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Despite the perceptions of a large chunk of the record bying public, Frusciante diesn't rate Blood Sugar Sex Magik as the definitive funk rock album.
"To me, funk rock came more from Mother's Milk," he argues. "There is elements of it on Blood Sugar, yeah, but to me Mother's Milk is more of a one dimensional kinda funk rock thing. None of us in the band are really big fans of Blood Sugar. And when we meet other bands, it seems that Mother's Milk is the album that they're really excited about.
Suggest funk rock to John and he'd rather talk about his predecessors, anyway.
"I like those early Funkadlic records a lot - those are probably the best examples of funk and metal that I've ever heard (check out the Funkadelic tab in the boxout on the previous page). But when I rejoined the Chili Peppers, I felt like I wanted to get away from multitracking guitars and playing 'cos I didn't want my guitar sound to be like this big monster."
Frusciante explains that he has developped his technique considerably over the last year and a half on tour with the Chili Peppers.
"I use [my technique] in a completely different way to what I did when I was a youngster," he says. "I don't learn from other guitarists. I learn synthesiser parts usually. Depeche Mode songs, I learn all the synth parts (check out the synth pastiche tab in the boxout below). I'll sit on the back of the tour bus, listening to Music For The Masses or something, and play every part I'm hearing. I can play along four times and each time play something different - just taking on different parts. I'll also learn techno music, sequencer parts. No-one usually plays everything that's programmed, but I'll learn it on the guitar. It takes a lot of technical precision, it's often really fast. It's things you would never hear in Chili peppers' songs - the spirit of it is myself - but the sound of it is like nothing I've ever done, because I'm playing in a way that's completely textural, not rooted in the blues or guitar playing at all. It's more like Kraftwerk, I also like other guitarists who play verytexturally - Keith Levine fropm PIL, Johnny Marr from the Smiths. During Californication, I tried to learn stuff like that, but I couldn't hear the chords or the notes. But my ear's gotten better again and now I can hear those sorts of things."
John couldn't be on better form. In over ten years - on and off - with the Chili Peppers, he's become an icon for thousands, probably millions of guitar players. A hat he seems happy enough to wear.
"It's great," he smiles. "'Cos I'm very pure with my intentions. I make music to make my friends feel good, and to make myself feel good. I don't make music to get along and be a rock icon. I believe that the relationship somebody has with someone - as an idol - is such a beautifuk relationship, and it brings out the spiritual life of the person. When you sit and absorb something - like a movie, or a beautiful song - you're very spiritually potent at those moments.
"All I want, is to make myself the best guitarist I can be," says John. An honest enough ambition, and one he shares with guitar players the world over. "I've got to be the best version of John Frusciante that I can be. A few years ago it might have seemed like there were better John Frusciante's but now... Now I'm as good as I can possibly be."
