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Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins: 50 Years Behind the Kit and Still Not Growing Up
Jane's Addiction founding drummer Stephen Perkins sits down with hosts Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler, and this one is personal. Rich and Stephen have known each other since junior high school in the Valley, carpools and Hebrew school and Grateful Dead shows, and Rich has never had his old friend on the show until now. Over ice cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ales, the most popular ale sold in the Grateful Dead parking lot, Stephen traces the whole ride: the seventh grader who told Rich off, the downtown L.A. underground parties that birthed a scene, becoming the house band at a club called The Scream, seeing Motley Crue era Sunset Strip shut down at midnight while the punk and art kids kept going, and the night Rich, tripping at an underground party, looked up and realized his childhood buddy was the drummer on stage.
Stephen breaks down how Jane's Addiction actually came together: the metal band Disaster with Dave Navarro, the girlfriend who said come see my older brother's band, the audition at 17 that he thought he blew, and Eric Avery writing songs on the bass that refused to move, which is how Mountain Song and Summertime Rolls got their shape. He explains why drums are the oldest language known to man, why syncopation and space matter more than notes, why hips don't lie, how tap dancing and cut time changed the way he teaches, and why playing alone in the drum room can be better than any stage.
Plus the Porno for Pyros pivot to timpani and bongos, the sit in with a band whose names he never got, practicing dropping his sticks on purpose, why one dropped stick can ruin the greatest night of his life, his 40 year dream of playing with Peter Gabriel, the autographed tambourine he still has from meeting Gabriel at the Roxy in 1978, the Security album that taught him how to build a crescendo with no cymbals at all, his picks for the three greatest rock drummers ever, the Charlie Watts rental kit story from SIR, his son who plays guitar and found music on his own, and why he wants to live to a healthy 100 as a centurion who can still touch his toes. They only tipped the iceberg. There is a Hellride conversation still on the table, and Stephen promised to come back.
Guest Info
Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the founding drummer of Jane's Addiction, the band he joined in 1985 at age 17 after convincing them to bring in guitarist Dave Navarro. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he also played with Porno for Pyros, Infectious Grooves, Banyan, Hellride, The Panic Channel and Think:EXP, and he recorded drums for Nine Inch Nails on The Downward Spiral. His style blends rock, jazz, swing, African, Indian and Latin drumming into something entirely his own, built on syncopation, tom work and space. He has played with members of the Grateful Dead, worked with producer Rick Rubin, and has shared stages with Sheryl Crow, Rage Against the Machine, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jewel and Rob Wasserman. Off the kit he runs drum circles for children and adults with disabilities and helped develop a wearable percussive instrument for people who cannot play a drum. He is currently opening his personal drum archive from decades of touring. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Perkins
Guest Social Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenperkinsdrummer/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephenperkinsdrummer/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StephenPerkinsDrummer
Drink of the Podcast
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Sarah went straight to the Grateful Dead parking lot for this one: the guest is a beer guy who loves IPAs and ales, and the hosts have their own Dead history with him, so she poured the most popular ale sold in the parking lots, cold, straight from the bottle. Crisp, hoppy and endlessly drinkable, and per the table, damn good.
Chapters
00:00 Intro: Welcome to Drinking During Business Hours
01:03 The Drink: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
02:08 Meet Stephen Perkins
03:16 The 7th Grader Who Told Rich Off
04:00 Rich, Jeff, and the Junior High Years
04:44 Hebrew School Carpool and the Grateful Dead
05:15 Downtown Underground and Jane's Addiction at The Scream
08:30 The First Time Rich Saw the Band Play Live
09:56 Bill Graham and the Grateful Dead Business Side
11:24 Infectious Grooves and the Metal Funk Detour
12:42 Drumming Is the Oldest Language on Earth
13:23 Tap Dancing, Cut Time, and Hips Don't Lie
14:49 Syncopation: What Turns Rich On as a Player
18:03 Alone With the Drums vs. On Stage
20:25 Jazz Is a Conversation: Coltrane and Elvin Jones
23:25 Neil Peart: Einstein Meets Bruce Lee
24:06 How Jane's Addiction Came Together
28:00 Eric Avery Writes on Bass: Mountain Song and Summertime Rolls
29:07 Porno for Pyros and the Timpani
30:53 Time Disappears on Stage
33:51 Buildings Fall, But Beethoven Still Exists
34:09 Stephen's Son and the Guitar
35:40 What Changed in the Music Business
38:55 The Electricity of an Impromptu Sit In
40:31 Longevity and the Centurion Goal
43:42 Round Tips, Nylon Tips, and the Ride Cymbal
47:01 The Dream: Playing With Peter Gabriel
50:27 Meeting Peter Gabriel at the Roxy in 1978
52:00 The Three Greatest Rock Drummers: Ringo, Bonham, Moon
54:12 Charlie Watts and the Gretsch Kit From SIR
57:19 Where to Find Stephen Perkins
Call to Action
Enjoyed the episode? Like, subscribe, and share it with a rock fan in your life. Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform, every five star review helps us reach more listeners. Follow Stephen Perkins on Instagram at @stephenperkinsdrummer for the same positive, real energy he brought to the show, and tell a Jane's Addiction fan to give this one a listen. He promised to come back, so drop a comment and tell us what you want them to dig into next.
Special thanks to Doug Bass and Bass Hole Studios, producer Corey Fry, and Maximilian Riedel and Riedel glassware for always supplying the best glassware.
Host Links
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Sarah
IG @sarahhalstead https://www.instagram.com/sarahhalstead/?hl=en
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Website @SarahHalstead | sarahjhalstead.com
Rich
IG @richchassler https://www.instagram.com/richchassler/
FB @chasslerfans https://www.facebook.com/Chasslerfans/
X @richchassler https://x.com/richchassler
Website richardchassler.com
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