David Michael Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is an American guitarist.[1] He is best known as a member of the rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Between 1993 and 1998, Navarro was the guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers, recording one studio album, One Hot Minute (1995), before departing.[4] He has also released one solo album, Trust No One (2001). Navarro has also been a member of Jane's Addiction-related bands Deconstruction and the Panic Channel.
Navarro is also a host and judge on Ink Master, an American tattoo competition reality series that aired on Paramount Network (formerly called Spike) from 2012 to 2020 and Paramount+ since 2022.[6]
Early life
David Michael Navarro was born on June 7, 1967, in Santa Monica, California, the only child of James Raul Navarro and Constance Colleen Hopkins.[1] His paternal grandparents were Mexican immigrants.[7] His grandfather Gabriel Navarro was close friends with Mexican silent film actorRamón Novarro, who allegedly adopted his friend's surname for the stage, though it was altered due to a typing error.[8]
Navarro picked up the guitar at age 7, being inspired by his cousin, singer-songwriter Dan Navarro.[9] He said that "When I was very young, it was always Jimi Hendrix."[10] He was also fascinated by Yngwie Malmsteen for a brief period.[10] Navarro also stated that he learned a lot from Robert Smith of the Cure and Daniel Ash of Bauhaus.[10] He also said: "And I have always loved all the different guitarists that have been in Siouxsie and the Banshees".[10] He considers that "The great innovators, for me, are still Hendrix and [Jimmy] Page."[10]Van Halen's debut album was another reason why he learned to play guitar.[11] To this day, his tastes range from eccentric virtuosos like Steve Vai and Al Di Meola, to experimenters like Kevin Shields and old school blues players like Junior Kimbrough.[9]
Navarro joined the band Jane's Addiction in 1986 as the lead guitarist after he was recommended to vocalist Perry Farrell by Perkins.[12] Over the next five years, Jane's Addiction released three albums, Jane's Addiction (1987), Nothing's Shocking (1988) and Ritual de lo Habitual (1990). Personal tensions, however, led to their breakup in 1991. The Lollapalooza festival was created by Farrell as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction.
After the departure of Guns N' Roses' original rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin in August 1991, Navarro was the first choice of lead singer Axl Rose to replace Stradlin; despite four attempts to have him come in and play with Slash, he never showed up. However, he later went on to play on the 1999 Guns N' Roses song "Oh My God",[13] which was featured on the End of Days soundtrack. In 1993, Navarro formed Deconstruction with Jane's Addiction's Eric Avery on vocals and bass and Michael Murphy on drums. The band put out one self-titled album in 1994. Rick Rubin was involved in the production and Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes makes a guest appearance. They did not tour due to Avery's exhaustion after Jane's Addiction.
Despite mixed reviews, One Hot Minute sold over eight million copies worldwide and produced three hit singles. Navarro toured with Jane's Addiction for their 1997 Relapse tour with Flea on bass. After two years of touring on and off with Red Hot Chili Peppers, and his subsequent heroin relapse, Navarro was fired in 1998 over "creative differences". Navarro would later explain the main reasons for departing as being a result of not being given "the same latitude" with regards to his drug usage and recovery as Anthony Kiedis who was also undergoing a similar issue, and his musical sensibilities never really matching with the rest of the band.[14]
The summer 2001 album Trust No One (Capitol Records) marked his solo debut. The band assembled for the accompanying US tour consisted of Navarro, guitarist Dave Kushner (who would go on to form Velvet Revolver), bassist Miiko Watanabe and drummer Angel Roché, Jr.. He would later state that touring as a vocalist was harder to prepare for every night than just playing guitar, and wouldn't want to sing again. In 2002, Jane's Addiction reformed with bass player Chris Chaney and started work on a new album. The band entered the studio with veteran rock producer Bob Ezrin, resulting in the album Strays and the Lollapalooza 2003 tour in support of the album. In 2002, Michael Jackson performed at the Apollo Theater for the Democratic National Convention, and Navarro was set to play guitar for his hit song "Black or White".[16] The song was ultimately cut from the set, but there are pictures and video snippets for the rehearsals.[17] During this time Navarro also made a cameo in Mariah Carey's "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" music video.
Navarro began working with Camp Freddy during this time. In 2003, he and his fiancée, Carmen Electra, agreed to have their wedding preparations filmed for an MTV show titled Til Death Do Us Part; Camp Freddy played at the reception. The show was a success and was released on DVD in the fall of 2005. Navarro's book, Don't Try This at Home, was published on October 5, 2004, by ReganBooks, and quickly became a Los Angeles Times bestseller.
Navarro appeared in two tournaments on Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2004. In the third tournament of the series, he won his qualifying game and appeared in the championship round. In the fourth series, he appeared only in a qualifying round.[18]
2006 to present
Navarro co-hosted with Brooke Burke, two seasons of the Mark Burnett television series: Rock Star: INXS and Rock Star: Supernova. Navarro and his band, the Panic Channel, released their album One, in August 2006. They toured with Rock Star Supernova (the band formed from the series) in January/February 2007. During this period, Navarro had his own internet radio station. He soon broadened his creativity with an internet talk show called: Dave Navarro's SPREAD TV, which was streamed on ManiaTV.com and was made available for download on iTunes. The show highlighted avant-garde subjects, artistry, and the human condition. Videos from the series are also available on Navarro's YouTube channel.
In 2007, Navarro also teamed with Teravision to direct his first adult movie, Broken starring Sasha Grey (who he was also managing at the time[19]), in the first of a planned series of celebrity-directed adult movies.[20] This effort won "Best High End All-Sex Release" at the 2008 AVN Awards.[21] Navarro appeared in Season 1 and Season 2 of Z Rock[22] with Brooklyn-based band ZO2 on IFC.[23] In 2008, he recorded additional riffs for the version of "Black Cat" performed on Janet Jackson's Rock Witchu Tour, appearing on screens during the rendition.[24]
Jane's Addiction reunited once more in 2008 with all of the original members. Soon after performing together for the first time in 17 years at the NME Award ceremony in Los Angeles, the band was contacted by Trent Reznor. Reznor began working with Jane's Addiction in his studio; they recorded and released two songs ("Chip Away" and "Whores") online on the NINJA 2009 Tour Sampler. Both songs were previously released on their self-titled 1987 live album. This time together in the studio led directly to the pairing of Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction for a worldwide tour in 2009. The tour was branded the NIN/JA tour by fans.
In 2010, he posed naked for PETA's anti-fur campaign, "Ink Not Mink".[25] He stripped down again for the group's anti animal-testing campaign in 2013.[26]
In 2011, Navarro appeared as the "Director" of a Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, playing a complicated passage for a "camper" to emulate, in a commercial for Citibank.[27][28]
The Red Hot Chili Peppers were named 2012 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Navarro was not included among the band's members inducted. When the announcement was made of the induction, Navarro said he was happy for the band but later said he had no plans to attend the ceremony, which was held in April 2012.[29]
Navarro appeared in four episodes of the FX drama Sons of Anarchy in 2012[30] and appeared as a guest on an episode of Talking Dead.[31] In February 2013, he had a guest role in Law and Order: SVU, playing a sound engineer.[32] In January 2012, Navarro became host and judge on the Paramount show Ink Master.
In 2018, Navarro's personal assistant, actress Kelsey Gunn started an online web series on Instagram known as "Assisting Navarro", providing an entertaining look into Kelsey's life and tasks as Navarro's assistant.[33] This culminated in the release of the Assisting Navarro short film, which was released on January 31, 2020.[34]
In 2019. Navarro formed an art collective known as Duel Diagnosis specializing in "apparel, art, and spectacle" focused on conversations regarding mental health and illness.[35][36]
In 2020, Navarro began jamming with Chris Chaney and Taylor Hawkins, ultimately forming the "Yacht Goth" supergroup NHC (Navarro Hawkins Chaney). They made their live debut at Ohana Encore Festival on October 1, 2021.[37] The band would perform a number of shows that featured guest musicians such as Barbara Gruska of The Belle Brigade, Pat Smear,[38]Chad Smith, and Matt Cameron.[39] and release a few singles and an EP up until Hawkins' death in 2022.
On February 8, 2020, Navarro performed with Jane's Addiction at a memorial show for Andrew Burkle, son of billionaire Ronald Burkle who died in January 2020. Navarro was photographed for the first time in 23 years with his former Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates, who also performed. John Frusciante, who replaced Navarro in the band back in 1998, performed briefly with Jane's Addiction marking the first time the two Chili Peppers guitarists have shared a stage together.[40][41]
On December 20, 2021, Navarro and Billy Morrison held their third annual Above Ground benefit concert in Los Angeles. They were joined onstage by Anthony Kiedis for a performance of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side". This marked the first performance of Kiedis and Navarro together in 24 years since Navarro was fired from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.[42]
Navarro sat out a joint tour between Jane's Addiction and the Smashing Pumpkins in 2022 due to long COVID; his place was filled by Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen for the duration of the tour.[43] Navarro was again absent from Jane's Addiction on their 2023 tour while still battling the effects of long COVID, and Josh Klinghoffer played guitar in his place.[44]
Jane's Addiction returned to the studio in 2023 to record new material and announced that Navarro hadn't participated due to his ongoing struggle with long COVID.[45] Navarro returned to the band in May 2024 with the classic Jane's Addiction lineup performing their first show together in fourteen years on May 23, 2024. The show featured two new songs, the first new songs from the classic lineup in thirty-four years.[46] The would embark on a 2024 tour of Europe and the U.S. with the original lineup for the first time in 15 years.[47]
During this reunion tour, The Guardian reported tensions between band members during their New York City shows in September. On September 13, their show at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston was cut short after Farrell shoved and punched Navarro, and was restrained by crew members.[48] Farrell's wife, Etty Lau Farrell, said Farrell had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat and felt his voice was being drowned out by the band.[49] She acknowledged animosity between the band members and said that Avery had physically attacked Perry during the incident. The following day, Jane's Addiction issued an apology and canceled their scheduled show at Bridgeport, Connecticut.[50]
On November 19, 2024, Navarro announced (along with Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison) the fourth installment of the "Above Ground" benefit concert, scheduled to take place on January 25, 2025 at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, California. The event will celebrate vinyl "as an art form".[51]
Personal life
Mother's murder
Navarro's mother and aunt were murdered by his mother's ex-boyfriend, John (Dean) Riccardi, in March 1983. Riccardi was arrested in 1991,[52] thanks to a viewer tip after Riccardi was featured on the television series America's Most Wanted.[53] During his appearance on America's Most Wanted in 2004, Navarro stated that he was supposed to visit and stay with his mother on the night of her murder but at the last minute went to stay with his father.[54] In 2015, Navarro released the documentary Mourning Son, which details his abuse at the hands of Riccardi, his mother's murder and his spiral into drug addiction, as well as the pain he has had to overcome in the years since her death. The documentary culminated in Navarro meeting his mother's killer in prison.[55]
Relationships
Navarro has been married three times, to celebrity makeup artist Tania Goddard-Saylor (1990–1992, divorced); Rhian Gittins (1994, annulled); and model and actress Carmen Electra (2003–2007, divorced).[56]
Politics
Navarro was invited to be a performer at the 2002 Democratic National Convention fundraiser titled “A Night at the Apollo”, and at the 2012 Republican National Convention in which Mitt Romney was nominated for president.[57] In 2016, he described his views in a tweet as "Libertarian".[58]
Navarro had stated he was supporting Marianne Williamson as a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.[59][60] He subsequently expressed support for Tulsi Gabbard, including having her on his show.[61][62]
Equipment
He began using PRS Guitars on the Lollapalooza tour in 1991. His signature model PRS (White with Gold Hardware)[63] is now his primary stage guitar and is based on their Custom 24 model. He has several models in his regular stage and studio rig (like a double neck version[64]), and was only the third PRS artist to have both a Maryland-made and SE version of their Signature Model.[65]
Prior to his PRS signature line of guitars, Dave was mostly known for playing Ibanez RG guitars (like his RG with the Nothing's Shocking cover photo custom paint[66] or Tele styled gold top[67]) and Gibson Les Pauls,[68] all of which were used for the first two Jane's Addiction albums. Since late 2008, he has been seen both live and in studio using a custom white Ibanez RG, with a humbucker/single/single pickup layout, gold hardware, and a vintage style tremolo, essentially an Ibanez version of his PRS Guitars Signature Model.[63] He also used a blue Parker Fly guitar during his stint in RHCP, for songs that required an acoustic sound live.[69] In 2019 through Guitar Center LA, Dave was reunited with his Custom Ibanez RG with Nothing Shocking graphic after it came into their store.[70] Dave pawned it for drug money back in the '90s and forgot to pick the guitar back up.[71] For music videos, Dave has primarily been seen to use Danelectro guitars (seen in "Rexall"[72] and "Warped"[73]), Fernandes guitars (seen in "Hungry"[74]), Gibson Flying V (seen in "Bringin' On The Heartbreak"[75]), and Custom Shop Fender Stratocasters (seen in "Aeroplane"[76] and used for a majority of his time in RHCP). He has also used a Fernandes Mini Traveling NOMAD guitar to record the guitar solo on "Walkabout".[77]
Dave's choice of guitar effects pedals are all made from BOSS.[69] His amp preference was for the Marshall JCM 900 amp series which he preferred for their clean and dirty channels.[69] In 2022, Dave switched over to using Friedman amps live.[78] His preference for strings are Ernie Ball.[9]
Epiphone Guitars (a subsidiary of Gibson) released its Dave Navarro Artist Acoustic in July 2010. According to an interview with Navarro on Gibson.com, the new guitar is based upon the classic Gibson (and Epiphone) "Hummingbird" design, and has already been played by the guitarist in the studio while recording with Jane's Addiction.[79]
In 2024, the Fender Custom Shop and the Jimi Hendrix Estate had master builder Andy Hicks build Navarro a replica of Hendrix's "Izabella" guitar that he performed with at Woodstock.[80] He would play the guitar live at the New Orleans stop of the Jane's Addiction 2024 tour.[81] On September 18th, 2024, Navarro announced a collaboration between himself, Supreme, and Jim Dunlop to release a limited edition Wah-wah Pedal.[82]
Discography
Solo discography
Albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and sales figures
^"Ink Master". SPIKE.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
^RJ-viewer Added September 24, 2005, All my reviews (September 24, 2005). "Dave Navarro bio". Tv.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^[January 25 at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, California "DAVE NAVARRO And BILLY MORRISON Announce Fourth 'Above Ground' Benefit Concert"]. Blabbermouth. Retrieved November 19, 2024. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^John Riccardi profile America's Most Wanted profile on John Riccardi. URL last accessed May 14, 2007
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