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Sounds Like John Frusciante Quit Red Hot Chili Peppers
[via Stereogum via TwentyFourBit]
Can somebody say, “Fucking FINALLY”? Oh wait, I can. FUCKING FINALLY. While, for now, it seems that the news of John Frusciante (guitarist who recorded five studio albums with RHCP, lending their sound a certain redeeming quality they never reached without him) up and left the band is only at rumor status, as no official statement has been released, I still feel a gigantic wave of relief. TwentyFourBit is reporting that Frusciante has quit the Chili Peppers again, via several different tidbits that he won’t be recording their 10th studio album with them. Reasons for him leaving all seem to ride the same line: He’s just not interested in “big rock band machinery” and wants to write and record his own material.
I don’t know if many people out there feel as strongly about Frusciante’s current career status as I do, so this rant may be coming out of left field, but I really, really hated that he went back to a band that hasn’t done anything at all interesting in a very, very long time, while he has and continues to make great guitar-based, singer-songwriter music of his own. Perhaps he just needed some money to make ends meet and otherwise support his own personal music?
For those who don’t know, basically, Frusciante quit RHCP back in 1992, dismayed by the band’s want and need for an Aerosmith-level of popularity. It was around that time that he holed up in an apartment in LA, dove headfirst into a pile of heroin, and came out with one of the most affecting albums that has ever graced my ears, 1994’s Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt. He did rehabilitate and clean up after years of drug abuse, and eventually got back with the Chili Peppers for 1999’s Californication. Then the Chili Peppers went on to be boring in the truest sense of the word and of little consequence to anything happening in the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Meanwhile, Frusciante has quietly been releasing album after album (10 total) under his own name that are infinitely more creative and interesting than almost anything that exists in the RHCP catalog.
It seems he just remained checked out for the last decade where the Chili Peppers were concerned, interested really in only making his own music while the rest of the band angled for ways to cash in on their name alone since they have no more records left in them, which is really fucking awesome when you think about it. Let’s just hope his leaving RHCP is actually true.
78 Comments
i hated the Red Hot Chili Peppers back when they were still cool. John Fruscachantlisious sounds like Cat Stevens on that song you posted. I hope this teaches them all a valuable lesson about not wearing shirts.
“I don’t know if many people out there feel as strongly about Frusciante’s current career status as I do, so this rant may be coming out of left field, but I really, really hated that he went back to a band that hasn’t done anything at all interesting in a very, very long time, while he has and continues to make great guitar-based, singer-songwriter music of his own. Perhaps he just needed some money to make ends meet and otherwise support his own personal music?”
TOWARDS JOCELYN HOPPA:
Don’t be hasty or shallow in your public conclusions. If you have cared about Frusciante’s career as you mention, you would not undermine the importance of exceptional albums like Californication and By the way, which are exceptional mainly due to Frusciante’s vision and creativity – thus undermining the man himself.
To say someone like Frusciante just wanted to make money so rejoined and played with the Peppers is a fuckin disgrace coming from a JF ‘fan’. Don’t forget that he grew with the Peppers too.
So, write your fuckin article, but don’t confuse people with your bullshit.
Thanks
Who ever hates the chilis sucks. I love john and all but he would’nt have been able to sell as many solo albums as he did with out being with the chilis. If this news its true its a sad day for alot of Chili Peppers fans. p.s Alex and James Green Jr. are jerk off little bitches
Wow dude….a music fan saying the peppers did nothin interesting. Ha…yer crazy man. Californication and By the Way are great albums showcasing a great guitarist. I spose the only songs you listened to off the albums were By the Way and Scar Tissue. Ever heard Don’t Forget Me or Easily….check em ‘ out clown.
P.S. To your credit his solo work is amazing….and to correct you……the Peppers are bigger the Aerosmith……..and I don’t know how you seperate J froosh from the peps….they are one and the same….dont be that guy that hates music just because of a huge fanbase. They built that fanbase by touching on so many different levels of music. Froosh had a big part of that….dont be a dooshbag.
How the feck can you say that the RHCP stuff is BORING?! Try and actually listen to it with an open mind, cause when you say stuff like that its obvious that before you heard any songs you had made up your own bloody mind on whats good and what ain’t… And lets hope he HASNT left you twat.
The chilis music has only progressed since BSSM, yeah it was a high point of creativity, but they were young and singing about bangin and drugs. They have changed as people and so has their music. Try listening to some B-sides such as save this lady or mercy mercy. Frusciante is key in those tracks, and its a shame if he leaves. I was looking forward to what he would do for a 10th album. If this klinghoffer stuff is true, it will never be the same. Good luck John.
My bullshit?? Man,that’s haaaaarsh. I’m hurt.
The Peppers are bigger than Aerosmith? News to me. I don’t dislike the band because they have a huge fanbase. I dislike them because I think their newer music is boring and dated and instead of being musicians dedicated to their craft, they’re concerned with being bigger than Aerosmith. I’m not exactly going to give them praise for that, sorry. But I never said “Froosh” wasn’t a big part of making them who they were… all I’m saying is that he never wanted to be in Aerosmith and so he quit the band for that reason… not once but TWICE. Read between the lines for the rest of the story.
I think it’s difficult to claim that he wouldn’t have been able to sell his own music if it wasn’t for the Chili Peppers. And it’s fairly easy to separate him from the band when he’s released 10 albums under his own name and only 5 with that other band.
I owned and listened to Californication quite a bit upon its release, but it’s not a record I care to revisit, which didn’t bode well for anything that came after that. I’ll admit it was somewhat exciting that Frusciante was back in the band at that point and it clearly made a difference. But after that… whatevs, man. Not very good. His solo stuff during that time was infinitely better than anything the Peppers put out.
Get over yourself, you haughty elitist bitch. Your demeaning know-it-all attitude and excessive editorializing aside, you could at least pretend to incorporate an iota of respect for a group that has produced an enormous volume of work from the time they were unknown as Tony Flow and the Mystical Masters of Mayhem to their most recent album, where Anthony Keatis’ use of extended strings of metaphors continues to affirm his place in many followers’ minds as the Ginsberg of lyricists. The poignant vocal lines aside, the music is all pregnant with possibility which Frusciante’s creativity and skill truly showcased but which will be well served by any instrumentalist. Also, get your facts straight. Whatever Frusciante’s feelings about returning to the band after his leave of absence, his drug habit was the primary impetus for his departure in the first place. Good music attracts a large following, and whatever your feelings on ‘the machine,’ don’t forget that most popular bands made it there with their creativity and ingenuity. I am far more impressed by the vetting process of millions of listeners than a flat, pathetic monologue of underdeveloped criticism from an unknown journalist trying to rage against the industry under the guise of legitimate reporting.
well said Tyler, i think jhoppa will have no response. If he does, it will be full of flowering vocab to cover up his bullshit point.
well now i have to say something, don’t i?
first of all, it’s SHE not HE. Sheesh. also, i realize i’m saying things that Chili Pepper fans aren’t going to like. but that’s the way i see it. we certainly don’t have to agree. that’s fine. that is what makes the world turn… but i don’t know what’s so “flowery” about anything i’ve said here. you can call me an elitist and haughty bitch, but my editorializing is only a reflection of what i’ve read and understand to be true.
the main reason Frusciante left the band wasn’t merely because of his drug addiction. he spoke very clearly about leaving the RHCP (the first time), because he didn’t care to be a massively huge band like Aerosmith. their outlooks on the future of the band didn’t vibe. drugs played a part, but it was so much more than that.
Here you go:
Frusciante was blindsided by his newfound fame, and struggled to cope with it. Soon after the album’s release, he began to develop a dislike for the band’s popularity. Kiedis recalled that he and Frusciante used to get into heated discussions backstage after concerts: “John would say, ‘We’re too popular. I don’t need to be at this level of success. I would just be proud to be playing this music in clubs like you guys were doing two years ago.’” Frusciante later said that the band’s rise to popularity was “too high, too far, too soon. Everything seemed to be happening at once and I just couldn’t cope with it.” He also began to feel that destiny was leading him away from the band. When the Chili Peppers began their world tour, he started to hear voices in his head telling him “you won’t make it during the tour, you have to go now.” Frusciante admitted to having once taken great pleasure in hedonism; however, “by the age of twenty, I started doing it right and looking at it as an artistic expression instead of a way of partying and screwing a bunch of girls. To balance it out, I had to be extra-humble, extra-anti-rock star.” He refused to take the stage during a performance at Tokyo’s Club Quattro on May 7, 1992, telling his bandmates that he was leaving the band. He was persuaded to perform, but left for California the next morning; according to the guitarist, “it was just impossible for me to stay in the band any longer. It had come to the point where even though they wanted me in the band, it felt like I was forced out of the band. Not by any members in particular or management in particular, but just the direction it was going.”
no dude sorry but how the hell can you say your glad he quit the peppers ?
yes he wanted to record own things, yes he has great solo albums
but if it wasnt for the peppers, he wouldnt be in the place he is now, his loyalty may be questioned in recent times, but i dont think he will leave – notice how this “unknown” source tells us hes quit when RHCP have got an album coming in 2010 ? hmm cowinky dink or not ?
As for saying the’ve gone boring, notice their older ? but yet will still release album after album ?
you couldnt handle what these guys have been through, this band changed my life.
so next time you wanna rant about a band which i question your even a fan of ?
keep your opinion to yourself cause even if they split, i still got their back catalouge to play day in and day out and i’m sure any pepper fan will agree with me in by saying “thats still some fucking ledgendary music”
Man… “Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt” is quite terrible on the whole. Frusciante did it because he needed cash for heroin. His guitar is not even tuned on that album.
You’re entitled to your own opinion and taste of music, but in my opinion frusciante’s writing and playing styles mesh peerrrrrrfectly with the rest of the group. I think they’re maybe the most well meshed rock band around with frusciante playing. If he’s not down to clown with the chili peppers anymore there’s no way he should do it or be forced to do it, but my good god he will be missed.
I to am extremely happy about this news. Not that I don’t enjoy the RHCP, it’s just that John’s music is much more emotional, it takes me places no other music has. Aside from a handful of songs over the past decade the RHCP have not put themselves on the same level of creativity they once had, in my opinion. I believe John is a once in a lifetime caliber musician, whose experiences and views of life create what is rarely heard in the music industry. I understand that not everyone can appreciate his music on the same level as perhaps other musicians can, and that’s ok. However, the fact that John is willing to throw away the pay cheque and fame he would continue to have in RHCP to pursue what he loves doing, regardless of the level success and criticisms he will experience in the time to come says a lot about the type of person he is. He is truly passionate and genuine, something you don’t see much of in these times in show biz.
Dill, you’re probably into all indie music and don’t like mainstream stuff I’m guessing?
his second solo album, Smile From the Street You Hold, is the one he said he made for drug money.
C’mon jhop……deep down you can’t say some of his earlier solo stuff is “infinitely” better than the Peps of the same time….that’s outrageous. The Empyrean you could make a claim for as an album….but the rest has some pretty mediocre and iffy songs on em’. Your claims are far fetched. Take a step back….seriously….your article is radical and out there. Infinitely is just bogus…..ha….too funny.
you are very ignorant. stadium arcadium is an amazing album which showcases the musical abilities of every band member. Though it may have been quite along time sine the release of bloodsugarsexmagik, that album remains one of most innovative, creative, and powerful albums ever recorded. the red hot chili peppers have left a very unforgettable mark on rock and roll history. Their combination of funk, punk, and pure rock and roll in their early albums shows passion and ability that few bands have ever been able to match. Their newer work may not have broken down any doors, but it maintains a very high level of musicianship, and john frusciante’s seemingly perfect timing and passion has fueled all of their albums. his passion transcends and his absence will be obvious. that being said, his solo albums lack the structure of a full band, thus leaving much of his sound to be underappreciated. i believe that john frusciante and the chili peppers need each other and i hope they they will all be reunited someday. i also believe that john is back on drugs.
Hoppa you hopped up on goofballs! Go back to Pitchfork. When you’re older you’ll see that it’s ok to like music that is or was popular.
Well, thanks for the blog, and everyone has an opinion, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers are still my favorite band, and By the Way is still my favorite album.
Although I have liked the whole band throughout their various metamorphoses, I do think it has sounded a little weird when Frooshawntee sings instead of Kiedis. Maybe I’m the only one who thinks so, but Frooshawntee’s voice has always sounded thin and warbly. If he’s going back out on his own, he needs to hire some people to sing for him, or at least with him (like Nitin Sahwney, Santana, etc.).
I’m sure the RHCP will be able to get along just fine with a new guitarist–they have before.
Fuck you RHCP hating assholes. They’re a talented band, something you ignorant hipsters aren’t used to.
This rumor isn’t that much of a surprise. Why? Listen to his solo work to hear where his musical heart is at. You can’t expect a musician to never change or strike out in a new direction. Bands don’t last forever. If you’ve ever been in one, you’ll understand why change is necessary.
He wrote some great music with the RHCP. I’m just glad that we have 5 great albums with John as part of the band.
Jocelyn “Dude” Hoppa posts her informed editorial opinion, most of which I grok, and receives what exactly in return?
Certainly very little in the way of thoughtful commentary and discussion. Tragic, really. She obviously put some thought into the original copy and the follow-on responses, while maintaining a great deal of equanimity in the face of so much textual “f**kitude”.
As for my own take, the early era Peppers is infinitely enjoyable, as Flea and Hillel welded punk to funk with gak-fueled abandon and AK developed his extremely unique vocal style. What’s not to love about Freaky or Mother’s Milk?
But like JH, I too steadily lost interest as they went HUGE and their sound morphed into something not q
Jocelyn “Dude” Hoppa posts her informed editorial opinion, most of which I grok, and receives what exactly in return?
Certainly very little in the way of thoughtful commentary and discussion. Tragic, really. She obviously put some thought into the original copy and the follow-on responses, while maintaining a great deal of equanimity in the face of so much textual “f**kitude”.
As for my own take, the early era Peppers is infinitely enjoyable, as Flea and Hillel welded punk to funk with gak-fueled abandon and AK developed his extremely unique vocal style. What’s not to love about Freaky or Mother’s Milk?
However, much like JH, I too steadily lost interest as they went HUGE and their sound morphed into something not quite so urgent and compelling as it once had been. Californication did make a new high-water mark of sorts, after the tragic mess that was Red Hot Minute (and I LIKE Dave Navarro), but the bloom was definitely off the rose.
I still toss their discs in the player now and again, when I’m up for a flashback or two or their killer cover of Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground, but generally speaking they stopped being vital quite a few years ago. Meanwhile, Frusciante’s latest solo effort is a contemplative and rewarding listen for those who enjoy their tones a bit more varied and challenging.
Can’t you guys and gals reading the ‘Daddy come up with something better than a steaming pile ad hominem BS?
Sandy Pearlman is surely weeping in his beverage about now.
Chili Peppers are the greatest band to ever grace this planet. Frusciante is a God. This is the saddest news I’ve ever heard. His solo stuff is pretty great, but it pales in comparison to what he can do with flea and the rest of the band. I love this guys music but Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt was horrible, maybe the worst album ever made…it was a heroin addict’s album that was only sold so he could afford to buy more heroin…no one is perfect i guess.
Alright,
Clearly if we dont find the RHCP all that interesting we clearly read Ptichfork. What is wrong with us, music whores that we are, all actually reading this cause, well, we read anything we can find about music. We obviously only like avant-guard and obscure new indie music or else we can only stomach certified classics.
Irregardless of whether this may actually be true, one thing is for certain, the RHCP falls into neither the avant-gaurd or the classic category, all this still being aside from the point that Frusciante’s solo shit is TOALLY more interesting musically (not to mention his much greater productivity), which I believe was the point.
Seriously, they let Dave Navarro in that band! Really, really? has there ever a bigger fucking tool bag or a more mediocre (and totally contrived celebrity figure) than he? Why was he even in that band, oh yea, he was already a celebrity. FAIL
Seriously crank up you favorite RHCP CD and listen to Anthony kiedis sing lines “a chiccka dicka dab, mikcka shurka shaka shob, he con nabba nabba,” while your tribal tattoo having, wifebeater wearing ass hums along in your raised 70’s ford pickup like the one Flea drove in that fucking terrible Charlie Sheen movie “The Chase” aaaaaaaand go fuck your uh-hip fat chick fucking self!
Jhoppa you must be on some shit. Frusciante is easily the greatest guitartist of all time bar none, and i love all of his solo albums and must agree that he is a very talented musician and has inspired me but his solo work is nothing compared to his work with RHCP. I mean he practically wrote all of By The Way so im not sure how you call that shit and Stadium Arcadium is a masterpiece of an album with complete musicianship coming from all members and if you were a true openminded fan of music at all you would see the talent there and respect it. Which honestly stands for all their albums with Frusciante on them. They are the most real “playing music because they love it” band i have ever listened to and without John they just don’t have that sound i love. To me he has meshed better with RHCP than Hillel had in the early days and i can’t even bare to listen to One Hot Minute cause Navarro was so out of place it was ridiculous which is why if this is true than this sucks cause Frusciante is meant for them.
you know, as a huge fan of both RHCP and the man in question id have to say that i am right there with Jocelyn on this one. the point the ‘haters’ seem to be missing here is that the Chillis are (and have been for some time now) at a point with their music that John has very little to contribute creatively. they have gone, as many do, the way of the buffalo; churning out radio-ready tunes dulled down for mass consupmtion. the ‘ideals’ that once drove the band are questionably absent from almost everything theyve written and recorded since John initially left the band (with the exception of maybe One Hot Minute which is a whole other story)
needless to say, i have been enjoying Johns solo music for years, and most importantly, have felt that its the only outlet he has for doing anything outside the cookie cutter ‘funk’ the Chilis have been trying to pass off as unique or innovative for years. Anthonys lyrics have become even more absurd and lack any modicrum of ‘heart’ or ’soul’.
as much as i loved these guys and cut my rock n roll teeth on them in the early days leading up to BloodSugarSexMagick, everything else has been an unfortunate letdown. theyve not challenged themselves musically or artistically in over a decade, and it pained me with each release how further theyd strayed from relevance. while they may still be of pop cultural significance, its mostly due to the abundance of ‘hits’ that have been associated with their albums over that time and less about what theyre actually playing or singing.
good luck to John, and good luck to the Chili Peppers in the future. i imagine theyll do just as well commercially, and most ‘fans’ wont really notice a difference. youll still get tunes to sing along to as you drive your kids to school, or swing by starbucks on the wayto your boring job. aside from that, ill continue not paying attention in an attempt to preserve what is left of my adoration for a once great band that now drifts off toward a very forgettable late career.
ps- jhoppa is absolutely correct in her reporting of Johns initial reason for leaving the band. i guess that makes him an elitist haughty bitch of sorts as well. but man, could he play guitar.
Does anyone else notice the irony of calling something titled “Stadium Arcadium” a masterpiece?
J. Good,
Remember to take your twin brothers balls out of your mouth before you commit thoughts to being printed words, the nutz seem to short circuit your thinking
who wrote this article?? this person is a fricken idiot! the red hot chili peppers rock!! John with the red hot chili peppers is even BETTER!!! that band is a family and have been friends for a long time.. i’m sooooo hoping that this is only a rumor and john is still with the band! LONG LIVE JOHN FRUSCIANTE, ANTHONY KIEDIS, CHAD SMITH, and MICHAEL BALZARY(together making RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS)!!!
i also find it interesting that so many of you write off his solo records as being ‘unlistenable’ or ‘terrible’ or even ‘possibly one of the worst records ever made’ scapegoating his drug habit as the reason behind their supposed failure.
you guys are fans of the band, correct? you are in fact aware that the entire band was snorting, shotting and smoking everything they could get their hands on for the majority of their career? ‘under the bridge’ isnt a song about Anthony building a fucking sand castle.
pay attention
The author knows so much about music I would not dare question the ultra intellectual views and position taken in the article. It was so moving I felt as if I were back in high school being told by “the cool people” what was hot and what was not. What a flippin snob ass butt munch wanker MFin Csuckin shallow assed punk.
Any chili pepper hater has honestly have no idea what they are talking about. The chili peppers are amazing, changed my life and accomplished what no other bands have ever done. They did not get any worse or boring as time went on. From Blood Sugar on, all there albums are amazing. John was the reason their sound is amazing but they all complete each other. They are like a holy trinity and anyone who thinks that johns leaving the band is a good thing then you are a discrace to music. That band is not complete without him and they need him, and I need him.
Well Jason maybe you should get your mother’s dick out of your ear and listen to some real music. i play guitar and bass and from a musicians point of view stadium arcadium is a damn good album. not their best but a damn good one. but you obvously have no respect for music and you probably haven’t even listened to the whole album other than their hits which are nowhere near as good as most of the songs on the album. now their greatest albums in my opinion is blood sugar sex magik and californication which really captures what it means to sound as a whole instead of a frontman. now frusciante is great solo and better with RHCP thats just the honest truth man.
I think Robbie hit the nail on the head here, JHoppa’s assessment is dead on.
J. Good,
Go back and read Robbie’s comments. You’re a musician, congrats, clearly you have the ethos to have an infallible opinion here, i’ve been working in music my entire adult life and truth be told, i’ve never known a musician who had fucking terrible taste in music!
I got news for you buddy, Californication is horse shit is well, and seeing how you’re a musician i’m a little surprised you can’t pick up on the fact that it’s a regurgitation of the most base elements of their sound combined with heavy heavy borrowing from other musicians. As a great writer once quoted an A&R head in an article about plagiarism, “old ideas in the service of new ideas are what art is all about.” unfortunately, the RHCP have hardly come with any new ideas in a decade. You like rock infused funk and lyrics that make less sense than Noel Gallagher’s, and that’s fine, but let’s not pretend that any of those last albums are going to be listened to in 20 years.
And my dick was in your girlfriend…and her best friend, where in her…well, you’re better off not knowing. Unfortunately for you, I get to stand on the stage beyond which 10,000 plus fans are screaming from time to time, so people like your girlfriend and her friend tend to let me do dirty things to them, sorry!
Now let’s all just calm down, admit we at least all like music so you dont feel down when you crack out that Nickleback record after you’re done with the nice dinner Mom just made you!
without frusciante, the chili peppers are lost. period. sad but true. I love them as a band, but he carried them for soooooo long. Its time for him to spread his wings and truely shine as an artist. work with others as well. I hope him and omar do a project together. and I hope the chilis find someone with as much talent and spirituality as john, but thats highly unlikely. chilis new records were not boring because of john. now they will totally suck.
jason man your comebacks suck as much dick as you do and im not here to toss ignorant immature jokes back and forth i did enough of that in high school and you went way too far with that Nickelback shit dude cause they are the absolute most horrible thing to ever be recorded. now thats a sellout piece of shit band. but thats not what we are talking about. bottom line everyone has opinions and your entitled to your own and mine is simply that frusciante is best with RHCP. they made REAL music together.
Hey- let’s all just paraphrase what we read on the John Frusciante wikipedia article, Scar Tissue (the book), and the E! True Hollywood Story: Red Hot Chili Peppers episode. Obviously no one thinks for themselves. It’s a rock band. A band that I am a HUGE fan of, in addition to Mr. Frusciante’s solo albums. You all are forgetting that he’s a real person though. Maybe he just got tired of being in a big rock band. He’s probably really proud of what they accomplished, and just wants to do his own thing for a little bit. Trying to talk down to people about something completely subjective (like music or any other art form for that matter) just makes you look like an idiot. But at least you have proven that you can use Google, and know how to work the Caps Lock key. We’re all very impressed. I will be more impressed if you post a link of yourself playing music, thus legitmizing any authority you have to judge another musician or group of musicians. Until then, Jocelyn, I am going to have to throw you in the “angry rock music critic who can only talk and who’s oppinion doesn’t matter” category.
You are a fucking idiot. The chili peppers created several amazing records with John Frusciante after he came back. Californication, By the Way, and Stadium Arcadium are all quality records. When I heard that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were making another album back in October, I was so excited. Now that it looks like John Frusciante isn’t going to be their guitarist anymore, I am a little depressed. At least they still have Flea, Kiedis, and Chad Smith. John Frusciante leaving the Chili Peppers is a major disappointment.
Look Jesse im not saying being a musician justifies anything it just changes views on music and talent it takes to make it. Hence my appreciation of stadium arcadium. And as far as using Google goes man i have been a fan of RHCP since they started and know anything you could possibly ask about them from straight knowledge, quiz me if you don’t believe me dude. Im just a huge fan with a strong opinion and im devastated with john’s quitting. i agree with you though that he is proud of what he made and just wants to do his own thing for a bit.
Hey Jesse,
“I will be more impressed if you post a link of yourself playing music, thus legitimizing any authority you have to judge another musician or group of musicians.”
maybe you should use your Google skills to look up the phrase Ad homineum fallacy!
I LOVE the old Red Hots, but I haven’t liked them much since “Californication”.
Their last great album was “One Hot Minute”.
Frusciante’s last great thing was “Smile from the Streets You Hold”.
I don’t care what happens… I’m gonna listen to Freddy mercury now.
John leaving the Chili’s is so sad. Speaking as a massive Chili’s fan, John’s plying has shaped the way their music has headed since Hillel died. I’m a little upset at John though as he had been given a chance to join the band for Mother’s Milk, left, then was given another chance to join for Californication, and now can’t see himself as part of a band, after 11 years, and wants to leave again. Doesn’t make sense to me at all.
If that’s where he wants to go and what direction he’s heading in is a solo career, that’s fine. But he’s made many, many people so sad at this news and once it becomes official i hope we hear the real reason he’s left.
As for Jocelyn Hoppa, i realise you hate the Chili’s, but to say that he’s left twice for the same reasons is insane. Why did he go back then? They were bigger when he returned than when he left… 1st time he left was cause he believed they were getting too big. So why return to a band that plays stadiums and was bigger then than when you originally left them? Obviously him leaving now has nothing to do with their size. It seems to me that he’s back into doing his own thing and doesn’t want to re-join the boys at this time. His feelings may change in a few years. He is a very eccentric person. He believes spirits tell him what to do. He clearly isn’t all there, but we may one day see the return of John to the Chili’s.
In the meantime, lets hope they choose a great guitarist (be it Josh Klinghoffer or not) and they work out to have great chemistry together.
“Hey Jesse,
I will be more impressed if you post a link of yourself playing music, thus legitimizing any authority you have to judge another musician or group of musicians.
maybe you should use your Google skills to look up the phrase Ad homineum fallacy!”
Point well made there Jason, thank you.
I understand the point that John has had amazing solo success. I just believe that he is better with the band because of the 2 other talented musicians, i don’t really include kiedis because he is more of a great poet (he even admits this). But Chad Smith and Flea are phenomenal musicians with no understatement of the words. Flea and John play off of each other much like a great painter paints a masterpiece. Chad leads them in the direction, all the while adding his own distinctive sound to the mix. For most of their songs, john would come up with a great riff, then Flea and Chad would add crazy rhythm beats for it, and Kiedis would then play a poem over the beats. There were only a few times when the sound was forced for corporate issues. Fruciante also recognized that he was not comfortable with his new found fame, and looked for escape in drugs.
Again, i’m not saying that his solo albums are not great, because they are great. I am saying that he is better in RHCP, and the band is better because of it aswell.
Side note, you really can not berate someone for a personal view, especiallially something as subjective as Music. I am sure that some of you do not recognize the fact that Wu-Tang Clan “Enter the Wu (36 Chambers)” as one of the greatest albums of all time. Even still, you have to recognize this is just a personal opinion. That’s why there is always a better album on the charts that are supposed to list “greatest albums of all-time”
You are a complete ignoramis!! How can you honestly believe that after John came back to the Chili Peppers they were boring?? That is absurd. Without him we wouldn’t have the epic songs such as By the Way, Californication, Around the World, and basically every other song on those two cd’s they made after he came back. They have a timeless quality about them that drew people to them.
Any one who is more than an average music fan can tell that all of the Peppers put their heart an soul into their musical recordings and each live performance.
If John feels the need to quit one of the most successful bands ever to pick up instruments then so be it. Seeing what they did without John in One Hot Minute the only things lost are the random solo’s for songs preformed live. I highly doubt that any true Chili Pepper fan will turn on them just because John quit…
John Frusciante is a musical legend, with RHCP or without. They will never be the same if he’s gone. A tragedy for the music industry and millions of people who adore what he brings to the group! How dare you hope its true…
To say that the rest of the band have no more albums in them is one of the most snobbish remarks I have heard made about music. To call out anyone and say they have no music left in them is ridiculous. Michael Balzary has had a massive influence on modern electric bass. Chad Smith has also been an innovator on the drums. With Anthony having always drawn on his life to feed his lyrics how can you say that he has “run out of albums.” You sir, are an idiot.
HAHAHA DISREGARD THAT ARTICLE I SUCK COCKS.
how can you even say “i hope this teaches them a lesson about not wearing shirts”
the materialist aspects of any musician shouldnt have anything to do with how they are judged.
its about the music.
PERIOD.
i cant even imagine how many people the peppers influenced, connected with, and even helped throughout their career
in my oppinion the red hot chili peppers were and still are an amazing band
and john frusciante made them even better.
his creativity really helped them thrive as musicians,
i really hope he reconsiders
but if he doesnt, it’s his life.
and best of luck to him in whatever he decides to do.
stadium arcadium is a boring album. a lot of by the way is too slow; though can’t stop is an excellent song. his solo work blows most of the peppers stuff out of the water for sure. niandra lades is a beautiful album. when i reach for peppers it tends to be bssm. i was saying the other day that frusciante needs to get his head into the band or flea needs to reassert himself or the next (and last) peppers album is going to be shit. with frusciante off doing his own great stuff, maybe the peppers can make a last good album. admittedly i dont think the empyrean is as great as what came before it. maybe frusciante is just past his prime in general having half assed the peppers material and put out his best solo stuff.
The thing that many people on this comment board seems to realize is that they are all contributing towards an attitude that John Frusciante himself thinks is detrimental to the world of music. We are discussing a decision by a musician that arguably affects the biggest and most important part of his life: how, where and with who he plays music in the foreseeable future. John has states many times that he does not like to see people forming strong opinions on the lives of popular musicians (such as himself) as well as other celebrities because people are only speaking in the context of knowing the celebrity and not the person behind the celebrity.
I respect the author’s right to editorialize about matters concerning arts and entertainment, as well as the commenters right to be heard in their opinions, but to be honest I have a few discrepancies with some of the things that have been said. First of all, saying that John has remained “checked out for the last decade” is at least somewhat dismissive of the work he has contributed to the Chili Peppers as of late, and therefore dismissive to the work itself. Most people will actually tell you there was significant internal conflict within the band during the production of and directly thereafter 2002’s By The Way simply because of HOW MUCH Frusciante was leading the artistic direction of the album. The sound of that album, which was markedly different than anything they had ever done, was a heavily-textured, lush, moody album that derived most of its sound from John’s tendencies (see its similarity to John’s 2004 work Shadows Collide With People)
In addition, 2006’s Stadium Arcadium, which has seemingly drawn extensive criticism from this comment page for numerous reasons, was also heavily influenced in sound by John, even if it was considerably more balanced out with the other band members’ tastes as well (which I happen to think makes it the superior album). This is seen the intricate production and layering work Frusciante contributed to many of the tracks (e.g. the panning drum beat in the bridge section of Dani California, the backwards guitar line playing in the title track, and the 26 layers of guitar tracks laid down on Turn It Again).
Perhaps one would say these new facets of the band’s sound is less “in-your-face” than those found in the earlier days of their music; I for one would agree. I absolutely love the raucous funk-punk/funk-metal of the early days of the Chili Peppers. But the love of this part of the band’s career does not (for me, anyway) block the adoration for the appreciation of their newer, more lush arrangements. Some people forget that most of the band will be turning 50 years old in the next few years. Not to take anything away from 50-year-olds, but one might expect musicians in those age brackets to have mellowed considerably since their days as rambunctious 20-year-olds. To demand a band (especially one as personally dynamic as this one) to NOT change over two decades worth of time is not only asking the nearly-impossible, it’s asking for redundancy.
Many people in the comment section, as well as the author of the article, seem to think the Chili Peppers haven’t done anything “interesting” as of late, as if they’re churning out the same old stuff. I would say if they merely churned out the same funky-punky goodness of their early career, this might be true, but they obviously don’t do that. Apparently, people prefer to chastise them for expanding their horizons, which I think is a bit of a negative attitude, but then again that’s just me. They still play the older, rawer stuff like Nobody Weird Like Me and Give It Away at concerts, and they still kick the shit out of it. In fact, they still even delve back into the world of hard-and-fast funk rock with tracks like By The Way and Storm In A Teacup. Now, they merely add to their repertoire the ability to play songs their former selves never would have been able to do justice: If, Don’t Forget Me, Dosed, We Believe, etc. etc. etc. Their entire body of work is too much to delve into at the moment, but take it from someone who knows it pretty damn well, everything from the hits to the b-sides has something to offer musically, emotionally and spiritually. Change is not a bad thing, people, in fact it’s ignorant to oppose it. Yes, we get it, they’re popular now, and you may think you’re above that. Great. I could care less about how popular a band is EVEN IF THEY ARE REALLY POPULAR. Disregarding a band’s material simply because they’re popular is just as bad as disregarding a band’s material just because they’re unpopular. It’s the same fallacy of not basing it on anything to do with the actual music.
And if you feel like defending Frusciante while simultaneously attacking the Chili Peppers by saying that he doesn’t seem too invested in it, that’s almost certainly fallacious if not pure ignorance. If he was willing to leave the band mid-tour because he didn’t like the direction of the band, what would be stopping him from leaving during the pre-production of the three albums they’re put out since he’s returned? In fact, Frusciante himself has gone on record in many interviews saying that he thinks Stadium Arcadium is the best work the Chili Peppers as a band has ever done. Apparently a lot of people like and respect Frusciante here, they’re just not willing to listen to him. His solo albums are amazing, every single one of them, from the opaque sincerity and vulnerability of Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt and Smile From the Streets You Hold to the scarce jamminess of Inside of Emptiness and Curtains to the polished progressive brilliance on Shadows Collide With People and The Empyrean. But the John Frusciante who works on these albums invests the same musical ability and integrity into all his work with the Chili Peppers; it’s multiple sides of the same genius. His solo work is his outlet for his musical tastes that he can’t necessarily express as easily in RHCP, such as the avant-garde, the electronica and the experimental. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t genuine in expressing his abilities and admiration for the genres of funk, rock and pop in the Chili Peppers.
This all being said, I refuse to say what he SHOULD do, mostly because I know full well that basically no one this page (myself included), no matter how big of a fan we may call ourselves, can comprehend the decision making process Mr. Frusciante may or may not be going through at this time. All I know is that to even say I respect a decision he should choose to make is assuming too much of myself, as his choosing to stay or leave is ultimately his choice on the path of his own musical journey. Should he choose to leave, the large body of work the Chili Peppers has produced with him is certainly nothing to balk at, and it will forever be appreciated as a testament to the brilliance and beauty he brought to one of the world’s greatest musical outfits. As for the rest of the band, I can say for sure that I will follow any project or endeavor Anthony, Chad, John and Flea will take part in, together or separate, as they are some of the only truly talented and genuine figures left in popular music.
Peace
you are ridiculous. john bled to be in the chili peppers. he will always be a chili pepper. his solo shit is not what he was born to do. he was born to play guitar with flea and chad smith and harmonize with anthony kiedis. that is what the world loves him for, and what we will remember him for. everybody gets caught up in what is hip and trendy and friendly to magazine editors, john’s solo shit is just that, solo. he doesn’t have a large solo following, therefore, what do you conclude? nobody sings john’s songs by the thousands. they sing the chili peppers’ songs. this is a sad day for the band. john will miss playing to 70,000 people. he will come back.
Since this article is NOTHING BUT OPINION, I’ll just offer my own. John Frusciante is great with his solo stuff, very creative original and inventive. the chili peppers have that same creativity originality and inventiveness, but with the chili peppers the quality of music is better. the energy that John helps create with the rest of the band is an energy that is not present in many bands nowadays. every member contributes they best of themselves to every record and this is what makes the chili peppers so great. even tho i love Johns solo stuff i would trade all of his future solo records for him to finish this 10th record with the chili’s.
Fucking hell, this sucks…
The Chilis are all amazing musicians.
you know, sometimes, things are popular for a reason… cause their GOOD.
his solo work, while good, was a bit self-indulging at times. but when he comes back (or if) it wont be because he misses playing for thousands of people because he’s bigger than that. no, it will be because he likes making music with his mates. and thats what its all about.
hey ass clown. drop your overwhelming bias towards commercial success to consider the very profound impact frusciante had on the peppers. there’s a logical disconnect in digging frusciante but disliking RHCPs frusciante albums. take for instance, that he made such a significant contribution to By The Way that flea considered quitting the band because he felt left out of the creative process. john he took the band over from melodic construction to mixing. i feel that record is among the most important in rock over the past decade and it has the froosh all over it. Stadium furthered this trend and if he is out of the band i hope it’s for a short time.
:’(
I died a little inside.
Anyway there on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/RHCP_Official
http://www.twitter.com/___Flea___
Totally agree with you, Jocelyn.
John is finally free to fly.
It is time for Frusciante to go, unfortunately. He was and will always be great, but you could tell that he lost the passion and energy necessary to be a Chili Pepper any longer. He simply doesn’t want to do it. Its better to leave something behind if your heart isn’t into it rather than carrying on and pretending that you care. He will be fine. The Chilis will be fine. No more Frusciante and his bizarre quotes and strange ideals. Time to bring back the funk. Flea and Smith will dominate. I am excited for this possibility alone, besides, Josh Klinghoffer is a great enough guitar player that Chili Pepper fans will be satisfied.
If he has left the band so what, there is no point in having him there if he is not 100% motivated and focused on writing music with them. He made this decision before to quit and they welcomed him back with open arms , if he leaves a 2nd time I don’t see that happening. This is not the end for the chili peppers, remember there is still 3 of the most talent artists in the world left. However if he leaves but there will be be a massive hole to fill. Lets hope Josh is up to it!
This review made me laugh, simply at how absurd it was.
Trashing RHCP’s albums after Californication but praising John’s solo work? Get some consistency. Perhaps you should judge music based upon its content, as it’s clear that you have an obvious bias against popularity. Many of the same characteristics that have made John’s solo work beautiful are the same one’s that lend RHCP’s albums character.
Dave’s post was pretty much on point.
To say that RHCP hasn’t done anything “interesting” or has stayed the same over the past decade is more a testament to your inability to recognize the shifts in RHCP’s style over time. While they obviously still make some songs that are true to their funk/punk roots, they also have written songs that clearly deviate from that. By the Way, for example, was an album that was largely a progression from their funk background. Most of what I’d say has already been said by Dave.
Overall, this is a pretty poor post. I’d be more open to your opinion if you actually provided a reason why RHCP’s music has been stagnant despite the overwhelming consensus that it hasn’t. Otherwise, you just risk making yourself look like a clown, which you did pretty well here.
“Frusciante is easily the greatest guitartist of all time bar none”
Out of a staggering array of brilliant comments from an unbelievably intelligent hoard of RHCP-loving keyboard tough guys, this line edges out the rest for quote of the story. Congratulations, J. Good, you must be so proud. Now stop using the interwebs and go back to Algebra class.
this just posted on johns site
When I quit the band, over a year ago, we were on an indefinite hiatus. There was no drama or anger involved, and the other guys were very understanding. They are supportive of my doing whatever makes me happy and that goes both ways.
To put it simply, my musical interests have led me in a different direction. Upon rejoining, and throughout my time in the band, I was very excited about exploring the musical possibilities inherent in a rock band, and doing so with those people in particular. A couple of years ago, I began to feel that same excitement again, but this time it was about making a different kind of music, alone, and being my own engineer.
I really love the band and what we did. I understand and value that my work with them means a lot to many people, but I have to follow my interests. For me, art has never been something done out of a sense of duty. It is something I do because it is really fun, exciting, and interesting. Over the last 12 years, I have changed, as a person and artist, to such a degree that to do further work along the lines I did with the band would be to go against my own nature. There was no choice involved in this decision. I simply have to be what I am, and have to do what I must do.
Sending love and gratitude to you all.
Wow. I had no idea this many people feel so strongly about RHCP. And such an angry bunch, too.
I have read all the comments and wonder about the true chili fan. they have been through the drugs yes and I am sure they were stagnant then but who hasn’t been through that , A band of their success? Talk about growth. they had Hillel who was to me more of a blues and soul guy and then they lost him ( well we all did. ) Jack , B.bird, John , Arik ,Dave, John and now Josh? yes they have their funk punk roots as well . John I think did help them get more inspirational. But I am wondering has anyone here actually followed them live? they give the same fantastic energy at the Santa Cruz Catalyst as they do at Hyde park? Of course smaller venues are better but this was after they have been rich and famous! so I don’t think the supreme goal was to get rich like Aerosmith… It just happened as it does to an equally talented band. They took all they knew and learned and applied it and who they are is” the sum of it parts” .
chili lover
cont from above p.c. took a dive.
I think John is great and I agree with Dave’s post above John’s works are beauty but again so are the RHCP’s . I love John , Anthony, Flea and Chad, again as I said above it is the sum of them that made this great body of music! Bobby says it well too .
To clarify I did not mean the chili’s music was stagnant, but some of the members have been through some shit that made them possibly stagnant ( for a time). It is easy for us to sit back and criticize!
I would like to fill any of those shoes.
Most people will never glean what they conquered to be able and go on and do what they mastered musically which I think it brillant, all of them!
respect for all opinions.
chili lover
Who cares?! The RHCP are and always have been a boring as hell, second rate funk-junk band. Their music is about as important and relevant today as Limp Biscuit. Frusciante is one of the crappiest, thin sounding, one-idea guitarists in the history of rock music. All of the emotion people are pouring into the comments on this page is hilarious! As if any of it matters at all!
I agree with Jay. RCHP’s music seems to be mainly an exercise in frantic rhythms– just to be outlandish and “exciting.” There’s really not much interesting “tuneful” music there. Flea is a great bassist, Frusciante WAS pretty good when I saw them in 1991. But Kiedis’ voice isn’t very good and the best thing you can say about Chad is he’s workmanlike. Possibly the worst thing about RHCP is their fans. Goofy excitable pothead-tweakers. Lame like their favorite band
keep your opinions to yourself asshole the chili peppers are amazing and youve probably heard this before if you dont have anything nice to say dont say anything at all
this is dreadful news to me and basically everyone i grew up with here in calgary. we raised ourselves muscially with the chili peppers. the first album i ever bought was blood sugar. and me and my buds at one point could jam any track off any album. now as for john leaving…..it sucks big time cuz he brought the soul to the band. he was the melody. but theyve done it without him as shown in one hot minute. one of those albums where at first your like “i dunno about this one” but after a while your like”this is awesome”. so i have faith that theyll produce something enlightening for us all to hear. john frusciantes solo stuff is dope! the 2001 internet album and shadows collide are my favourite. i gotta go take a shit real bad so i gotta end this. but ill finish with the chili peppers are the best band to ever live. and if you hate them your a fucking tool. and second and third place on the all time list belong to radiohead and incubus
Its sad for me to hear that john left RHCP but i accept that he is not into big rock machinery. I respect that in him. But also, I for one really enjoied them while john was with RHCP, He, Chad, and Flea have influenced me more in the last 10 years than many other musicians have in my entire life. Permutaion, and the end groove on “By The Way” at Slane Castle are brilliant…. but thats MY opinion. ANd I am really not as “wordly” as you in music i suppose. I won’t bother to check back here anymore. You display too much hate for me. thanks.
myspace.com/guitdown
The Chili Peppers are horribly overrated. BSSM and before are worth listening too, but some of the songs on Californication are just not very good. And yea, I’m sure Ginsberg would shout ‘I like dirt, I like dirt’. How poetic.
Listen to all these fucking hipsters on here. All they want to do is trash the Chili Peppers because the RHCP are better than any of the shit they listen to (like “teen hearts” and other pseudo-ironic faux 80’s unfunny, uninteresting shit). They glorify Frusciante for the stuff he did at a low point in his life, like “nine lades”…they then trash Stadium Arcadium and all the RHCP stuff since Californication as if Frusciante was some victim who was in a band that played songs he didn’t want to perform. The fact is that those last several albums since Navarro left and Frusci returned were heavily Frusciante and Stadium Arcadium was EXTREMELY heavily Frusci’s influence. It’s probaby the best that band ever put out, better than BloodSugar.
But, no, the hipsters like the Frusciante who had an addiction and was living a life that they satirize in their slovenly hipster dress code, replete with beard/scruff, shabby clothes, etc. When Frusciante did it it was just how he dressed; when hipsters do it now, it’s some sort of ignorant adolescent “ironic” statement they are trying to make.
Fuck you, hipster assholes – just stay in Billyburg and LES and Silver Lake and leave the rest of the world alone, keep your asshole opinions to yourselves, and go fuck yourselves while you’re at it.
Funny, but hipsters are never as brazen in real life as they are on the internet, probably because they know they’ll get their ironic elvis costello glasses smashed and their skinny-jean-clad asses kicked up and down Houston St. (or Sunset in LA) by someone normal.
May all your iPhones and iTouches short circuit in your hands and burn your fucking hipster hands completely off.
“Funny, but hipsters are never as brazen in real life as they are on the internet, probably because they know they’ll get their ironic elvis costello glasses smashed and their skinny-jean-clad asses kicked up and down Houston St. (or Sunset in LA) by someone normal.”
http://bit.ly/5YWEPk
To call the Peppers truely boring like the bone head author did is a insult to John himself. You feel Johns love for the band in ALL the albumms he has made. John contradicts himself alot through out the past twenty years, we have all heard him talk about the Peppers and his love for that band and like I said you heard it loud and clear in those INCREDIBLE recording. Fact is John is a musical genious with a fried mind, unfortunate that he states he feels that way about that group of musicians, and even more incredible he feels he has evolved above that stage. He is and will remain my favorite guitarist, but I cant stand the man.