10- The ch iD*ySumwWedy-Wednesdy,May 12, 1993
Perry's Porno for Pyros pulls no punches

4

By SCOTT STERIJNG
"Hope, it'sjustanothernamefora
prayer" ("Sadness")
Porno For Pyrms
Porno For Pyros
warner Bms. Records
From the smoke and fire that was
Jane's Addiction rises Perry Farnell's
newest contraption of mind manipula-
tion, Porno For Pyros. In other words,
thisis an Important Release.For those
withshortmemoriesit wasFarrelland
hisAddictedcohortsthatgleefulyhung
their asses out at the burnt-out hair
farm that was considered "rock and
roll" in the late 1980s (particularly in
thepatheticLAclubscnethatspawned

them) and tuned the world on its ear.
Now, that same club scene (along
with the entire 'LollapaloozaNation,'
which Jane's gave birth to)is an end-
lesscavalcadeofpoorly-dreaded"120
Minutes" drunk corporate rehashes of
"Nothing'sShocking"(orwhoeverelse
went from obscurity to mega-stardom
inthewake ofJane'sblazing trail), and
Farrell'sleftthemallbehind.Butman,
that's quite an albatross he's gothang-
ing around that gaunt little neck of his.
With "Porno For Pyros," Farrdll
has given this bratty toddler child
knownas'Alternative,'amuchneeded
shot in it's flannel-clad, pierced and
tattooed ass. This record is the prayer
of hope he sends up on the album's
opener, "Sadness."It'sacathartic roar
atthepredicamentwe,thebastardchil-

dren of the (un)holy Baby Boomers,
known as the 'GenerationX' or '13th
Gen' (depending on which book you
prefer),have grownup tobecome.The
one-two punch of "Cursed Female"/
"Cursed Male" is the centerpiece of
this "20-nothing" rage.
"All the guys that really have the
money are too old to have a good time
withit,"wailsFarrellon"CursedMale."
A testament to the social and cultural
sinkhole that our so-called "lost gen-
eration" suffers as a result of the Baby
Boomer's excesses. A theme song for
so many of us overeducated and cyni-
calkidshandcuffedbyreality."Cursed
Female" laments those "Cursed to be
bombeautiful,poorandfemale,there's
none that suffermore."While weGen
X males endure socially-regulated
emasculation, Farrell knows who the
real victims are. Just ask any woman
that's had to look into the smirking
eyes of an assailant- "Not guilty."
Behind Farrell's painfully acute
observations is a crack band that cap-
tures Jane's amazing sense of dynam-
ics and tension, if not their god-like
musicianship. But that's iust thepoint.

MartynLeNoble'sprimalbassgrooves
kickbutareafarcryfromEric Avery's
brilliant polyrhythmic melodies. Gui-
tarist Peter Di Stefano can rip and wah
with the best, but often lapses into
phased-outblatantDaveNavarro-isms.
But where Jane's often blinded lis-
teners with the players' incredible
musicianship, Porno For Pyros con-
centrates on the Big Picture. Stephen
Perkins' stunning tribal beats anchor
the bottom, propelling the whole thing
above and beyond. There's also the
trippy flanged-outharmonicathatpops
up all over the album, which along
with Skatemaster Tate's deft turntable
terrorism(checktheL.L.CoolJ"Goin'
Back To Cali" scratch on "Meija")
adds new textures to the dense brew.
On acouple of tracks, Farrellturns
the torquemachine waydown,produc-
ing some of the most beautiful songs
he'seversung.There'sthethree-edged
sword "Pets." This steady, melodic
(and yes, even pretty)number laments
not only human's determined effort at
self-destruction, but also at Farell's
fans and critics alike. To those that
would buy "Porno For Pyros" simply

because it's "hip" and they got off on
"Been Caught Stealing," or to anyone
that would accuse himof putting this
sonic boom tribe together simply to
cashinonsuch sheep-likefolks,Farrell
simply says "We'd make great pets."
It's up to you, kids.
Of any record released 'this year,
"Porno For Pyros" holds one hell of a
distinction. You'll be hard pressed to
find a more disturbing, real slice of
rotten urban applepie Americanaany-
where.Thesescary tonepoemsoflong-
ing to look from the inside out("Black
Girlfriend")to style street warfare sur-
vival ("Packin' .25") are some of the
mostpoignantcriesof(sub)urbanangst
since Jane's Addiction's "Nothing's
Shocking."
Ultimately, this is Perry Farrell
screaming at the Baby Boomer-con-
trolled society to listen to us. Even if
youhatehimandwhathesays, allhe's
asking for is an ear. On "Orgasm,"
Farrell's analogy between a woman
that's never had one and a generation
that's also unable to come speaks vol-
umes.If you can't get with that, I'd say
you're probably part of the problem.

STUDIJIETSURITIVAL X S
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Custom Resume Design
One Laser Original & Mac Disk
L: 30 Copies on Fine Stationery

Jane's Addiction is a thing of the past, but Farrell continues to blow minds with Porno for Pyros.

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