Bad Seed Of A Genius
25th April 2006, Tribune de Geneve (Switzerland)
thanks to Marie-Hélène Lavoie for the translation
click the thumbnail for scans
Stadium Arcadium, ninth album of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is kicking out at the starting blocks. Meeting in Hollywood with John Frusciante, unique guitarist.
Pale and emaciated, John Frusciante's face tells more than a biography. Thirty-six years old, the adoptive Californian looks 10 years older. Still fresh memory of a narcotic drift that excluded him from the Red Hot Chili Peppers between 1992 and 1998...
Since his return, the full time artist (ten solo albums in his pocket) sometimes wear the costume of the "world's greatest guitarist" - for example when it's time to get with the most atypical band the californian ground ever carried, a thousand times meant to self-combustion, a thousand and one times back from the dead to be the example of rock integrity shown in the shelves of the big consumption.
The ninth album, Stadium Arcadium, shows that : between good music and respect of their musical identity, the Red Hot Chili Peppers don't choose. The butter and the money from the butter, creamy like this deep armchair where you can only see John Frusciante's head, fixed look. An angel passes and, troubled, flies back in the winter chill of his City.
For the first time, you dare going for the double album, an option that was often thought about, like for Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Why did you take the step?
Because we had never finished as many songs. Usually, we record 25 songs, Anthony records vocals on 20 and we end up releasing 15. This time, we finished 38 songs! At this point, I even consider that keeping "only" 25 in a double album consitutes a regression, proportionnally speaking.
I battled for a double with 30 songs! When you write music that you judge satisfying, you want to transmit it to a maximum of people, it's human. Every song of this album deserves to be transmitted to the public. God didn't give us music for the only selfish pleasure of those who write it and play it.
You have the reputation to love playing music, not to talk about it. How are you approaching the promotion period of Stadium Arcadium?
I feel ok, the transition is a bit fast between the end of the mix and the release of the album. It's a bit my fault, I wanted to take a lot of time to perfect the production. I recorded a lot of backing vocals, guitars overdubs, electronic treatments... I knew that the mix couldn't be finished in two days! We had to find a compromise - Anthony wanted to release the album last fall, I wanted to take my time.
Had you ever been this much implied in the production of a CD of the band?
I was very present for the mix of By The Way. It was the first time I was in a production of this importance - a huge responsability for a novice. Today, I know where I'm going. I won't let somebody wear the hat for mistakes I could do, like for By The Way - poor Rick Rubin (producer of the album)! Now, everbody participate and give their opinion. Except Chad who doesn't care, as usual! (laughs)
As a singer, you released ten albums, of which seven in 2004! Your website announces : "Exit solo John, welcome Red Hot John". You support this schizophrenic vision?
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are my priority, forever. Some songs of this album could've been John Frusciante songs, like Wet Sands that I wrote when we were on tour. But frankly, when a song with this much potential gets to me, I want to give it to the band; when a little voice in my head tells me to give it, I do it! I only keep the songs that look too much like me, that carry too many personal things. Actually, while writing Stadium Arcadium, I wrote seventeen songs for my next album. I still haven't finished dissecting my minidisc.
Why such a big hunger?
I have the certitude that I have two musical personalities. John who writes songs and sings them, and John who plays guitar in the Red Hot Chili Peppers. OK, I sing a lot of backing vocals, I love that -- it's often what I like the most about great singers, sometimes it's even what I listen in priority. On records like Marvin Gaye, the Bee Gees... These complex harmonies are a form of art that is not recognised.
Right now, Brandy is turning my head, her work on Afrodisiac is incredible. She inspired me a lot for Stadium Arcadium. In short, because or thanks to this double personality, I write and record non stop! As soon as I had six months in front of me after By The Way, I recorded the 72 songs written during the production of the album! I can't imagine myself stop playing. In four years, I gave myself one week of rest.
