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Satellite Party Interview
Perry Farrell dips into the metaphysical and reveals his inner dreams.
by Spence D.

June 11, 2007 - Ever since he burst onto the Los Angeles music scene—first as the caterwaul saturated frontman for PsiCom, then as the rubber corseted and androgynously siren-esque singer for Jane's Addiction—Perry Farrell has been bound for icon status within the hallowed halls of modern rock. Founder of Lollapalooza, Porno For Pyros patriarch, genre defying DJ, and now elder statesman of SoCal rock, Farrell has refused to lay low. In fact, his latest sonic incarnation screams from celestial heights via the name alone: Satellite Party.

The word "visionary" is tossed around a lot when it comes to our pop culture figureheads and while some might balk at the term being attached to Farrell, one cannot help but bring it to mind given his penchant for dreamlike lyricism (think "Summertime Rolls" from Nothing's Shocking, for example). Not surprisingly, Farrell's REM sleep moments are filled with dreams, dreams he is quite astute to recall when prompted with such a request.

"I just had a dream that I was climbing stairs with my children, my two boys," begins Farrell. "The stairs became ever more dangerous and jagged and steep. And I tried to follow my boys up to the top of this incredibly twisted home that was like a complex. We were going through trapdoors and there were people there. It was a big party. I reached a certain point where the steps fell away and my children were going 'C'mon dad! Just keep climbing!' I looked down and if I had fallen I would have died. I didn't reach the heights that my sons did, though. So I'm assuming that my sons are going to reach even higher heights than myself." Every parent secretly hopes that their offspring will eclipse their endeavors. That's how life is supposed to progress, right? "Yeah, that's right," affirms Farrell. "I actually felt good about that. I want them to go on and do greater things. That's how it should be. That's evolution, right?"

Which brings us to the real subject at hand: the musical evolution of Perry Farrell. From PsiCom to the blockbuster arena status of Jane's Addiction to Porno For Pyros, to his solo DJ experimentation and now, in 2007, his latest aural incarnation, Satellite Party. Given Farrell's utterly distinctive vocal stylings, it's been hard for him to transcend the impact, artistry, and plain rock and roll drama that Jane's evoked. That the band's hits like "Been Caught Stealing" are still played in regular rotation on major metropolitan radio stations does little to dissuade the legacy of the band, either.

"You know, again I have had another strong dream," begins Farrell. "In it I was moving and I had to move fast. All my belongings were decrepit and decaying and they were growing like fungus. I was being told to grab the jewels, the precious jewels and belongings. I went to open up my drawers and sleeping in the drawers was a family of foxes, the babies all huddled together in sleep. The mother jumped out and looked at me and we related to each other psychically. She said 'Oh, it's you Perry.' She thought I might be there to hurt her children. What I got out of that dream is that it's time to move on from what I was and at the same time there was something that was born within that pile of clothes. In those drawers there is a fox and they were only children, they were babies, which means that now they have a new life. So I guess that maybe I was reborn as a fox."

Right about now the less astute are probably scratching their heads while their inner voice screams "WTF?!!?" But think about it, the fox is naturally wily. They have to be in order to survive since they aren't the largest of predators, dwelling in the middle of the food chain hunted by both man and larger brethren. "In the past I might have been too open, my heart was maybe too worn on my sleeve and as a result people would take advantage of me and really get away with it," elaborates Farrell. "Now I see that sometimes you have to have a bit of self-preservation and the fox definitely has that while still being foxy and fun he knows how to out-fox. I also look like him as a very hybrid animal, I kind of see him as a dog and I also see a bit of cat in the fox, more so than the wolf." Additionally, the fox is adept at adapting to changing habitats, learning how to move from the once prevalent wooded areas of yore to dwelling in the cities and towns that have all too quickly swallowed up the land. In this way Farrell has learned to shift from the darker tones of Jane's Addiction to the much lighter and globally conscious notions of Satellite Party.

This is all fine and dandy, to a point; I mean who doesn't like analyzing dreams and delving into the inner mystery of one's own personal meta-universe? But the question still remains: where does that leave Farrell and Satellite Party? Let's face it, in the unabashedly youthful arena of rock 'n roll, Farrell isn't a young buck anymore. In fact he's quickly becoming one of the medium's elder statesmen, slowly joining the ranks of the upper hierarchy alongside folks like U2, The Rolling Stones, and REM. While age really ain't nothin' but a number, one still has to wonder just how relevant Perry Farrell is to the youth of today. "I need only look around to see that today the world in the last 10-to-15 years has gotten corporatized. As a result people's individualities, their expressions have become hidden and masked behind armor and complacency. Do I think that I'm needed? Was Timothy Leary needed in the '70s to help usher in the digital revolution? Yes. There are people who continue to be young at heart and inquisitive, curious, defiant, and I don't really think that is an age. That is a style. That is a response. That is a lifestyle. So I easily feel relevant. I feel that I'm more relevant today than I was back when I began Jane's Addiction and Lollapalooza because in those days I was coming from an antagonistic point of view, a dark place, a place that one could easily stop me. But now I feel that I can't be stopped."

Which brings us to the mission statement of Satellite Party. Farrell has gone on record stating that he hopes the band and their music will be viewed as a "party for all ages." And it's perfectly okay to question what that exactly means. "The last time that I think the generations got together and really kind of felt it and were comfortable was probably during the time of the great Indian nation, American Indians where they actually had respect for the chiefs. And for good reason. Those chiefs were looking out for their future and future generations when they made their decisions. Whereas today, we see in most cases, the chiefs are very much about self-interest and are making very poor decisions for our future. So I want to create a time and awareness and a celebration where all generations would trust each other and plan together and we could use the energy and enthusiasm of our young braves and warriors and mix that with the wisdom and experience of the chiefs. That's what I'm doing with Satellite Party."