1. INTRODUCTION

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. For most of its career, the group has consisted of vocalist Anthony Kiedis, guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Michael “Flea” Balzary, and drummer Chad Smith. The band's varied musical style has fused traditional rock and heavy metal with various elements of funk, punk rock, hip hop, and pop.

In addition to Kiedis and Flea, the group originally featured guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons. However, Slovak died of a heroin overdose in 1988, resulting in Irons resigning. Irons was replaced briefly by D. H. Peligro, before the band found a permanent replacement in Chad Smith, while Slovak was replaced by an upcoming guitarist Frusciante. This line-up recorded the band's fourth and fifth album, 1989's Mother's Milk and 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik was a critical success and sold over twelve million copies. However, Frusciante grew increasingly uncomfortable with the band's success and left the band abruptly in 1992. Kiedis, Flea, and Smith employed Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction for their subsequent album, 1995's One Hot Minute. It failed, however, to match the critical acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik and sold less than half the copies of its predecessor. Shortly afterwards, Navarro was fired from the band due to creative differences.

Frusciante, while absent from the band, developed a severe drug addiction and nearly died. In 1998, he completed rehabilitation and, at Flea's request, rejoined the band. The reunited foursome returned to the studio to record 1999's Californication, which went on to sell fifteen million units worldwide, becoming their most successful album to date. It was followed three years later with By The Way, which continued their success. In 2006, the group released the double album Stadium Arcadium. Stadium Arcadium was voted the second best album of 2006 by Rolling Stone magazine and nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy in 2007.

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Picture 1RHCP

2. HISTORY

2.1. Formation and the first album (1983–1984)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally Tony Flow and the Miraculous Masters of Mayhem) were formed by Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons, and Michael “Flea” Balzary following what was supposed to be a one time performance in 1983. As Slovak was already committed to another group, What Is This?, the foursome never intended to become part of the ubiquitous Los Angeles punk scene. Their first performance was at the Rhythm Lounge, to a crowd of roughly 30 people. One song had been created for the occasion, which involved the band improvising music while Kiedis rapped a poem he had written called “Out in L.A.”. The performance was so lively that those in charge of promoting the show asked the band to return the following week. Due to this unexpected success, the members changed the band's name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, playing several more shows at various LA clubs and musical venues. Six songs from these initial shows were recorded onto the band's first demo tape.

Several months after their first performance, the band was signed to the record label EMI. However, two weeks earlier, What Is This? had obtained a record deal with MCA, and as Slovak and Irons considered the Red Hot Chili Peppers a side project, they quit to pursue their first project. Instead of dissolving the band, Kiedis and Flea decided to recruit new members. Cliff Martinez was asked to join the Chili Peppers shortly thereafter. Auditions for a new guitarist produced Jack Sherman.

Andy Gill was hired to produce their first album. Despite Kiedis and Flea's misgivings, he pushed the band to play with a cleaner, crisper and more radio-friendly sound. The Red Hot Chili Peppers was released on August 10th, 1984, and was a commercial flop. It initially sold approximately 25,000 units, and garnered little marketable recognition. The ensuing tour fared little better, as continuing musical and lifestyle tension between Kiedis and Sherman complicated the transition between concert and daily band life. Sherman was fired soon after, with Slovak returning to the Chili Peppers after growing tired of What is This?.

2.2. Freaky Styley and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1985–1988)

George Clinton was selected to produce the next Red Hot Chili Peppers album, Freaky Styley. The album was recorded in Detroit's famed R&B and funky United Sound Systems studios on the edge of Wayne State University's campus. Clinton combined various elements of punk and funk into the band's repertoire, allowing their music to incorporate a variety of distinct styles. However, though the band had a much better relationship with Clinton than with Gill, Freaky Styley, released on August 16, 1985, was hardly more successful than the band's first release, failing to make an impression on any chart. The subsequent tour was also considered unproductive by the band.

Cliff Martinez departed from the group in the summer of 1986, and the band temporarily hired Chuck Biscuits to finish the tour. Jack Irons, out of work and finally separated from other commitments, rejoined the group, to Anthony, Flea, and Hillel's great surprise. The band chose Michael Beinhorn to produce their next album. Songs

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began to form quickly, and the album's shape came into view, blending the same funk feel and rhythms as Freaky Styley, but also taking a harder, more immediate approach to punk rock and funk metal. Reuniting all four original members renewed their creativity, enlivening the recording process.

On September 29th, 1987, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan was released. It was the first Red Hot Chili Peppers' album to appear on the charts; although it peaked at only #148 on the Billboard Hot 200. This was a significant success compared to the Chili Peppers' first two albums.

During this period Kiedis and Slovak developed serious drug addictions, often abandoning the band, each other, and their significant others for days. On the end Slovak's addiction led to his death on June 25 th, 1988, not long after the conclusion of the Uplift tour. Kiedis fled the city and did not attend Slovak's funeral, considering the situation to be surreal and dreamlike. Jack Irons subsequently left the group, saying that he did not want to be part of a group where his friends were dying.

2.3. Mother's Milk (1989–1990)

In an attempt to cope with the death of Slovak and the departure of Irons, Kiedis and Flea temporarily employed Dead Kennedys drummer D. H. Peligro and former P-Funk guitarist DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight. Neither sparked any notable chemistry and they were each replaced rapidly. However, Peligro's brief tenure did have one vital, long-term consequence for the Red Hot Chili Peppers - his association with the band led an acquaintance of his, John Frusciante, to audition for the band's empty guitarist role. Frusciante was fascinated with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and, as a result, was particularly interested in auditioning. Following a constructive jam (which would later appear on Mother's Milk as “Pretty Little Ditty”), there was a unanimous decision to accept Frusciante into the band.

Three weeks prior to the beginning of recording, the band was still without a drummer, despite several auditions. Eventually, a close friend of the band told them about a drummer he knew, Chad Smith, who was so proficient on the drums he “ate them for breakfast”. Kiedis had qualms about allowing Smith to try out; however, he agreed to give the drummer a chance. At his audition, Smith overwhelmed the band by not only matching Flea's intricate and complex rhythm, but even beginning to lead him. After this successful jam session, Kiedis, Frusciante and Flea admitted Smith into the band.

The recording of the band's fourth album was hindered by conflict with producer Michael Beinhorn, whose primary agenda was to give Frusciante's guitar playing a loud, overpowering sound, similar to the abrasive tones utilized in heavy metal. This modification caused Frusciante great discomfort, as it did not fit with his preferred style of guitar playing.

The Chili Peppers' fourth album, Mother's Milk was released in August of 1989, and gave them their first top modern rock hits - a tribute ballad to Slovak, “Knock Me Down”, and their cover of Stevie Wonder's “Higher Ground”. The album reached #52 on the American album charts and became the band's first gold record.

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2.4. Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1990–1992)

In 1990, the group switched labels to Warner Bros. Records, with Rick Rubin hired to produce their then untitled fifth album. Rubin has produced all of the band's subsequent studio albums. The writing process for this album was far more productive than it had been during the creation of Mother's Milk, with Kiedis saying that “Every day now, there was new music for me to lyricize”1.

The band embarked on the grueling six-month process of recording a new album -the long periods of rehearsal, songwriting, and the incubating of ideas - but Rubin wasn't satisfied with a regular recording studio, thinking the Chili Peppers would work better in a less orthodox setting. He came across an “amazing, huge, empty historically land marked Mediterranean haunted mansion a stone's throw from where we all lived”2. For the next month or so, Frusciante, Kiedis and Flea remained in seclusion, never once leaving the house during the entire recording process. Smith, however, decided not to live in the house, believing it to be haunted.

The band was unable to decide on the title of the album, but to Rubin, one particular song title stuck out: “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”. Although it was not a featured song, Rick believed it to be clearly the best title they had.

On September 24th, 1991, Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released. “Give It Away” was released as the first single; it won a Grammy award in 1992 for “Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal” and became the band's first number one single on the Modern Rock chart. The ballad “Under the Bridge” was released as the follow up single, and went on to reach #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the highest the band has reached on that chart, and became one of the band's most recognizable songs. Other singles such as “Breaking the Girl” and “Suck My Kiss” also fared well on the charts. The album itself was an international sensation, selling over 12 million copies and greatly broadening the Chili Peppers' audience. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was listed at number 310 on the Rolling Stone magazine list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and in 1992 it rose to #3 on the U.S. album charts, almost a year after its release.

The band's success and drug addiction were taking their toll on Frusciante, who abruptly quit the band during the Blood Sugar Japanese tour in May 1992. The band headlined the Lollapalooza festival in 1992 with replacement guitarist Arik Marshall and briefly with Jesse Tobias of the Los Angeles-based band Mother Tongue. Neither lasted very long, with the rest of the band stating that the chemistry wasn't right. They eventually settled on former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.

2.5. One Hot Minute (1993–1998)

Dave Navarro first appeared with the band at Woodstock '94, where they wore enormous light-bulb costumes attached precariously to chrome metallic suits, making it near-impossible for them to play their instruments. While externally, the band appeared to be settled, the relationship between the three established members and Navarro begun to deteriorate. His differing musical background made performing difficult as they began

1 Anthony Kiedis, Scar Tissue, Time Warner Books, London, 2004, p. 2642 ibid., p. 274

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playing together, and continued to be an issue over the next year as his first and only album with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, One Hot Minute, was recorded and released on September 12th, 1995. The band described One Hot Minute as a darker, sadder record compared to their previous material. Despite mixed reviews, the album was a commercial success. It sold five million copies worldwide, spawned the band's third #1 single, the ballad “My Friends,” and enjoyed chart success with the songs “Warped” and “Aeroplane”.

By this point Kiedis had resumed his heroin dependence. In April 1998 it was announced that Navarro had left the band due to creative differences; Kiedis stated that the decision was “mutual.” Reports at the time, however, indicated Navarro's firing came after he attended a band practice under the influence of drugs, which at one point involved him falling backwards over his own amp. Kiedis has since said that though the event should have been comical, it was instead pitiful and was the impetus for Navarro's departure.

2.6. Californication (1998–2001)

In the years following his departure from the band, it became public that John Frusciante had developed an addiction to heroin, which left him in poverty and near death. He was talked into admitting himself to Las Encinas Drug Rehabilitation Center in January of 1998. He concluded the process in February of that year and began renting a small apartment in Silver Lake. He acquired many problems in the years of his addiction, some requiring surgery, including permanent scarring on his arms and new teeth to prevent fatal infection. In April 1998, Flea visited his former band-mate and openly invited Frusciante to rejoin the band, an invitation that Frusciante accepted.

“For me, that was the defining moment of what would become the next six years of our lives together. That was when I knew that this was the real deal, that the magic was about to happen again. Suddenly we could all hear, we could all listen, and instead of being caught up in our finite little balls of bullshit, we could all become players in that great universal orchestra again”3.

Despite the band's elation by Frusciante's return, he was mentally and physically torn. Frusciante had not played in several years, having previously sold every guitar he owned for drug money, and experienced a difficult time resuming life prior to his drug usage. His former talent did, however, resurface and new songs began to roll out. On June 8th, 1999, after over a year of production and meticulous practice, Californication was released as the band's seventh studio album. An almost instant achievement, the album ultimately sold over 15 million copies worldwide and became the band's most successful recording to date. Californication contained fewer rap-driven songs than its predecessors, instead integrating textured, consistent, and melodic guitar riffs, vocals and bass-lines.

Californication peaked at #3 in the US and produced three more number one modern rock hits: “Scar Tissue”, “Otherside” and “Californication”. “Scar Tissue” won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. It was also performed at the ceremony and included a brief jam with rapper Snoop Dogg at its culmination. Other singles included

3 ibid., pp. 389-400

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“Around the World”, “Road Trippin'“ and “Parallel Universe”, which broke the Top 40 modern rock charts despite not having been commercially released as a single.

In July 1999, as part of the band's two-year long international world tour in support of their new album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers played at Woodstock 1999. Some 10 minutes before the show, they were asked by Jimi Hendrix's sister to play a cover of her brother's songs. After some hesitation, the band decided to play his classic “Fire”, which they had covered in Mother's Milk. Coincidentally, about two thirds of the way into the band's set, the closing set of the three day concert, a small fire escalated into full-fledged vandalism and resulted in the intervention of riot control squads.

In 2001 they released their first concert DVD, Off the Map. The footage was taken from numerous different concerts, but was amalgamated with transition and indistinguishable song conversions.

2.7. By The Way (2002–2005)

The band began writing their next album in early 2001 and released By the Way over a year later, on July 9, 2002. The album, at the time, was their most noteworthy chart debut (with over 700,000 copies sold in first week), emerging at #2, and producing hit singles “By the Way”, “The Zephyr Song”, “Can't Stop”, “Dosed” and “Universally Speaking”. It was the most subdued album they had generated to date, focusing primarily on melodic ballads as opposed to their classic style of rap-driven funk. The album was followed by an eighteen month-long world tour.

The Chili Peppers recorded two new songs, “Fortune Faded” and “Save the Population” for their Greatest Hits album released in November 2003, peaking at #18 on the Billboard Hot 200. However, to the surprise of countless fans, only two songs from By the Way were included in the compilation: “Universally Speaking” and “By the Way”.

The European leg of the By the Way tour produced the band's second full-length concert DVD, Live at Slane Castle, which was recorded during a show at Slane Castle in Ireland on August 23rd, 2003. The band also went on to release their first full-length live album, from the 2004 European Tour, Live in Hyde Park; recorded during their performances in Hyde Park, London, due to the concerts' high attendances. In the three evenings the band performed in Hyde Park, they generated an estimated $17 million, making it the highest grossing concert at a single venue.

2.8. Stadium Arcadium (2006–present)

In 2006 the band released the Grammy Award-winning Stadium Arcadium, produced by Rick Rubin. Although 38 songs were created with the intention of being released as three separate albums spaced six months apart, the band instead chose to release a 28-track double album, with the remaining ten tracks released later as B-sides. It was their first album to debut at #1 on the US charts, where it stayed for two weeks, and debuted at number one in the UK and 25 other countries. In the album's first week, it sold 442,000 units in the United States alone, and over 1,100,000 worldwide, setting a personal record for one week sales. By the end of 2006, Stadium Arcadium was named the best-selling album of the year, with over seven million units sold, and also recorded the highest one week in total sales of the year.

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The record's first single “Dani California”, was the band's fastest-selling single, debuting on top of the Modern Rock chart in the US, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reaching #2 in the UK. “Tell Me Baby”, released next, also topped the charts in 2006. “Snow ((Hey Oh))” was released in late 2006, breaking multiple records by 2007. The song became their eleventh number one single, giving the band a cumulative total of 81 weeks at number one (all singles combined). It was also the first time three consecutive singles by the band made it to number one. “Desecration Smile” was released internationally in February 2007 and reached number 27 on the UK charts. “Hump de Bump” was planned to be the next single for the US, Canada, and Australia only, but thanks to the positive feedback from the music video, it was released as a worldwide single in May 2007.

The band began another international world tour in support of Stadium Arcadium in 2006, beginning with promotional concerts in Europe and culminating in a two-month long European tour from late May to mid-July. The group then toured North America from early August to early November, returning to Europe later in November for the second leg that ran until mid-December. The Chili Peppers began the year of 2007 with the second North American leg, this time including Mexico in addition to the United States, from mid-January to mid-March. This was followed by the band's first shows in Oceania in seven years, including various cities in Australia and New Zealand, from early-to-mid April and two months later, and concerts in Japan in early June. On June 26 th

they played in Indjija, Serbia. In July 2007, the Chili Peppers performed 3 shows, in 3 different cities (Paris, London, Copenhagen), in a span of just 24 hours. One of these shows was their London appearance at Live Earth. During the final legs of their Stadium Arcadium tour, the Chili Peppers were joined by Josh Klinghoffer playing in the background on stage. The Chili Peppers played their final concert of the 18 month Stadium Arcadium tour on August 26th at the Leeds Festival. Their last stadium concert was at Glasgow's Hampden Park.

In early 2007, the Chili Peppers won 5 Grammys: “Best Rock Album” (Stadium Arcadium), “Best Rock Song” (“Dani California”), “Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal” (“Dani California”), “Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package” (Stadium Arcadium), “Best Producer” (Rick Rubin), and “Best Short Form Music Video” (“Dani California”). The ceremony included a live performance of “Snow ((Hey Oh))”, their single at the time, complete with confetti snow.

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Picture 2RHCP live at Grammy’s

3. MEMBERS

3.1. ANTHONY KIEDIS

3.1.1. Early life

Anthony Kiedis was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 1st, 1962 to John Kiedis and Margaret “Peggy” Idema. His parents divorced in 1965 when he was three. He has two sisters, Julie and Jenny, and a half-brother, James. Kiedis lived with his mother in Grand Rapids until he was 11, and then moved to Los Angeles with his father, a soon-to-be actor and drug dealer. Kiedis himself has admitted that his love for heroin was influenced by his father who was a drug addict. His father was the person who introduced him to drugs. Anthony would later go on to battle drug abuse in his lifetime.

Kiedis spent much of his youth listening to Sly & the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin, What Is This?, and Stevie Wonder - artists who would influence the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sound. Around the age of 15, while a student at Fairfax High School, he met future band mates Michael Balzary (Flea), Hillel Slovak, and Jack Irons. In Scar Tissue, Kiedis discusses his assumed role of a “protector” in school, defending other kids who were outcast or bullied. When he found Flea playfully putting one of his friends in a headlock, Kiedis told Flea to back off. However, when the incident was cleared up, Kiedis and Flea became friends and have stayed so ever since.

3.1.2. Formation of Red Hot Chili Peppers

Kiedis went on to study at UCLA, but dropped out after losing interest, partially due to his abuse of illegal drugs. This cycle of addiction and recovery in the mid to late '80s would become a basis for a lot of his early lyrics. After dropping out of UCLA, Kiedis had an offer to open for a friend's band, so he got together with friends Flea, Slovak, and Jack Irons. Initially, the group was named Tony Flow and the Miraculous Masters of Mayhem. Slovak and Irons were in the band What Is This? at this time. Eventually the group would change its name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band's original line-up consisted of the four friends and led to the band's first studio album, for which Irons and Slovak rejoined the group. After The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hillel Slovak was reunited with Kiedis and Flea. For their next album, Jack Irons rejoined the band but later left after Hillel's drug overdose. Since then, the band has experienced at least twelve different line-ups, releasing nine studio albums in the span of 24 years.

3.1.3. Personal troubles

In 1990, Kiedis was convicted of indecent exposure and sexual battery in a Virginia court after he had dropped his pants in front of a female fan backstage at a 1989 concert at George Mason University.

Kiedis often battled with drug addiction, including lengthy addictions to heroin, cocaine and alcohol. He tried to get clean after the heroin overdose death of Hillel

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Slovak, saying he would never shoot up again. He entered rehab and ended up staying clean for five years but relapsed in 1994 when he had a wisdom tooth removed. The dentist back in Los Angeles felt novacain, a non-narcotic, would do to pull the tooth. However, the tooth ended up having to be cut out, so Kiedis was put under using liquid Valium. This sent Anthony into a relapse. He went in and out of rehab over the next few years, but has reportedly avoided another relapse since December 24 th, 2000. “It’s easy to be a junkie”, Kiedis said in the March, 2007, issue of Blender. “It’s not easy to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time, or one of the greatest writers” 4.

3.1.4. Personal life

Anthony currently lives in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. He is also reported to be a follower of the Kabbalah religion but insists that he doesn’t for sects and denominations.

Anthony became a father for the first time when his girlfriend Heather Christie gave birth to their son, Everly Bear Kiedis on October 2nd, 2007 in Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

3.1.5. Role in the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Kiedis supplies virtually all of the Chili Peppers' lyrics. Starting with 1989's Mother's Milk album, John Frusciante and Flea have written all of the music for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, with Kiedis supplying lyrics and melodies, which are often derived from the guitar or bass melodies. Kiedis devises the lyrics and melodies during instrumental jams by his band mates. His lyrical style has varied over the years. During the band's early years, Kiedis wrote many lyrics involving sex, drugs, and life in Los Angeles. As his musical tastes expanded and his outlook on life changed, he started to write songs about spirituality, struggles in life, and loss of friends, incorporating a larger sense of social realism and thoughtfulness into his lyrics.

He regretted many things in his life, such as drug addictions. His early vocal style with the band primarily consistsed of rapping, which he could do quickly while keeping a consistent rhythm. Starting as early as Mother's Milk in 1989, Kiedis would write more melodic songs, rather than the basic rhythm and beat style of funk and hip-hop. The first song wherein Kiedis employed his new melodic style was “Knock Me Down”. The melody was actually shaped and reformed by guitarist John Frusciante. Upon joining the band, Frusciante sang lead vocals on the song along with Kiedis. 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik still saw Kiedis rapping, but he also started singing more melodic ballads in songs like “Under the Bridge”, “Breaking the Girl”, and “I Could Have Lied”. Over the years, Kiedis grew to favor singing rather than rapping. Kiedis had many vocal coaches, but none of them helped him sing “well”. In fact, it was not until 1999's Californication that he felt he could take full control of his voice while singing.

He has been a key man in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, although the band's biggest commercial success came when John Frusciante joined the band in the Mother's Milk era. Despite the band's varied line-up, Kiedis remained and tried to keep the group together

4 Chris Norris, Anthony Kiedis: The Pursuit of Happiness, Blender Magazine, 2007

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whenever it was about to fall apart. However, Kiedis himself was fired for around a month somewhere in 1986, due to his drug addiction; he was brought back into the band and stayed sober for another two months or so, after which he began shooting coke and heroin again.

3.2. JOHN FRUSCIANTE

John Anthony Frusciante was born on March 5th, 1970. He is the guitarist of the Chili Peppers, with whom he has recorded five studio albums. Frusciante also maintains an active solo career, having released nine albums under his own name. Drawing influence from guitarists of various genres, Frusciante emphasizes melody and emotion in his guitar-playing, and favors vintage guitars and analog recording techniques.

Frusciante joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the age of 18, first appearing on the band's 1989 album Mother's Milk. The group's follow-up album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, was a breakthrough success. However, he was overwhelmed by the band's newfound popularity and as a result quit in 1992. He became a recluse and entered a long period of heroin addiction. In 1998 Frusciante successfully completed drug rehabilitation and rejoined the Chili Peppers for their 1999 album Californication. Since then he has continued to record with the band and has received critical recognition for his guitar-playing, having been ranked eighteenth on Rolling Stone's list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” in 2003.

3.2.1. Early life

His father, John Sr., was a Juilliard-trained pianist, and his mother Gail, was a promising vocalist who gave up her career to be a stay-at-home mother. Frusciante's family relocated to Tucson, Arizona, and then Florida, where his father still serves as a Broward County judge. His parents separated, and he and his mother subsequently moved to Santa Monica, California.

A year later, Frusciante and his mother moved to Mar Vista, Los Angeles with his new stepfather who, according to Frusciante, “really supported me and made me feel good about being an artist”5. Like many youth in the area, he became involved in the L.A. punk rock scene.

Frusciante began studying guitarists like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix at the age of eleven. After mastering the blues scale, he discovered Frank Zappa, whose work he would study for hours. Frusciante dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen with authorization from his parents and completion of a proficiency test. With their support, he moved to Los Angeles on his own in order to focus on sharpening his musical skills. He began taking classes at the Guitar Institute of Technology, but soon figured out a way to punch in for classes without actually attending.

5 James Rotondigic, Guitar Player Magazine, “Till I Reach the Higher Ground”, 1997

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3.2.2. 1988–1992: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Frusciante first saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers in concert when he was fifteen and soon became a devoted fan. He idolized guitarist Hillel Slovak, and studied and learned virtually all the guitar and bass parts from the Chili Peppers' first three albums. Frusciante became acquainted with Slovak by frequenting the Chili Peppers shows; they spoke at the last show Frusciante attended before joining the group:” ...Hillel asked me: Would you still like the Chilis if they got so popular they played the LA Forum?, I said: No. It would ruin the whole thing. That's great about the band, the audience feels no different from the band at all”6.

Frusciante became friends with former Dead Kennedys drummer D. H. Peligro in early 1988. They jammed together on numerous occasions, and Peligro invited his friend Flea to jam with them. Frusciante and Flea developed a musical chemistry immediately, with Flea later saying that might have been the day he first played the bass riff to “Nobody Weird Like Me”. Around the same time, Frusciante was going to audition for Frank Zappa's musical congregation, but abandoned any such ideas before the final try-out as Zappa strictly prohibited illegal drug use among musicians in his band. In an interview Frusciante said, “I realized that I wanted to be a rock star, do drugs and get girls, and that I wouldn't be able to do that if I was in Zappa's band”7.

Slovak died of a heroin overdose, and the Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who was incapable of coping with Slovak's death, left the group. Remaining members Flea and singer Anthony Kiedis regrouped, determined to persevere in the music industry. Flea proposed auditioning Frusciante, whose intimate knowledge of the Chili Peppers' repertoire astonished him. Flea and Kiedis auditioned Frusciante for the band and agreed that he would be a suitable replacement for Hillel. When Flea called Frusciante with the news of his acceptance into the Chili Peppers, Frusciante was so excited that he ran through his house, jumped up a wall and left permanent boot marks there.

Soon after, Chad Smith was added as the group's new drummer and the new line-up began recording their first album, 1989's Mother's Milk. During recording, Frusciante wanted to focus his playing on emulating Slovak's signature style, rather than imposing his own personal style on the group. Producer Michael Beinhorn disagreed, and wanted Frusciante to play with an uncharacteristic heavy metal tone.

The Chili Peppers collaborated with producer Rick Rubin for their second record with Frusciante, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Rubin felt that it was important to record the album in an unorthodox setting, so he suggested an old Hollywood Hills mansion, and the band agreed. Frusciante, Kiedis and Flea isolated themselves in the mansion for the duration of recording. Smith however, felt the mansion was haunted and refused to live there. For the duration of recording, Frusciante and Flea made few ventures into society, spending most of their time consuming significant amounts of marijuana.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik was a huge hit upon its release. Frusciante was blindsided by his newfound fame, and struggled to cope with it. Soon after the album's release, he began to develop a dislike for the band's popularity. Kiedis recalled in his memoir that he and Frusciante used to get into heated discussions backstage after concerts: “John would say, “We’re too popular. I don't need to be at this level of success. I would just be proud

6 Artie Nelson, RAW Magazine, “Space Cadet”, Issue #163, 19947 James Rotondigic, op.cit.

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to be playing this music in clubs like you guys were doing two years ago”“ 8. Frusciante refused to take the stage during a performance at Tokyo's Club Quattro on May 7 th, 1992, announcing to his band mates that he was leaving the band. He was eventually persuaded to perform the show, but left for California the following morning.

3.2.3. 1997–2002: Rehabilitation and return to the Chili Peppers

In late 1997, after more than five years of addiction to the drug, Frusciante quit using heroin. However, months later he was still unable to break addictions to crack cocaine and alcohol. In January of 1998, upon the urgings of longtime friend Bob Forrest, Frusciante checked himself into Las Encinas, a drug rehabilitation clinic in Pasadena to begin a full recovery. Upon his arrival at the clinic, he was diagnosed with a potentially lethal oral infection, which could only be alleviated by removing all of his teeth and replacing them with dentures. He also received skin grafts to help repair the abscesses on his ravaged arms. About a month later, Frusciante checked out of Las Encinas and reentered society.

Fully recovered and once again healthy, Frusciante began living a more spiritual, ascetic lifestyle. He changed his diet, becoming more health-conscious and eating mostly unprocessed foods. Through regular practice of vipassana and yoga, he discovered the effect self-discipline has on the body. To maintain his increased spiritual awareness and reduce distraction from his music, Frusciante decided to abstain from sexual activity stating that he is very well without it.

All of these changes in his life have led him to a complete change in his attitude toward drugs: “I don't need to take drugs. I feel so much higher all the time right now because of the type of momentum that a person can get going when you really dedicate yourself to something that you really love. I don't even consider doing them, they're completely silly. Between my dedications to trying to constantly be a better musician and eating my health foods and doing yoga, I feel so much higher than I did for the last few years of doing drugs. At this point I'm the happiest person in the world. These things do not fuck with me at all, and I'm so proud of that — you don't know how proud I am. It's such a beautiful thing to be able to face life, to face yourself, without hiding behind drugs; without having to have anger towards people who love you. There are people who are scared of losing stuff, but you don't lose anything for any other reason than if you just give up on yourself”9.

Despite his experience as an addict, Frusciante does not view his drug use as a “dark period” in his life. He considers it to be a period of rebirth; during which he found himself and cleared his mind. Frusciante has since stopped practicing yoga, due to negative effects it was having on his back, but he still tries to meditate daily.

In early 1998 the Red Hot Chili Peppers fired guitarist Dave Navarro and were on the verge of a breakup. Flea told Kiedis, “The only way I could imagine carrying on with the Chili Peppers is if we got John back in the band”10. With Frusciante free of his addictions and ailments, Kiedis and Flea thought it was an appropriate time to invite him

8 Anthony Kiedis, op.cit., p. 2299 Rock Sound, Water Music, Issue #21, 200010 Anthony Kiedis, op.cit., p. 404

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back. When Flea went over to Frusciante's house and asked him to rejoin the band, Frusciante started sobbing and said “nothing would make me happier in the world”11.

With Frusciante back on guitar, the Chili Peppers began recording their next album, Californication, which was released in 1999. Frusciante's return restored a key component of the Chili Peppers' sound, as well as a healthy morale. He brought with him his deep devotion to music when he returned, which had a significant impact on the band's recording style during the album. Frusciante has frequently stated that his work on Californication is his favorite.

In 2001, Frusciante began recording his fourth album with the Chili Peppers, By the Way; a time that he considers to be among the happiest of his life. He relished the chance the album gave him to keep writing better songs. The album marked Frusciante's shift to a more group-minded mentality within the Chili Peppers, viewing the band as a cohesive unit rather than as four separate entities.

3.3 FLEA

3.3.1. Biography

Michael Peter Balzary was born October 16th, 1962 in Melbourne, Australia. He is better known by his stage name Flea.

Michael Balzary lived a relatively conventional childhood in Melbourne, Australia, until his father Mick, a customs officer, was posted to New York in March 1967. Mick Balzary relocated his entire family to New York, including wife Patricia, his daughter Karen, and 5-year-old Michael.

In 1971, only four years after arriving in the U.S., Balzary's mother, Patricia, fell in love with jazz musician Walter Urban, Jr. and filed for divorce from Mick Balzary. Michael Balzary, his mother, sister, and soon-to-be-stepfather moved to Los Angeles in 1972.

Balzary developed an affinity for music at a very early age. He first played the drums, and then he began playing the trumpet at the age of nine. Balzary displayed strong natural aptitude for the instrument and swiftly earned a place in the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic Orchestra.

Watching his stepfather playing with his bebop jazz band profoundly affected the eleven-year-old Balzary. His stepfather's musicianship inspired a lifelong love of jazz and the leading exponents of the genre, such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ornette Coleman. On VH1's Behind the Music, Balzary said that he had no original interest in rock, and that his initial ambition was to become a jazz musician like his stepfather.

3.3.2. Formation of Red Hot Chili Peppers

Balzary was an avid trumpeter and jazz fan when he began attending Fairfax High School in September 1976. On his first day at Fairfax, Balzary was “play-fighting” with fellow tenth-grade student Tony Shurr in the quadrangle, when Balzary's future bandmate, Anthony Kiedis, came to Shurr's defense. Despite the initial enmity between

11 ibid., p. 408

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Balzary and Kiedis, the two swiftly became best friends. As their friendship grew, Balzary introduced Kiedis to the world of jazz.

Balzary continued to improve his trumpet skills, taking the rank of the first trumpet in the Fairfax school orchestra. Kiedis admired Balzary for his constantly swollen lip.Through Kiedis, Balzary soon became friends with another Fairfax student and future band mate, Hillel Slovak. Slovak played in a band called Anthym. Balzary's musical taste strayed from jazz when Slovak introduced him to rock music, and soon became attuned to artists such as Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Queen, The New York Dolls and Jimi Hendrix.

Spurred by his newfound interest in rock, Balzary allowed Slovak to tutor him on bass guitar in 1978. In 1980, Todd Strassman, bassist for Anthym, saw Balzary playing with his bass and his amp and quit the band. Balzary joined the band at this time.

During a ski trip with Anthony Kiedis and a friend Keith Barry, Balzary earned his long-standing nickname “Flea,” which has become the singular name associated with the musician.

In 1983, Flea, Kiedis, Slovak, and Irons formed the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They were signed with EMI within 6 months. Flea left Fear to concentrate on working with the Chili Peppers. Balzary also turned down an offer to play in the post-Sex Pistols band Public Image Ltd. with his longtime idol, John Lydon, as he preferred to stay with his friends.

Flea has aided the careers of several prominent musicians, most notably Jewel. In 1993, Flea met an unknown local artist, after he saw her perform at a local café. He went back to her van where she was currently living, where she sang a few of her songs. He described her singing voice as “beautiful” and “breathtaking”. Two years after this encounter Jewel was signed to Atlantic Records and released her diamond record, Pieces of You. Flea also helped establish the non-profit Silverlake Conservatory of Music in 2001 and mentors young musicians in that program.

3.4. CHAD SMITH

3.4.1. Biography

Chad Smith was born on October 25th, 1961, Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is the drummer of the Chili Peppers. Smith grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and attended Andover High School and Lahser High School, graduating from Lahser in 1980. While he was still at school, he ran away from home for a period of time. When he returned, his mother sent him to a boarding school. He then worked a series of jobs while playing in several bands, including Tilt, Tyrant, Terence and E-Train. One of them, Toby Redd, put out a record; and opened for Kansas.

Later in his twenties, he moved to California, where his brother Brad lived, and ended up in Los Angeles where he joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He joined the Chili Peppers in late 1988 after their former drummer, Jack Irons, quit due to the distress and chaos of former guitarist Hillel Slovak's death from a drug overdose. According to Anthony Kiedis' autobiography Scar Tissue and Flea's liner notes on the Mother's Milk reissue, after Smith's first audition for the band, Anthony Kiedis told him he was allowed to join the band if he would shave his head, to test Smith's devotion to the band, but

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mostly because of Kiedis' dislike of Smith's more confirmative Rock & Roll hair style (which Kiedis' likened to a Guns N' Roses look – long hair and a bandana), as it didn't mesh with the band's punk/funk, and alternative image. Smith came back the next day with his hair still in a bandana, yet was allowed to stay as Kiedis found his obstinacy impressive, and according to Flea, they liked his funk-groove drumming style.

Although he is mainly known as the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smith's drumming is featured on over a hundred albums in addition to those recorded with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has also toured the world extensively performing drum sessions, and recently did a series of sessions with one of his drumming heroes, Deep Purple's Ian Paice. In 1993, Smith released Red Hot Rhythm Method, an educational video for aspiring drummers.

3.4.2. Personal Life

Chad's parents are Curtis and Joan Smith. He has two older siblings, Bradley and Pamela. He was married in 1994 to Maria St. John and while together they had one child: Manon St. John (1997), but the couple divorced the following year. He then had two other children, Justin in 1998, and Ava in 2000. He was then married to Nancy Mack on 8 May 2004 in Hopetown, Abaco, Bahamas.

When not on stage or in the studio Smith enjoys scuba diving, baseball, basketball, and riding his Harleys (he owns a black Road King that he has personally done modifications on, and in a 2006 interview with Modern Drummer magazine, said that his 2003 100th Anniversary issue Soft Tail was his “main mode of transportation”). He lives in a 1929 Spanish house that Cary Grant and Randolph Scott lived in together from 1932 to 1936. Ex-Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes recorded an album in Chad's home studio in late 2005 – early 2006.

Chad bears an astonishing resemblance to actor, comedian Will Ferrell and is reportedly in talks to star in his first movie alongside the comedian this spring. Chad will play a comedian who looks like a drummer.

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Picture 6Chad Smith

Picture 3Anthony Kiedis

Picture 4John Frusciante

Picture 5FLEA

4. STADIUM ARCADIUM

Stadium Arcadium is the ninth studio album by the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on May 5th, 2006 by Warner Bros Records. It was a success for the band, selling 442,000 copies in the U.S. in its debut week and debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, the first for the band. Singles from the album included “Dani California”, “Snow ((Hey Oh))” and “Tell Me Baby”. The album is notable for being the band's first studio double album; according to frontman Anthony Kiedis, Stadium Arcadium was originally scheduled to be a trilogy of albums each released six months apart, but was eventually condensed into a double album.

Stadium Arcadium was critically acclaimed both for showcasing a more mature lyrical style from that of the Chili Peppers' earlier albums, and for integrating musical styles from all aspects of the band's career, including songs that relied on the band's funk rock and rap origins to their later mellower pop style. The album gained the band seven Grammy Awards in 2007: the most nominations that the band had garnered in their 24-year career. Kiedis attributed the album's success to less abrasive dynamics within the band, saying that the band's “chemistry when it comes to writing is better than ever. There was always a struggle to dominate lyrically. But we are now confident enough in who we are, so everybody feels more comfortable contributing more and more valuable, quality stuff”12.

4.1. Background

After the release of their previous album, By the Way, the Red Hot Chili Peppers embarked on a world tour, which lasted from July 2002 to a mid-June 2004 date at London's Hyde Park. The band later appeared at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and at Rock am Ring to tie up their tour in support of By the Way. The band then settled down to begin recording their next album in September 2004 with producer Rick Rubin, with whom they had recorded four albums previously.

The formation and recording of Stadium Arcadium took place at “The Mansion,” the former home of Harry Houdini where the Chili Peppers had recorded their 1991 breakthrough Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Given the house's reputation for being “haunted”, guitarist John Frusciante recalled that that he felt “there were beings of higher intelligence controlling what I was doing, and I didn’t know how to talk about it or explain it...it was very clear to me that the music was coming from somewhere other than me”13. However, Kiedis noted that during the recording process of the album everybody was in a good mood. There was very little tension, very little anxiety, very little weirdness going on and every day they showed up to that funky room in the Valley, and everyone felt more comfortable than ever bringing in their ideas. The band originally

12 Jonathan Cohen, Peppers Double The Pleasure With “Stadium Arcadium”, Billboard, 200613 Phil Ascott, Total Guitar, July 2006 interview, http://www.invisible-movement.net/, 2006

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Picture 7Stadium Arcadium

wanted to create a “ld-fashioned Meet the Beatles-like record”, and to keep the number of songs down to about 13, to make a small, digestible piece of art. They ended up writing 38 new songs with Rubin, recording them all.

Kiedis recalled that the band wanted to release all 38 songs on three separate discs that would be released in installments...something about those songs made us really like each one. However, by the time we planned to release the third installment in two years, we’ll be writing new music. This was the impetus for the band to pare those songs down to 28, a process Kiedis described as “heart wrenching”. He explained the reasoning behind the decision to name the album “Stadium Arcadium” by saying that “it had more variety and verve compared to its predecessors and we each have things we do best and it’s all in there. Everybody played their part and expressed their creativity to the max”14.

The song “Dani California” is about the death and demise of “Dani,” the same character from their hit singles “By the Way” and “Californication.” “Dani,” according to Kiedis, is a representation of every girl that he has come across in his life. The album's last song “Death of a Martian” was also an ode to Flea's dog Martian, a Mastiff, who died during the album's recording. In the song “Especially in Michigan”, Hillel Slovak is referenced as Huckleberry Finn: “C'mon Huckleberry Finn, Show me how to make her grin”, this is a name Anthony used to call him before he would start a guitar solo.

14 Adly Ramly, Stadium Arcadium, Malay Mail, http://www.mmail.com/, 2006

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Picture 8RHCP live at Pinkpop Festival

5. CONCLUSION

In the opinion of many people around the world, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the best groups on the planet and I agree with them. The first songs that I have heard were “Under The Bridge”, “Otherside”, “Californication”, “By The Way” and “Can’t Stop”. From the year 2002 until present I have constantly listened to their music and actively observed their work.

I have also read Anthony Kiedis’s book “Scar Tissue”. It is a great autobiography of his and a lively story about the Chili Peppers where I have found out so many new things I didn’t know about them, for example how Frusciante and Chad joined the group, how John returned to group etc.

I was dreaming to see them live, to go to their concert, to hear them playing my favorite songs live. And my dream came true… On June 26th, 2007, they were in Indjija. Four of my heroes stood just few meters away from me. The show began, as usual, with an “Intro Jam”, and then right after it, they started playing “Can’t Stop”. The show lasted short, because Frusciante was ill, and that was noticeable. While they were playing “Californicaton” and “By The Way” he stood restless, doing nothing, just playing his part. But, Flea and Chad recouped Frusciante’s illness and Anthony’s, as usual, bad singing. Flea showed us who the master of bass is on “Don’t Forget Me” and “Throw Away Your Television”, after which Frusciante and Flea performed an excellent jam. Chad was brilliant in every song. Frusciante started the “Intro Jam” perfectly, and he was doing well till “She’s Only 18”, when he started to feel bad. He also performed ABBA’s “SOS” in his solo act, which was wonderful. The concert lasted very short, but it was an excellent show.

With huge record sale in the last 15 years (over 10 million copies of each record have been sold), and with huge stadium and arena shows, the Chili Peppers proved they are one of the greatest bands in the world.

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Picture 9RHCP live in Indjija

6. ILLUSTRATIONS

Picture 1: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Present members;

Picture 2: Red Hot Chili Peppers performing “Snow ((Hey Oh))”, live at Grammy’s;

Picture 3: Anthony Kiedis singing “By The Way” live in Indjija, Serbia, June, 2007;

Picture 4: John Frusciante playing “Under The Bridge” live at Slane Castle, August, 2003;

Picture 5: Michael Balzary Flea, live at Slane Castle, August, 2003;

Picture 6: Chad Smith, live at Hyde Park, June 2004;

Picture 7: Stadium Arcadium – Album cover, released April 2006;

Picture 8: Red Hot Chili Peppers performing live at Pinkpop Festival, Holland, 2006;

Picture 9: Red Hot Chili Peppers performing live in Indjija, Serbia, 2007.

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7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Anthony Kiedis, Scar Tissue, Time Warner Books, London, 2004

2. Adly Ramly, Stadium Arcadium, Malay Mail, http://www.mmail.com/, 2006

3. Artie Nelson, RAW Magazine, “Space Cadet”, Issue #163, 1994

4. Chris Norris, Anthony Kiedis: The Pursuit of Happiness, Blender Magazine, 2007

5. James Rotondigic, Guitar Player Magazine, “Till I Reach the Higher Ground”, 1997

6. Jonathan Cohen, Peppers Double The Pleasure With “Stadium Arcadium”, Billboard, 2006

7. Phil Ascott, Total Guitar, July 2006 interview, http://www.invisible-movement.net/, 2006

8. Rock Sound, Water Music, Issue #21, 2000

9. The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, Rolling Stone, 2003

10. Časopis „Blic Extra”, Specijalno izdanje, Blic Press”, Beograd, jun 2007

11. http://en.wikipedia.org/

12. http://www.redhotchilipeppers.com/

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