Perry Farrell

Perry Farrell (born Perry Bernstein in New York City on March 29, 1959) is a musician who, as the frontman of Jane's Addiction, was one of the pioneers of alternat

Perry Farrell (born Perry Bernstein in New York City on March 29, 1959) is a musician who, as the frontman of Jane's Addiction, was one of the pioneers of alternative rock. Peretz (פרץ) is his Hebrew name, as well as his DJ moniker ("DJ Peretz"). His stage name is a play on the word peripheral (although Farrell also happens to be his brother's name).

Farrell was born in Queens, NY and moved to Miami with his family during his teens. His father was a jeweler, and his mother committed suicide when she was a young girl (an event later chronicled in the Jane's Addiction song "Then She Did"). Early musical influences included David Bowie and Lou Reed. Following his graduation from high school, Farrell moved to California in the early 1980s to live as a surfer, lived in his car and made money working construction and waiting tables. Perry Farrell has also been known to be an avid surfer, having been sighted at premier surfing destinations throughout the world, most notable Bali (see Surfer magazine) in 2001.