Perry Farrell Sees Lollapalooza As a Lollipop

Plus, how his band Jane’s Addiction ended up on the Twilight soundtrack.

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Sure, a good music festival needs a catchy name, but naming Lollapalooza back in 1991 was about more than that for Perry Farrell. “It means someone or something wonderful,” says Farrell, who started the event as a tour for his band Jane’s Addiction. “The second interpretation is it’s a giant swirling lollipop, which I utilized that concept to swirl in all of us. ‘Come on in,’ you know, ‘We can swirl you in.’” Farrell has many more secrets from the festival’s three-plus-decade history to share in Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza, an upcoming Paramount+ docuseries that screened its first two episodes at Sundance. You can hear about what went into naming the festival in the video above, along with:

➼ How Jane’s Addiction ended up on the Twilight soundtrack (while Farrell was hiding out in Venice)

➼ Producers Brian Lazarte and James Lee Hernandez on their love for Jane’s Addiction stretching back to their HBO series McMillion$

➼ The trio’s hot takes on cell phones at concerts — and Farrell’s suggestion if you’re at one of his shows

Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza is directed by Michael John Warren. The series will premiere on Paramount+.

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