Pages: 1 2

Frusciante couldn't be in a much better situation. The Chili Peppers are about to record a new album, hoping for a spring release. He has a progressive-rock instrumental band with Flea and Omar Rodriguez of the Mars Volta as an outlet. There have been two successful Chili Peppers albums since he rejoined, "Californication" and "By the Way." And when the band took a six-month break in late 2003, it was a chance to do even more work.

"I'm not somebody who's really big on going on vacations or things like that," says Frusciante. "For me it's about playing music all the time and about studying music all the time. Listening to music all the time.... "

During the break, the guitarist found himself with about 70 songs he'd accumulated over three years. Instead of discarding the bulk of them or taking years to release them, he began recording quickly, and before he knew it he had his series ready to go. He was shooting for six albums in six months, but a printing error on the cover delayed the December release of "Curtains." It now comes out Jan. 25.

Released on the Santa Monica-based Record Collection label, the albums — "The Will to Death," "Automatic Writing," "DC EP," "Inside of Emptiness," "A Sphere in the Heart of Silence" and "Curtains" — reflect his diverse taste, from raw, cathartic rock songs to progressive instrumental explorations to electronically enhanced experimentation to the acoustic sound of the finale.

"I always have to try to go in an extreme from what I've last done," he says. "Even in that six-month period, to me each record is completely different from the next....

"Basically I just keep changing. I like to keep contradicting myself, whether it's in the style of music I'm playing or in writing lyrics. It's games of contradiction that keep me interested in what I'm doing."

Frusciante didn't want to do any marketing, figuring the records would find their natural audience, but he's been surprised by how little attention they've received in specialty publications that generally revere his work. He thinks it might be a case of too much too fast.

"I'd definitely like to dispel any notion that there's very little effort going into it or that I'm doing some kind of throwaway albums or something. It's just the way my life is structured that I have to release them that quickly. My only option is to do a lot of albums during a short period of time when I can."

But he stops when he hears himself complaining.

"It's all positive to me, because in general where my life is at is really positive. I have a few really good friends, I love being in my band, I love being given the opportunity to make the music I've made.

"It's such a blessing to me. I didn't have anything five years ago.... I had no freedom at all before, and now I have nothing but freedom."

---Richard Cromelin, Times Staff Writer

Pages: 1 2