singer, songwriter
Born Perry Bernstein, on March 29, 1958?. Perry grew up in New York, the son of a jeweler and an artist mother who committed suicide when he was 4.
Moved to LA, fell into a job exotic dancing posed as various rock stars. He dug the imitation started practicing with an Ibanez analog echo maker in his basement, whirling around the room warming up for rock rollmanship.
His first music effort to come to light is PSI-COM - less articulate than Jane's, but definitely pained.
He went to a wedding with Casey.
He was a few years older than most of the guys in Jane's Addiction. He provided the lyics, at least, and perhaps much of the poetic sensibility - merging religion, drugs, sensuality and pride with the compelling music of his mates. The cover art for each of the three Jane's Addiction albums is his.
Lollapalooza emerged from his mind right as Jane's Addiction was beginning to break up. So he had a very bankable idea, but after a year or two, Lollapalooza was turned over to more ready hands who could manage the ongoing travelling rock show. 
I remember reading about his early vision for Lollapalooza - there was to be a lot of art and a lot of politics and dialog. It was inspiring - to hear someone wanted to take the flat rockshow format and reach out into the audience. I went to two or three Lollapaloozas, and they were definitely better than your average mega-corporate concert. Young bands alongside established players, some booths, wacky shit, a good varied crowd.After Jane's Addiction came Porno for Pyros. Since their two albums, he's been making his own music, and dabbling in Judiasm as well.
In addition to his "Real-time" efforts, he seems intrigued by the electronic media, even if he can't always push a project through to long term completion. For a while, he was working on a CD-ROM magazine called "Teeth." Then it became a website at teeth.net (don't think it works now). I ran into him at the Sundance Film Festival, he was acting as partial spokesman for another E-thing - "Vurt-something" - I can't recall now.
Perry's Voice:
Perry has mentioned drug taking before:
acid.au | Mushrooms.auDuring a low moment of a concert, he expresses himself: wanna.au and during another show, he makes a wild suggestion.au.
perry pix
Perry screaming | Steve and Perry jamming | Perry dancing at Lollapalooza '94 | perry nekkid
respondez-views
An early 1995 interview with Perry BuzzNet ezine about Porno, Lolla and the future.I have digitized Perry's 7/94 appearance on America Online(tm). I asked him two questions, both of which garned sarcstic answers. I guess he's pretty into aliens, but not yet astrology... Different from an ordinary interview - the questions come from the unwashed masses of fans. The format of AOL Q&A sessions allows for only 3 line questions and answers, so he doesn't really get to develop any thoughts here.
In case you ever doubted his talents as a poet, read Letters to Xiola. It gives a little insight into his Janes-era mind.
or listen to the Jane's Madrid 1991 bootleg someone sent me - at the end is a bit where he responds to some dude asking for poetic words and he waxes wittily about his cock length and tells this joke:i was so glad to hear him say Jane's Addiction was a cross between Duke Ellington and Bad Brains (in the Soul Kiss video)."i just went to a prostitute in germany; she saw i was uncircumcised, and she told me to get lost"
he even did his own "ba-dum-ch"
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