Pages: 1 2

The one thing Kiedis isn’t going to be drawn on is Navarro. He shrugs off a question of the exact nature of the “creative differences” between the guitarist and the rest of the band. We turn to the aftermath of Navarro’s departure.

Was there ever a point when the Red Hot Chili Peppers considered splitting?
“No. As troubled and wild card-ish as we have been over the years, no. I think individuals have maybe contemplated that this wasn’t working and it should come to an end, but we have never come to that conclusion as a band. Maybe there’s been passing phases of ‘Holy shit- this is going nowhere, I’ve got to move on’ in the past. But then, lo and behold, something would happen, a little crack in the sky would open up, and it becomes, ‘Maybe I’ll give this just one more try’.”

Saturday Morning: the Red Hot Chili Peppers arrive at RFK Stadium early. There are various duties to perform for MTV, one of which involves Flea walking out into the crowd with a film crew and interviewing various stall-holders, fans and Buddhist monks about the festival- the brainchild of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch.

At times, Flea looks like a beach bum Pied Piper wandering around the site, a trail of people snaking out behind him. Kiedis, meanwhile, is charged with the responsibility of interviewing Radiohead.

Spread out across the back of the stadium grounds are stalls selling traditional Tibetan jewelry and information booths. Towering Tibetan wood carvings are ranged around the venue, and a makeshift monastery has been established in a huge tent. Backstage the Chili Peppers mingle with REM’s Michael Stipe, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Sean Lennon.

At midday, the sun is out and there’s not a cloud in site. Come 2pm, the sky is beginning to get ominously dark. An hours or so on, it looks as though someone has turned out all the lights and it starts pouring with rain. At 3:30pm a massive lighting bolt strikes the stadium. Six people are injured when it hits a hand rail in the stands, one young woman seriously: her heart stops beating and it takes the rapid intervention of an emergency crew to revive her.

By now, the rain is torrential. All the backstage areas are cleared and a tornado warning is issued. Needless to say, today’s concert is quickly postponed: the organizers promising the Chilis, REM, Sonic Youth and Radiohead slots on the Sunday bill.
We grab lift back to the hotel with Chad Smith in Pearl Jam’s van. En route, we remind Chad that a tornado also washed out the Mount Fuji festival and suggest that the Chilis are a curse to all outdoor events. His sides fail to split.

Next morning, news filters through that the Chili Peppers haven’t got a slot on the bill today after all. Apparently, as the final band booked for the Festival, the Chilis were last in the queues and the organizers have been unable to fit them in. No amount of negotiating can resolve the situation and the mood in the bands camp is downbeat.

Pearl Jam comes to their rescue. The Seattle crew supported the Chilis on their ‘BloodSugarSexMagik’ US tour and the two bands have remained friends ever since. The contact the Chilis’ tour manager Tony Sellinger and inform him that they’ll give up their 15-minute encore for the Chilis. The organizers aren’t told this plan for fear that they’ll pull the plug on the Chilis. So the bare essentials-guitars, effects pedals and a snare drum- are smuggled onto the side of the stage while Pearl Jam are playing.

When Peal Jam completes the last song of their set, the Chilis troop on. The two bands exchange hugs and a huge roar winds its way around the stadium. The Chilis launch straight into an adrenalineized ‘Give it Away’. Then ‘Power of Equality’. Then ‘Under the Bridge’. Fifteen minutes later, they’re done. Kiedis and Flea scream ‘Free Tibet!’ the crowd goes mental, and the four Chilis walk off with huge smiles stretched across their faces.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are planning to tour South America in August. After these dates, they’ll begin work on a new studio album with John Frusciante.
“We started writing songs together about three weeks ago,” reveals Kiedis. “We get together everyday in Flea’s garage for two to four hours. It’s all very low-tech: four guys in a garage writing songs. Our goal is to have about 20 complete songs written and then we’ll go into the studio. We don’t want to go in half-baked, we’re going to wait till we have it totally together. It could happen in August, September or October- who knows?”

Have you decided on a producer yet?
“We have been thinking about it a lot. We love Rick Rubin, however, he is the head of a major record label which devours a lot of his time. Rick’s a great guy- he loves music, he gets into it and he smiles a lot- but he is just one possibility. We need someone for whom this album is going to mean everything during the period of time we’re making it. We have considered the idea of working with Flood (The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails). Not that he gives a f*** about us: we’ve never been able to get him or Brian Eno to return any of our calls,” he smiles. “Another guy we’d like to work with is Tricky.”

What are your hopes for the future?
“I’m trying not to have any expectations for the future at all. I just want to deal with each day as it comes and put all our energies and experience into everything, instead of worrying what may or may not happen. Obviously, we’re going to be doing a record, but we’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

One of the band’s songs has been a smash hit around the world this year- All Saints’ version of ‘Under the Bridge’. Have you heard it?
“Yes,” he beams. “I had someone from our record company in New York send it to me.”
And?
“Well if they’re the saints then we’re the sinners,” he cackles. “And somewhere in between lies that song and their version of it. But hey, I think Chad wants to meet all four of them…”

Pages: 1 2