Barry Brecheisen/WireImageJane's Addiction is one of the 19 acts nominated for entry into the 2017 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In an essay for Billboard, Rage Against the Machine and Prophets of Rage guitarist Tom Morello describes why Perry Ferrell and company deserve to be inducted.
"Jane's Addiction are the Sex Pistols of the Alternative Nation," Morello writes. "A small, brilliant catalog of songs and a shocking, groundbreaking ethos that changed music forever."
The guitarist goes on to explain that when he first moved to Los Angeles in 1986, "hair metal was king." But when Morello first heard a bootleg cassette of Jane's Addiction, it actually convinced him to keep living in his L.A. apartment.
"I had never heard anything like it," Morello says. "It was like a punk rock Led Zeppelin."
"Jane's provided all the testosterone-fueled guitar riffage that my suburban upbringing required but mixed it with gorgeous acoustic songs and an underground artistry that was completely original and completely awesome," he continues. "Savage but beautiful. Riff-heavy but smart. Jane's didn't look or sound like any other band in the history of rock 'n' roll, and within a short period of time they absolutely owned Los Angeles."
Along with Jane's Addiction, the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees include Pearl Jam, Journey and Electric Light Orchestra, among others. The final inductees will be announced in December.
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