Getting Hooked on Jane

Don’t be surprised if you hear about sightings of Black Flag’s ghost around the John Anson Ford Theatre, where Jane’s Addiction opened a seven-night stand Thursday.

The defunct Black Flag did more to define Los Angeles rock in the ‘80s than any group other than X and Motley Crue as it explored dark and unsettling themes with a visceral force that could be labeled truly frightening.

While the independent South Bay outfit built a fiercely loyal, if unlikely, coalition of previously warring heavy metal and punk fans, it never moved beyond a cult status in rock. One reason is that it was considered simply too extreme by much of the pop-rock establishment. Its albums were all released on its own SST Records label.

That was unfortunate, because Black Flag’s live shows reflected such convincing alienation and rage that wide exposure--say an arena tour--would have pointed out to millions of young heavy metal fans just how toothless and hollow most of today’s heavy metal or hard-rock heroes are.

Black Flag’s spirit was conjured up when hundreds of fans near the front of the Ford Theatre stage got so caught up in the fury of Jane’s Addiction that they seemed like helpless figures in a human Mixmaster.

The Los Angeles quartet doesn’t deal in the pure punk explosiveness of Black Flag, but there is an energy and aggression in the music that can be equally powerful. On a more global rock scale, the parallel suggested by the intensity level is Led Zeppelin.

Don’t, however, mistake the group for another Zeppelin clone such as Kingdom Come. There is originality and personality in the singing of Perry Farrell and in the tenacious rhythms of guitarist David Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric A..

Yet it’s not just the fierce beat that makes Jane’s Addiction so absorbing. The group’s best material on its “Nothing Shocking” album asks us to look at life through the twisted reflections of a broken mirror.

One of the messages of the music is that it takes an extreme approach to break through the jaded consciousness of a world that has been desensitized at every turn by tabloid sensationalism. It’s a condition outlined in “Ted, Just Admit It.” Sample lines: Camera got them images / Camera got them all . . . / Showed me everybody / Naked and disfigured / Nothing’s shocking.

For all the fury in the music, the message of Jane’s Addiction is quite traditional. Much of the anger is over the loss of integrity and values.

“Had a Dad” is an impassioned statement of loss that, on its widest level, speaks about a world without order--or even, perhaps, hope. Elsewhere, Jane’s Addiction offers visions of comfort (“Summertime Rolls”), mixed with times of outrage (“Idiot’s Rule”) and periods of confusion (“Standing in the Shower . . . Thinking”).

Even though the band--especially the manic, colorfully attired Farrell (complete with magenta dreadlocks)--didn’t seem fully focused Thursday, the audience seemed caught up in the band’s spell.

Unlike Black Flag, Jane’s Addiction does enjoy the support of a major record company, Warner Bros., and it is making slow but solid progress in building a national audience. The group’s debut album has sold approximately 200,000 copies despite virtually no airplay.

Thursday’s high point came when the band returned for the second encore to perform “Jane Says,” a bittersweet tale of looking for love (and self-esteem) in all the wrong places. It’s as poignant an ‘80s anthem of lost souls as David Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes” and “Rebel, Rebel” were in the ‘70s.

If Jane’s Addiction can come up with another song as elegant and as accessible on the next album, radio airplay may not be far away. If so, it may not be long before ghosts of Black Flag are seen around the Forum.

The sold-out Ford Theatre engagement is a sort of homecoming celebration, complete with a theme--”El Ritual de la Habitual”--and decorations (mostly religious statutes and photos) that gave the outdoor theater the feel of a weekend religious festival on Olvera Street. To add to the color, Jane’s Addiction is using a different opening band each night. The engagement continues tonight, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and next Saturday.

LIVE ACTION: On sale Monday is Jimmy Buffett, with opening act the Neville Brothers, at the Universal Amphitheatre on June 23 and 24. . . . Rap innovators De La Soul will be at the Palace on May 29. . . . A second night has been added for Tanita Tikaram at the Roxy on May 3. . . . New on the McCabe’s schedule are a “Music for Nicaragua” benefit featuring Excene Cervenka, Tony Gilkyson, Steve Wynn and Cindy Lee Berryhill on May 7, former Husker Du member Bob Mould on May 19 and English folk singer June Tabor on June 2 and 3. . . . Rapper Slick Rick will be at the Strand on May 19.