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December 2006/Awards Issue, Total Guitar (UK)
thanks to Caroline for typing it out
click the thumbnail to see the scans

Band of the Year

Winner: Red Hot Chili Peppers- 17%

Runners-up:
Avenged Sevenfold- 16%
Trivium: 14%
The Darkness: 12%
Bullet For My Valentine: 10%
Muse: 8%
Dragonforce: 8%
Black Label Society: 5%
Lostprophets: 4%
Coheed & Cambria: 3%

Everyone's favourite funk rockers pipped Avenged at the post for the Best Band award, but as John Frusciante reveals, the recording of the Chilis' latest album almost split them up for good...

TG: You've won Best Band in TG's first Readers Awards ! So what do you think makes a band great?
John Frusciante: "I think when a band has a really chemistry it has to do with things that are totally beyond the control of the band. We've talked a lot about listening to each other, but if I'm honest I think it's because we naturally balance each other out. We connect. Something about the relationship with our nervous systems and our brains, our subconscious and our souls, for whatever reason balances each other out.

No(one can think of four things at once - you're mainly thinking about yourself, even when you're playing with people. You got a piece of wood in your hands or a drum set in front of you, so I don't think it's that we pay special attention to each other.

"One thing I know - and this is a scientidic example - each of us is one of the four different blood types. Chad's O, I'm A/B, Anthony's A and Flea's B. That's just one example. And I'm sure if science could explain matters of the soul you'd see we're also four different kinds of souls. And it helps that Flea and Anthony had the attitude from the beginning that we were all equal."

TG: What's the key to maintaining a good working relationship with your bandmates?

JF: "Well, Stadium Arcadium was a really hard record for us to make, to be honest. Everybody was totally concerned with themselves and their preconceived idea of how the record should come out. And everyone was worried that someone would over-step and turn it into something other than how they thought it would be based upon rehearsal.

"We might have eve broken up by now, but at a certain point we opened up with each other and started trying to break down some of the walls we put up to protect ourselves over the years. That was really important. People who have walls up - they're better off broken up. As much as I love the original Guns N' Roses, I understand why they're not a band now. As long as you have that ego, and those walls up, there's no point in being in a band because it's too painful. It's fucking painful. It's not like we totally get along. Sometimes it's weird how much Flea and I contradict each other. It's natural for people ti disagree; the point is to not to have to win - for both people to see both sides. Therefor, Flea and I are never mad at each other because we're thankful the other person has shown us the other side. It's important to do that in any line of work.

"In my opinion we've been really kicking ass onstage since then, way beyond what we did on the record in terms of being able to manifest an explosive energy as a foursome. And I think the reason for this is that we've broken down these walls and we're really giving each other love and support now."

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