Jane's Addiction

In hindsight, it's pretty easy to make fun of Jane's Addiction. They were utterly self-indulgent and relentlessly self-congratulatory, yet consistently championed by older siblings and the cool high school crowd. But -- and this is a huge but -- at the time they seemed like the best band in the world. They were colorful, frantically energetic and introduced the concept of irreverence (postured though it was) to millions of kids who otherwise got along with their parents. Perry Farrell's delay-laden wail is unmistakable, and along with Dave Navarro's bombastic guitar anti-heroism, Jane's Addiction crafted a huge, hybridized sound that helped define the soon-to-be-coined "alternative." They disbanded after only three full-length releases. Farrell and drummer Stephen Perkins soon formed Porno for Pyros, while Navarro joined the equally outrageous Red Hot Chili Peppers.