Jane's Addiction at The Chateau Marmont

Jane’s Addiction is an L.A. rock band that has never really been on my radar. I couldn’t even name one song that they did. However, when I saw a few vintage transparencies for sale featuring them on the balcony of the Chateau Marmont’s room 54, I paid attention!

Edited from Wikipedia:

In mid-1985, Perry Farrell was to Eric Avery and the pair bonded over a mutual appreciation of Joy Division and The Velvet Underground. They began to practice together and formed a new band called “Jane's Addiction” after Farrell’s housemate, Jane Bainter, who was their muse and inspiration. “My girlfriend [Casey Niccoli] and I were sitting in the car…” Farrell recalled, “and we started to think about band names. She threw in Jane’s Heroin Experience. I thought it wasn’t vague enough. If you want to invite people in, you don’t want to put heroin on your door.” The band consisted of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins, and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from the early 1990s alternative rock movement to gain both mainstream media attention and commercial success in the United States.

In these photos from 1990, drummer Perkins is on the left, Farrell on the right.



A closeup of the view of Sunset Boulevard at the time. The 1960 Chase Bank/Lytton Savings building was still standing at the time, able to be seen because of its unique folded plate concrete roof. Unfortunately, this photo missed capturing Schwab’s Drugstore by just two years.



The shot I took from the same balcony circa April 2022, showing the still vacant lot that was once the Garden of Allah, Lytton Savings, and then Chase Bank. I couldn’t find any news on the internet about its status since the Gehry monstrosity planned to be built there went belly-up.



Same balcony, different light fixtures, and awning, but the patio chair could be the same!



Anthony Perkins posed on the same balcony back in the 1960s, as did Sharon Tate.



Next to the Penthouse in 64, it’s definitely one of the coolest rooms in the hotel.

See more Chateau Marmont photos at my main website.