals. God, I miss that time.”

After 40 sweltering summer days and 26 shows, the tour was over. So was the band, at least for then. Jane’s Addiction would reunite many times over the coming years, but in August 1991, the dialogue had ended. “We never had a conversation that said, ‘We’re not going to be a band anymore,’ ” Navarro recalls. “I don’t think I was really aware of that until I heard that Perry was doing Porno for Pyros.”

The guitarist is an interesting combination of old-school tech and relentless anti-nostalgia. He’ll be touring with the same gear he used back in 1991: his Paul Reed Smith guitars and pedal effects. “I actually spoke to Tom Morello recently about gear and he has the exact same amp and the exact same guitar that he’s always had,” Navarro says. “There’s something about being comfortable with things that you love. I love my Boss pedals because you can individually access them. I don’t like a bunch of rack-mounted bullshit, where I have to dig through parameters and do all kinds of math to get a sound I want. Dancing around on the pedal board is part of my performance and my playing. It keeps me on my toes, literally. There’s a Fender Twin onstage that I use for a clean sound, but that’s it, man.”

But provocatively, he has no regrets—even regarding the dangerous stuff. “It’s not something I do anymore, but back then, as a younger man, it wasn’t all bad. I’m grateful for the band because I’m the kind of guy who would have been a drug addict no matter what I was doing,” Navarro admits. “Had I been a drug addict without a job, I probably would have died. I know it’s a unique perspective but for me, my truth is that the band saved my life.” (These days, Navarro calls himself a political junkie: “My girlfriends aren't really excited about catching the new O’Reilly Factor when they come over to my house. 'Honey, the new Rachel Maddow is on!' ”

Farrell strikes a different tone. “If I'd slowed down just a little, I would have been more productive. I would have had more to say. I just kind of disappeared, you know?”

Both see Jane’s Addiction as a moment and a movement, one they let slip away but one that still shines on, darkly. Farrell tells me he's grappled with his decision to break up the band for years.

“We were just hitting our stride,” he says. “It was the worst timing. It’s like my wife always says, ‘You’re where you are now, Perry, because you chose to sing about ménage a trois and heroin. That’s your fan base, that’s your audience. If you had sung about silly love songs, you’d be bigger.' But I just couldn’t do it. I had to be who I was.”

Guitarist Dave Navarro, best known for his longstanding role in Jane's Addiction, recently spoke to Eddie Trunk about his being fired from Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1998.

As you might recall, Navarro was part of the RHCP crew from 1993 to 1998 and appeared on one studio album, 1995's One Hot Minute.

"[I understand] the way that Chili Peppers fans couldn't get into the band when I was in the band," Navarro told Trunk (via the Van Halen News Desk). "It's not the Chili Peppers to them. So I understand that dynamic. I've been on the inside. I've been the [third Van Halen singer] Gary Cherone [of Extreme] of another band.

"I know what that's like! But, they got Gary in the band. He didn't force his way in there. If you have someone to be mad at, be mad at those guys, not Gary. Someone offers you a gig and you take the gig. Why are you the guy that gets all the shit?"

In commemoration of Roland's 40th anniversary and Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp's 15th anniversary, Roland is hosting its first-ever Roland Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp Giveaway.

One entrant will win a chance to jam with Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction and Roger Daltrey of The Who in January at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp provides music fans with a rare opportunity to jam with rock stars, write and record original songs and perform on stage in front of family and friends. Campers also get opportunity to play new Roland gear.

Campers can buy a three-day rock star package or the five-day headliner experience. Both packages include hotel accommodations, breakfast and lunch daily, scheduled classes and daily jam sessions, a DVD of the final concert performance and more.

For all the info you need, including how to enter, visit Roland's U.S. Facebook page. Mobile users should visit www.rolandus.com/go/rock_n_roll_fantasy_camp.

Alt-rock legends Jane's Addiction have officially added a third leg to their current "Theatre of the Escapists" tour.

Dates have yet to be announced, but you can find a list of cities and venues below. Tickets are expected to be available for presale later this week.

The band's current tour sees them playing more intimate, theater-style venues and bringing along an elaborate, visually stunning stage setup. Support thus far has come from Belgium's Black Box Revelation, with the additional dates seeing the band supported by Mutemath, Band of Skulls, Die Antwoord and more.

Jane's Addiction are on tour in support of their most recent album, The Great Escape Artist, which was released this past August.

Jane's Addiction Theatre of the Escapists Tour — Additional Shows

• Cleveland, OH- Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
• Syracuse, NY- Landmark Theatre
• Boston, MA- Bank of America Pavilion
• New Brunswick, NJ- State Theatre
• Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center for the Performing Arts
• Brooklyn, NY- Williamsburg Park
• Ledyard, CT- MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino - MGM Grand Theater
• Pittsburgh, PA- Stage AE
• Bosie, ID- Idaho Botanical Garden
• Reno, NV- Grand Sierra Resort & Casino

Last summer, Jane's Addiction asked fans in attendance at their July 25 show at New York City's Terminal 5 to help them film the concert in 3D using the Thrill 4G devices from LG.

One of the results of the fan filming is the below video for the band's 1990 hit "Been Caught Stealing," which comes from their sophomore album, Ritual de lo Habitual.

Jane's Addiction are on a tour of theaters across the country in support of their latest album, last year's The Great Escape Artist.

Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins told Billboard.com that the band has already starting thinking about music for their next album.

“We had a discussion on the flight home from the Super Bowl about, ‘Okay, new music – do we visit it while we're touring?" he said. "Do some stuff on the bus and in sound check and go that route, or do we wait till the tour’s over and take a break and then go head-first?’ We are talking about music, so that’s important.”

Perkins added that the band, which also includes Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro and
Chris Chaney, has several leftover song ideas from their 2011 album, The Great Escape Artist. However, he likes the idea of scrapping those and starting out fresh.

"I think it’s always a wrong idea to do [use old ideas],” he said. “Hopefully you’re different musicians and the world has changed. It’s always good to do something new to see what you’ve been through the last year and reflect that.

"But a great melody and a great guitar riff stand forever. They’re timeless. It’s like Van Halen; if you can't find anything, go to the old days.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers have just debuted a new music video for "Look Around," a song off their 2011 album, I'm With You.

Check out the video below -- and also take a look at their updated tour schedule, which you can see below the video.

I'm With You landed at No. 13 on Guitar World's list of the 50 best albums of 2011.

P.S.: We're sorry about the commercial you have to watch before the video starts!

SEE RHCP LIVE ...

• 03/29 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Times Forum
• 03/31 Orlando, FL Amway Arena*
• 04/02 Sunrise, FL Bank Atlantic Center*
• 04/04 Raleigh, NC RBC Center*
• 04/06 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
• 04/07 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena*
• 04/09 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
• 04/10 Duluth, GA Gwinnett Center*
• 04/12 Memphis, TN FedEx Forum*
• 04/27 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre (on sale 1/27)
• 04/30 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place (on sale 1/27)
• 05/02 Montreal, QC Bell Centre (on sale 1/28)
• 05/04 Newark, NJ Prudential Center (on sale 1/28)
• 05/07 Boston, MA TD Garden (on sale 1/27)
• 05/10 Washington, DC Verizon Center (on sale 1/27)
• 05/11 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center (on sale 1/27)
• 05/25 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center (on sale 1/28)
• 05/26 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena (on sale 1/27)
• 05/28 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena (on sale 1/28)
• 05/30 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center (on sale 1/27)
• 06/01 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena (on sale 1/27)
• 06/02 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena (on sale 1/27)
• 06/04 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center (on sale 1/27)
• 06/06 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena (on sale 1/27)
• 06/07 Louisville, KY KFC Yum Center (on sale 1/28)
• 08/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center*
• 08/12 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center*
• 08/14 Oakland, CA Oakland Arena*
• 08/15 Oakland, CA Oakland Arena*
• 09/23 San Diego, CA Valley View Casino Center*
• 09/25 Phoenix, AZ Jobring Arena
• 09/27 Denver, CO Pepsi Center*
• 09/29 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center*
• 10/02 Dallas, TX American Airlines Arena*
• 10/04 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena*
• 10/20 Houston, TX Toyota Center*
• 10/22 Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Arena
• 10/24 Tulsa, OK BOK Arena
• 10/25 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena

* denotes the show is sold-out

Jane's Addiction have just premiered a new music video for their track "Underground," which can be seen below courtesy of Vevo.

On the concept behind the video, vocalist Perry Farell explains: "Jane's Addition perform in a Los Angeles brothel built in the 1920s. There are Siamese Gargoyles, séances, card games and a man in a white fedora who was also on the cover of In Through The Out Door. People get made love to and murdered in the backrooms while the band plays on."

An explicit version of the video is expected to air on Playboy.com this Friday.

"Underground" is taken from the band's latest studio album, The Great Escape Artist, which was released last fall.

Epiphone unveiled their new Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric guitar at last week's 2012 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California.

Navarro visited the Epiphone booth on Friday meet fans and demo the new guitar, and you can check out some photos in the gallery below.

As for the guitar, here are some details from Epiphone:

Neck Species: The neck of the Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric is constructed from one solid piece of solid, lightweight mahogany.

Headstock Angle (Pitch): The Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric’s headstock is carefully angled at 14 degrees to increase resonance and sustain.

Tonal Characteristics: The wood, construction, and headstock pitch all contribute greatly to the superior resonance, sustain, and overall tone of the Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric.

Truss Rod: Epiphone’s traditional truss rod, found in nearly all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you’ll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain. The truss-rod cover is engraved with the Dave Navarro “Jane” logo.

Neck Profile: The neck of the Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric is carved to the popular SlimTaper™ “D” profile.

Neck Joint: Epiphone uses a compound dovetail joint fixed with TiteBond glue to attach the neck of the Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric to the body at the 14th fret. This technique, traditional in cabinet making and high-end luthiery, creates a joint with superior strength to that of a single piece of wood.

Logo: The Epiphone logo is inlaid in across the top of a bound headstock carved to the traditional Epiphone shape.

Adhesive: TiteBond wood glue is used to attach the dovetail joint, which is the strongest glue in use in guitar-making today.

Joint Angle (Pitch): 3° (+/- 15 seconds)

Nut Width: The width of the nut on the Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric is approximately 1.725", which contributes to a roomy, comfortable fingerboard, suited to all playing styles.

Fingerboard Radius: Epiphone’s traditional 14" fingerboard radius is used for this guitar, which offers excellent comfort for both chording and single-note runs, and avoids any “choked-out” notes when strings are bent for blues, country, and rock playing.

Frets: The fingerboard of the Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric carries 20 medium frets.

Nut Material: The Dave Navarro Signature Acoustic/Electric carries a bone nut, a traditional component of quality flat-top acoustic guitars.

For more details about (and photos of) the guitar, check out its page at the Epiphone/Gibson website.

Alt-rock pioneers Jane's Addiction have announced a unique tour in support of their new album, The Great Escape Artist.

Called "Theatre of the Escapists," the trek will see the band hit classic-style theaters to put on an "immersive" new stage show. Support for the dates will come from Black Box Revelation.

"We chose to play as many of the great theaters that we could find because we wanted to immerse the audience in a unique experience unlike any they have ever seen at a rock show," said vocalist Perry Farrel of the tour. "Expect an orgy of musical and visual delights. We like orgies, and hope you do too."

The tour will kick off February 22, and while no venues have been announced just yet, you can check out a full list of stops below. Tickets go on sale January 14, with a pre-sale set for 10 a.m. EST this Wednesday, January 11.

Jane's Addiction "Theatre of the Escapists" Tour Cities

• Saint Louis, MO
• Detroit, MI
• Columbus, OH
• Toronto, ON
• Rochester, NY
• Albany, NY
• Portland, ME
• Long Island, NY
• Wellmont, NJ
• Waterbury, CT
• Richmond, VA
• Myrtle Beach, SC
• Atlanta, GA
• Tulsa, OK
• Kansas City, MO
• Minneapolis, MN
• Grand Rapids, MI
• Milwaukee, WI

Just over a week after the release of their latest album, The Great Escape Artist, the boys in Jane's Addiction took the stage on Late Show With David Letterman to perform the opening track from the album, "Underground." You can check out footage from the performance below.

We spoke to Dave Navarro about The Great Escape Artist for the December issue of Guitar World (which you can buy here,) and you can check out outtakes from the chat here.