Dave Navarro and His Hello Kitty Addiction

Jane’s Addiction guitar god Dave Navarro has Hello Kitty fever.

Jane’s Addiction guitar god Dave Navarro has Hello Kitty fever.

So, Hello Kitty. We have to admit: That’s kind of awesome.

I appreciate your saying that, because people either get it or they don’t. But I don’t have a million pieces as much as I have an affinity for the brand.

What are some of your favorite Hello Kitty items?

My pink Fender Strat. But the one I searched high and low for was a lighter, which is an odd item because Hello Kitty is primarily for kids, and kids shouldn’t have lighters. The lighter is symbolic of my twisted take on the brand.

You could say that. Where do you get this stuff?

I get tons from the Jane’s Addiction fandom. Everything from socks to air fresheners to silverware. You can slap that cat onto anything. It’s kind of like a theme park now, and some would argue that it’s become the Ed Hardy of the alt world. I know that, but for me there are all kinds of tendrils to the fascination.

Where do you think the fascination comes from?

My first crush was on a Japanese girl in elementary school. After the summer she would come back with Hello Kitty items. So I always identify the logo with that first innocent crush. And today there’s an onslaught of young, alternative models who embrace the product. Most adult fans have a secret dark past, so it’s like a neon sign that we’re gonna relate, because I have struggled with a dark past.



Jane’s Addiction’s new album, The Great Escape Artist, hits stores in September.