Ever since Jane's Addiction first "reunited" in 1997, the line-up has been short one mister Eric Avery. The original bassist wasn't dead, incapacitated, or uninvited. He simply didn't think it was a good idea. "If someone had convinced me that we could've made a great new record, then I would've done it," Avery tells Spinner. "But the idea of, first of all, just doing what we did before -- except now we're older and worse at it -- sounded bad. Also, I just didn't believe that as a group we had another great record in us."

Passing up the profane (and millions of easy dollars) in order to preserve the sacred wasn't exactly an easy decision but ultimately it led to 'Help Wanted,' Avery's upcoming solo disc, and a new chapter in his life. "I think that the chapter that came before this chapter," Avery says, "would be the 'Am I still supposed to be a musician?' chapter. I went through a real period where I was soul searching, for lack of a better term. I wondered if I was that guy holding on too long. And if I don't have anything to say then I should get out, so do I have anything more to say? I was asking myself all of these questions and that's what led to this collection of songs."

Scheduled for an April release, 'Help Wanted' features contributions from Shirley Manson (Garbage), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), and Avery's part-time replacement in the Jane's Addiction reunion saga -- Flea. Don't read anything into that. And while Avery is still proud of his glory days, don't expect 'Help Wanted' to be the next great Jane's Addiction record.

"There's only so much I can do," Avery says. After listening to 'Help Wanted,' it's safe to say we'll take it.