Can The Red Hot Chili Peppers Live Through This?
July 1999, Alternative Nation (USA)
thanks to Caroline for typing it out
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The quintessential L.A. band have struggled trough motorcycle wrecks, heroin addictions and lightning storms. Jon Regardie finds out whether they can survive themselves.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have released two albums of original material in the ’90s, with a third on the way. During this decade, the group have also hosted five guitarists. Two of the band members have tumbled off speeding motorcycles, and another has battled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Several of them have been hospitaliezd for heroin addiction. Divorce has shaken them up, as have the deaths of close friends. Even Mother Nature’s taken a couple of swipes: One of the Chili Peppers’ shows was cut short by a typhoon, and another was battled when fans were struck by lightning.
Yet just before the release of their seventh studio album, an uneasy love letter to their home state titled Californication, the 16-year old unit are enthusiastic-indeed, nearly giddy. Recording’s gone smoothly. Everyone is feelong healthy. Tour plans are being readied. Perhaps most importantly, the group are no longer with their seventh guitarist, who, while well-known, was musically incomptible. Instead, a friend who abruptly quit the Chili Peppers seven years ago has returned to the fold.
“This is one of the most interesting times this band has ever experienced”, observes vocalist Anthony Kiedis, sitting in a well-appointed hotel bungalow in Beverly Hills. He takes a sip of coffee and adds. “Having been around for so long, and having things kind of falling appart at the seams, (the band) could have easily been buried a while ago. But it wasn’t. It’s the nature of surviving those hard times that gives so much strenght and energy to the new time.”
Ah, the old adage “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”: It’s an optimistic outlock, and it’s got the entire group-Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante-thrilled about returning to rock’s forefront. Indeed, it’s charming to hear the four men repeatedly affirm their relationship with and brotherly love for one another.
At the same time, though, the Chili Peppers seem to be suffering from a case of group myopia. Either they’re unable to see the dark cluds that have forever been roiling around them, or they’re unwilling. They eagerly describe a thrilling past year, even though as recently as 1997, half of the current line-up was strung out on heroin. But every tim life has seemed great for the Chili Peppers, tragedy has come forward to kick them in the face. Why should this year be any different?
The Chili Peppers’s oft-recounted history begins in 1983 in Los Angeles, when Fairfax High School students Kiedis and Flea, and their friends Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons came together. Formed from the ashes of the garage band Anthym, the Chili Peppers fused a snide hardcore attitude with a metal edge and a sex-tanked beat inspired by the funk triumvirate of P-Funk/James Brown/Sly Stone. They eventually drew the attention of EMI.
The Chili Peppers weathered several line-up changes, released a self-titled debut in 1984, and later recorded Freaky Styley (1985: produced by George Clinton), The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987) and the Abbey Road EP (1988). Sales were unspectacular. More attention-gathering were the band’s frenetic live shows and their now-famous “socks on cocks” public appearances.
Tragedy struck in June 1988 when Slovak, who was Kiedis’ best friend, died of a heroin overdose. Kiedis escaped to a small Mexican fishing village to wean himself of his own heroin habit, and Irons left the band.
Months later the band reunited with new drummer Smith and 18-year-old guitarist Frusciante. They recorded Mother’s Milk (1989), toured frequently and jumped to Warner Bros. In 1991 they worked with producr Rick Rubin on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. This breakthough album contained the band’s most radio-friendly tunes to date, including “Give it away” and the somber drug saga:mega hit “Under The Bridge”. The record sold more than five million copies.
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