Why Dave Navarro Didn’t Listen to Jane’s Addiction Without Him

Dave Navarro had mixed feelings over staying home while Jane’s Addiction toured without him. In fact, he didn’t even check out any of those shows.

The band hit the road in 2022 and 2023 while Navarro was dealing with long COVD, hiring Troy Van Leeuwen from Queens of the Stone Age for one leg and then former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer for the other.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Navarro admitted he felt emotional about the development.

READ MORE: How Taylor Hawkins’ Death Made Dave Navarro’s Health Battle Worse

“Part of me was disappointed to not participate, of course, because this is the band I was in since I was a teenager,” he said. “But I have to say that was overshadowed by the relief I had that I didn’t… prevent these guys from working.

“I would much rather be able to have my brothers do what they need to do, and be who they need to be, and do what they were put on this planet to do, instead of waiting for me. So the fact that they found people to step in for me was a big relief – because I think that if they didn’t go out, I would feel much more guilt than disappointment.”

Asked if he’d checked out any of the shows he missed via online postings, Navarro said he was too busy dealing with his health issues and trying to regain his playing skills.

“I never really got a chance to see any of that stuff – and frankly, I don’t really want to,” he said, “because whether it happens subconsciously or consciously, I don’t want my approach to be altered by something I hear.”

Dave Navarro Didn’t Want to Be Influenced By Other Guitarists

He continued: “Josh is an incredible player. If Josh played something that I like, and I’m like, ‘Fuck, I should do it like that’ … I don’t want to do that. I want to stay true to what the original lineup was. So in a way, I think it’s good that I didn’t hear those shows, but I heard they went well.”

Navarro went on to confirm that at least one new Jane’s Addiction song would follow the recent release of Imminent Redemption, and expressed hope that more would follow.

“The dream of so many fans is a new album with the 1.0 lineup; there hasn’t been one of those in 34 years,” he said. “That’s more than likely going to happen. I mean, we have recorded material. I don’t know specifically the model, if it’s going to be a song at a time, or if we’re going to drop a song and then a record.”