10 Best Frontmen In Alternative Rock
7. Perry Farrell - Jane's Addiction
Perry Ferrell is the godfather of alternative rock. Incorporating the erratic wildness of Iggy Pop, with the androgynous, eccentric qualities of David Bowie, he made an instant impression on the LA underground scene. In the mid '80s he formed Jane's Addiction, and together with guitarist Dave Navarro, they cut a path through the hair metal groups of the day. Farrell's elf like vocals and wild man persona - coupled with a truly bizarre dress sense - were a stark contrast to the popular acts dominating the Sunset Strip - but it was time for a shake up.
Even compared to their contemporaries on the alt scene, Jane's Addiction's sound was incredibly distinctive. They toyed with experimental metal, funk and psychedelic rock, all smothered in a carefree hippy attitude. Grunge was pushing the alt rock thing in Seattle, but in California it was groups like Jane's Addiction, that were doing their upmost to dethrone '80s glam metal.
Ferrell's captivating onstage presence was fuelled by drug binges and a propensity for getting in trouble. The group's initial run was short lived; by the time alternative rock really broke the mainstream in 1991, the group had disintegrated... ,but their legacy lasted.