Perry Farrell: The Gang is a Weapon That He's Traded His Mind in For
I love Perry Farrell—I really do, even got him to blurb my first book and remain grateful to him he did, and for all his greatness as a performer and impresario–and he wrote one of my very favorite interestingly sophisticated (for a rock song taking on politics) libertarian rock tunes, "1 %."
But alas, now the failures of industry and government lead him to regretfully call for a government-music industry partnership, as reported on LAist.com:
Farrell also wants to go federal, seeking government help to regulate online music distribution. In doing so, he believes a cut of the increased revenue could go to the government with a chunk allotted toward music education.
Says the Jane's Addiction frontman,
"Let's try to organize something. It should be a case where the touring music industry, the recording music industry, distribution, all should sit down with government to figure out how we can get music to be really healthy again and recycle that money back into music, back into education, back into the city's parks and recreations where we have these great parties. I think it's a system that could absolutely work."
From the last time I saw, or doubtless will ever see, the real Jane's Addiction, a great performance of "1 %":
Bonus Jane's gossip: Eric Avery complains about his old partner Perry. Not about being soft on government, but still…