Red Hot Chili Peppers: Influence On Rock And Roll
The Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a band that arose in the early 1980’s, and carried on to be one of the most influential bands in rock and roll around the world. They brought about a new style of music that had never really been played before. The band consists of four members, but would go through many different guitarist and drummers throughout the years for number of reasons. It is amazing to some people that the band was so successful, and got along decently, due to their serious problems off the stage, and also the drastic changes to the bands lineup. The Red Hot Chili Peppers worked through the hardships of being a very famous rock band in the 90’s, and rose to the top to become one of the major influences on rock and roll. Before the Red Hot Chili Peppers came together, they had a little
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background, as most bands do. Anthony Kiedis, the bands vocalist, had a very difficult childhood. He was a Child of divorced parents, and spent most of his adolescent years with his father. He moved in full time with his father in Los Angelis when he was 12, from his mother’s house in Michigan. His fathers name was Black Dammet whose profession was in acting, as well as in dealing drugs. Kiedis followed his father in both of these categories throughout his teenage years, and took his first major role as Sylvester Stallone’s son in the movie FIST. Flea, who was the bands bassist, moved to the United States from Austria in 1967, and later moved to LA in 1972. He grew up playing the trumpet and was a prodigy in his family. Flea found his love in the bass guitar during his high school years when he joined a band by the name of Fear ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 5). He had only one bass lesson in his entire career, which shows his extraordinary talent. “I only had one bass lesson, the teacher gave me an Eagles song and I just wasn’t into it, so I decided to figure things out on my own” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 5). Flea and Kiedis are know as the founding fathers of the band because of their close friendship, which developed at Fairfax High School, and is what would hold the band together through its struggles. Hillel Slovak (guitarist) and Jack Irons (drummer) were high school friends as well, and the four met at a Hollywood club in 1982 ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 6). The two groups of friends discovered each other’s talents in a rare, lucky way. After conversing for quite some time in a Hollywood club, the four eventually revealed their musical talents to one another. The previous band at the club put on a terrible performance witch lead to them getting booed off the stage. The future rock band decided to show the crowd what they could do by taking the stage and holding a “jam session” with Irons on drums, Slovak on Guitar, Flea on bass, and Kiedis on the mike doing a unique freestyle technique. The four’s chemistry with one another was magnificent. In the middle of their performance, Anthony Kiedis jokingly announced that the band would be called the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, which he created off the top of his head ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 5). After receiving a standing ovation from the crowd, the owner of the club asked them to return for a second performance the following weekend. They returned the next weekend with the name Tony flow as a joke for a friend in the crowd. The band continued to play at clubs around LA and Kiedis came up with the name Red Hot Chili Peppers before their third performance ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 4-5). After their performance, Kiedis was interviewed and said that he came up with the name because he saw a “psychedelic bush in the Hollywood hills that had the bands name on it” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 6). Some critics believe that he was referring to a type of marijuana that he smoked before the show. The Red Hot Chili Peppers brought a new style of rock to the industry, and with news styles, comes influences. They played a funky style of rock that was easy to dance and have fun to. The major influence on the band was artist and producer by the name of George Clinton (also known as P. Funk). He helped the band create their first original album, Freaky Style, in 1985. They followed George Clinton’s unique style that he was trying to create, and brought it out into the music world. Clinton’s band fused psychedelic rock and dance music in the 70’s, and had a great influence on the next generation of rock. ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 4). They were also influenced by the Beatles, which is shown by their album Abby Road (Long, Colleen. Para. 1). The later music that the band produced was influenced by bands such as the Strokes and Fugazi (Long, Colleen. Para. 3). Many people would also agree that the Red Hot Chili Peppers had an influence on rock bands as well. One critic suggested that, “The bands frantic tempos, churning guitar chords, and onstage mania owe a great deal to the punk movement of the late seventies and early eighties” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 3).
As the group’s reputation began to grow, so did their problems and struggles. They eventually signed their first record deal with EMI, and also played their first big show under them in 1984. During this time Kiedis was also signed with Warner Brothers and acted in the movie Chase with Flea ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Encyclopædia Britannica. Para. 3). The band had a reputation as “one of the trailblazing bands in the world of alternative rock and spearheaded the wave of groups that fused hard rock and a thrash with 70’s funk” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Volume 29. Para. 2). It took the rock band quite some time to become famous due to this new style. After the bands debut for the record company, Demitri Enrlich of EMI referred to the peppers as “prophets of a type of music whose time was about to come: not rock that you could dance to, but rock that you must dance to” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Volume 29. Para. 6). Many people had a lot of good things to say about this new band, but many people despised them for other reasons besides their music. They quickly became notorious for appearing at performances wearing nothing but tube socks over their genitals. All of the band’s members also abused drugs, which brought up a lot of criticism, and other trouble. Although they signed with EMI in 1984, Slovak and Irons could not tour with the band until their contract ran out, with the band Who is This, the following year (The Red Hot Chili Peppers." Newsmakers. Para. 1). When the contract ran out, the four went on tour with their first original album, Freaky Style ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 7). The Red Hot Chili Peppers then came out with Uplift a Mofo Party Plan after they completed their tour in 1987. The album did no get as much support from fans and reviewers as Freaky Style, but it continued their new music trend. Along with continuing their style, they also continued their sexual, meaningless, non-caring lyrics, and reviewers bashed them for this. The Red Hot Chili Peppers remained a cult band, and reviews like the following from Stereo Review didn 't help: "I want to like an album as aggressively bad as The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. But I just can 't. The Red Hot Chili Peppers do everything in their power to chafe, outrage, and sicken, cranking out with truly dizzying energy a goulash of electrified funk, chest-thumping rap, and vaguely suggestive nonsense lyrics." The reviewer concluded that this was "an album that recreates the sensation of being seventeen and drunk on cheap wine" ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 7). But they did not take any of this criticism seriously, they kept having fun and doing their own thing. As their reputation continued to grow and the critics also continued, which caused the Red Hot Chili Peppers to eventually rebelled. They came out with their third album Abby Road Ep. in 1988 and drew many fans in due to the change of lyrical style. But after the band heard that a critic said they wrote the album just to please the people, the brought back the old trend of wearing tube socks over their genitals ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 8). With the bands reputation slowly becoming bigger with the production of Abby Road Ep., they kept enjoying the mild fame and continued having fun with their partying. This partying eventually caught up to the young rockers, when Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose on June 25 1988. The band was devastated by the loss of their close friend and fellow band member, especially Irons, who grew up with Slovak ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 29. Para. 9). Before Slovaks death, the band was cavalier about their drug use, but the band now looked as if it would fall apart for the first time. Jack Irons left Kiedis and Flea, and joined Pearl Jam who was a 90’s rock sensation strongly influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Jack Irons stated, “I do not want to take part in a band that people are dying in” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7 Para. 10). Anthony Kiedis tried to overcome his addiction due to the death of his friend and went in and out of rehab 9 times until finally becoming sober in 2000 (Shriver, Jerry. Para. 8). Kiedis and Flea decided to carry on the Red Hot Chili Peppers in honor of Slovak, but the only problem was that they were left without a guitarist and a drummer. They made many recruits, such as Blackbird Knight, but the chemistry was bad with all. It was hard to find a fit to the unique style of the band. They finally found the perfect match with John Frusciante on Guitar and Chad Smith on drums ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 11). With this lineup they created the album Mother’s Milk, in which they dedicated to Slovak. This album was the first of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ to bring mass audiences to their performances ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 29. Para. 6).
When the bands contract with EMI ran out, it brought new opportunities and also new problems for the music group. EMI refused to let the Red Hot Chili Peppers sign with them again, due to their excessive drug use and other problems that occurred off stage. They were left without a record deal for a while until Kiedis contacted one of his friends at Warner Brothers, Rick Rubin ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 11). The 4 band members signed with them and also moved into the Warner Brothers mansion to record. Moving into the mansion formed a new sense of unity within the band. They began to talk about spiritual values in their music as well. Flea reported shortly after moving into the house, “It’s a matter of unity of four guys listening to each other and playing together” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 12). Frusciante also stated, “what this band is about is helping your brothers” (Vaziri, Aidin. Para. 3). Flea brought his wife and daughter along with him to the mansion as well. Although this new unity between the four men was getting stronger, it also brought about many new problems for them. All of the band members got back into hard drugs, doing them on a daily basis in the mansion. Kiedis was once intoxicated on stage and was soon convicted of exposing himself during the performance, leading him to dig into his pocket for a large fine. Kiedis was not the only one getting into trouble with the law at this time. Flea and Smith were at an MTV interview, when they grabbed a female and hit her butt. The two barely escaped a prison sentence for battery, disorderly conduct and solicitation to commit an unnatural act ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para 13). After a year in the house, they released the album that would make them famous around the world, Blood Sugar Sex Majik. Flea reported, "The whole house was really just a big, warm, beautiful, peaceful place. Not for one minute did we feel any negative energy. Even living together, which could really create tension, turned out perfectly” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para 14). The same year the album was released, they launched a tour in the United States, selling out shows in a matter of hours. Suddenly, it was impossible to tune into alternative and even some classic rock radio stations without hearing the funky new hit "Give it Away" playing at least several times a day. The album secured their spot in music history and many bands began to follow the Peppers new trend of Funky Rock ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 14).
After the release of Blood Sugar Sex Majik, the bands lifestyle became too much for John Frusciante. He was scared, against, and angry at the mass amounts of fame that their album brought to them. He constantly complained that the band worried too much about the crowd, and that they needed to play the bands own style ("The Red Hot Chili Peppers." Newsmakers. Para. 7). Frusciante also became very addicted to the schedule two drugs of heroin and cocaine, as well as alcohol. He had barley ever had a drink before joining the band, but had always dreamed of being a rock star and living the rock life of drugs and alcohol. At one of the last performances of the tour, Frusciante left the band in the middle of the show. He went solo and locked himself in his house for 6 months, doing drugs and writing music. He destroyed his house, setting fires, drawing graffiti on the walls, but on the positive side, he wrote 6 albums in 6 months. Brad Pitt created the documentary called “Stuff” which recorded his mental breakdown. The band was left without a guitarist once again (Vaziri, Aidin. Para. 7-9).
The Red Hot Chili Peppers searched for a new guitarist that could play their style and finally found one in Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction. With this lineup, they released What Hits? and also One Hot Minute ("The Red Hot Chili Peppers." Newsmakers. Para 7). Critics considered this album a major setback from Blood Sugar Sex Majik, although it went platinum. The critics were harsh but the CD meant a lot to the band due to the songs’ deep meaning. This includes the song Tearjerker, which the band got together and wrote the day after Curt Cobain of Nirvana committed suicide. But after the bands lack of success, Navarro went solo, and John Frusciante returned, clean out of rehab. With John Frusciante back in the band and better than ever, the Red Hot Chili Peppers success soared with the production of the two albums Californication and then By the Way.
Both of these albums set records on and off the stage (Vaziri, Aidin. Para 12). The bands success kept booming touring all around the world. Kiedis became 100 percent sober in 2000 and is now a motivational speaker in a number of rehab facilities. After becoming clean he wrote an autobiography, called Scar Tissue, which was about his struggles in life and how the band helped him get through them. After By the way, produced in 1999, the band was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, and after 26 years of rock, the band seemed to be done with this album. They then produced Stadium Arcadium in 2006. This album was a top seller for two years in a row, and after the album, John left the band, but peacefully this time around. The other three musicians were not done though; they brought in their backup guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer. With Klinghoffer on guitar, the band created the album I’m With You in 2012 and are on their last tour this year (Shriver, Jerry. Para
4-7).
The Red Hot Chili Peppers owe a great deal to the rock and roll industry throughout the course of the late 80’s, 90’s, and up to today. They brought a new style of music to the world that was enjoyed by people all around the globe. Although they went through some hard times and struggles, the band still managed to stay together through the years. They set records of all kinds and are still running strong on their final tour today. They have been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame and will go down in history as one of the greatest bands of their time.
Works Cited
Long, Colleen. "Kiedis just keeps saying 'no ' to drugs: The Red Hot Chili Peppers front man talks about his life in the book Scar Tissue." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] 16 Oct. 2004: R22. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
"Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 29. Detroit: Gale, 2000. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
"Red Hot Chili Peppers." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .
"Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 1992. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
"The Red Hot Chili Peppers." Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 1993. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
Shriver, Jerry. "Fresh Chili Peppers spice it up with 'You ' after 5-year break." USA Today 30 Aug. 2011: 05D. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
Vaziri, Aidin. "Back from hell 's edge." San Francisco Chronicle 15 Feb. 2004: 40. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
background, as most bands do. Anthony Kiedis, the bands vocalist, had a very difficult childhood. He was a Child of divorced parents, and spent most of his adolescent years with his father. He moved in full time with his father in Los Angelis when he was 12, from his mother’s house in Michigan. His fathers name was Black Dammet whose profession was in acting, as well as in dealing drugs. Kiedis followed his father in both of these categories throughout his teenage years, and took his first major role as Sylvester Stallone’s son in the movie FIST. Flea, who was the bands bassist, moved to the United States from Austria in 1967, and later moved to LA in 1972. He grew up playing the trumpet and was a prodigy in his family. Flea found his love in the bass guitar during his high school years when he joined a band by the name of Fear ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 5). He had only one bass lesson in his entire career, which shows his extraordinary talent. “I only had one bass lesson, the teacher gave me an Eagles song and I just wasn’t into it, so I decided to figure things out on my own” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 5). Flea and Kiedis are know as the founding fathers of the band because of their close friendship, which developed at Fairfax High School, and is what would hold the band together through its struggles. Hillel Slovak (guitarist) and Jack Irons (drummer) were high school friends as well, and the four met at a Hollywood club in 1982 ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 6). The two groups of friends discovered each other’s talents in a rare, lucky way. After conversing for quite some time in a Hollywood club, the four eventually revealed their musical talents to one another. The previous band at the club put on a terrible performance witch lead to them getting booed off the stage. The future rock band decided to show the crowd what they could do by taking the stage and holding a “jam session” with Irons on drums, Slovak on Guitar, Flea on bass, and Kiedis on the mike doing a unique freestyle technique. The four’s chemistry with one another was magnificent. In the middle of their performance, Anthony Kiedis jokingly announced that the band would be called the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, which he created off the top of his head ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 5). After receiving a standing ovation from the crowd, the owner of the club asked them to return for a second performance the following weekend. They returned the next weekend with the name Tony flow as a joke for a friend in the crowd. The band continued to play at clubs around LA and Kiedis came up with the name Red Hot Chili Peppers before their third performance ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 4-5). After their performance, Kiedis was interviewed and said that he came up with the name because he saw a “psychedelic bush in the Hollywood hills that had the bands name on it” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 6). Some critics believe that he was referring to a type of marijuana that he smoked before the show. The Red Hot Chili Peppers brought a new style of rock to the industry, and with news styles, comes influences. They played a funky style of rock that was easy to dance and have fun to. The major influence on the band was artist and producer by the name of George Clinton (also known as P. Funk). He helped the band create their first original album, Freaky Style, in 1985. They followed George Clinton’s unique style that he was trying to create, and brought it out into the music world. Clinton’s band fused psychedelic rock and dance music in the 70’s, and had a great influence on the next generation of rock. ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 4). They were also influenced by the Beatles, which is shown by their album Abby Road (Long, Colleen. Para. 1). The later music that the band produced was influenced by bands such as the Strokes and Fugazi (Long, Colleen. Para. 3). Many people would also agree that the Red Hot Chili Peppers had an influence on rock bands as well. One critic suggested that, “The bands frantic tempos, churning guitar chords, and onstage mania owe a great deal to the punk movement of the late seventies and early eighties” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 3).
As the group’s reputation began to grow, so did their problems and struggles. They eventually signed their first record deal with EMI, and also played their first big show under them in 1984. During this time Kiedis was also signed with Warner Brothers and acted in the movie Chase with Flea ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Encyclopædia Britannica. Para. 3). The band had a reputation as “one of the trailblazing bands in the world of alternative rock and spearheaded the wave of groups that fused hard rock and a thrash with 70’s funk” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Volume 29. Para. 2). It took the rock band quite some time to become famous due to this new style. After the bands debut for the record company, Demitri Enrlich of EMI referred to the peppers as “prophets of a type of music whose time was about to come: not rock that you could dance to, but rock that you must dance to” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Volume 29. Para. 6). Many people had a lot of good things to say about this new band, but many people despised them for other reasons besides their music. They quickly became notorious for appearing at performances wearing nothing but tube socks over their genitals. All of the band’s members also abused drugs, which brought up a lot of criticism, and other trouble. Although they signed with EMI in 1984, Slovak and Irons could not tour with the band until their contract ran out, with the band Who is This, the following year (The Red Hot Chili Peppers." Newsmakers. Para. 1). When the contract ran out, the four went on tour with their first original album, Freaky Style ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 7). The Red Hot Chili Peppers then came out with Uplift a Mofo Party Plan after they completed their tour in 1987. The album did no get as much support from fans and reviewers as Freaky Style, but it continued their new music trend. Along with continuing their style, they also continued their sexual, meaningless, non-caring lyrics, and reviewers bashed them for this. The Red Hot Chili Peppers remained a cult band, and reviews like the following from Stereo Review didn 't help: "I want to like an album as aggressively bad as The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. But I just can 't. The Red Hot Chili Peppers do everything in their power to chafe, outrage, and sicken, cranking out with truly dizzying energy a goulash of electrified funk, chest-thumping rap, and vaguely suggestive nonsense lyrics." The reviewer concluded that this was "an album that recreates the sensation of being seventeen and drunk on cheap wine" ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 7). But they did not take any of this criticism seriously, they kept having fun and doing their own thing. As their reputation continued to grow and the critics also continued, which caused the Red Hot Chili Peppers to eventually rebelled. They came out with their third album Abby Road Ep. in 1988 and drew many fans in due to the change of lyrical style. But after the band heard that a critic said they wrote the album just to please the people, the brought back the old trend of wearing tube socks over their genitals ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 8). With the bands reputation slowly becoming bigger with the production of Abby Road Ep., they kept enjoying the mild fame and continued having fun with their partying. This partying eventually caught up to the young rockers, when Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose on June 25 1988. The band was devastated by the loss of their close friend and fellow band member, especially Irons, who grew up with Slovak ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 29. Para. 9). Before Slovaks death, the band was cavalier about their drug use, but the band now looked as if it would fall apart for the first time. Jack Irons left Kiedis and Flea, and joined Pearl Jam who was a 90’s rock sensation strongly influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Jack Irons stated, “I do not want to take part in a band that people are dying in” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7 Para. 10). Anthony Kiedis tried to overcome his addiction due to the death of his friend and went in and out of rehab 9 times until finally becoming sober in 2000 (Shriver, Jerry. Para. 8). Kiedis and Flea decided to carry on the Red Hot Chili Peppers in honor of Slovak, but the only problem was that they were left without a guitarist and a drummer. They made many recruits, such as Blackbird Knight, but the chemistry was bad with all. It was hard to find a fit to the unique style of the band. They finally found the perfect match with John Frusciante on Guitar and Chad Smith on drums ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 11). With this lineup they created the album Mother’s Milk, in which they dedicated to Slovak. This album was the first of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ to bring mass audiences to their performances ("Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 29. Para. 6).
When the bands contract with EMI ran out, it brought new opportunities and also new problems for the music group. EMI refused to let the Red Hot Chili Peppers sign with them again, due to their excessive drug use and other problems that occurred off stage. They were left without a record deal for a while until Kiedis contacted one of his friends at Warner Brothers, Rick Rubin ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 11). The 4 band members signed with them and also moved into the Warner Brothers mansion to record. Moving into the mansion formed a new sense of unity within the band. They began to talk about spiritual values in their music as well. Flea reported shortly after moving into the house, “It’s a matter of unity of four guys listening to each other and playing together” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 12). Frusciante also stated, “what this band is about is helping your brothers” (Vaziri, Aidin. Para. 3). Flea brought his wife and daughter along with him to the mansion as well. Although this new unity between the four men was getting stronger, it also brought about many new problems for them. All of the band members got back into hard drugs, doing them on a daily basis in the mansion. Kiedis was once intoxicated on stage and was soon convicted of exposing himself during the performance, leading him to dig into his pocket for a large fine. Kiedis was not the only one getting into trouble with the law at this time. Flea and Smith were at an MTV interview, when they grabbed a female and hit her butt. The two barely escaped a prison sentence for battery, disorderly conduct and solicitation to commit an unnatural act ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para 13). After a year in the house, they released the album that would make them famous around the world, Blood Sugar Sex Majik. Flea reported, "The whole house was really just a big, warm, beautiful, peaceful place. Not for one minute did we feel any negative energy. Even living together, which could really create tension, turned out perfectly” ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para 14). The same year the album was released, they launched a tour in the United States, selling out shows in a matter of hours. Suddenly, it was impossible to tune into alternative and even some classic rock radio stations without hearing the funky new hit "Give it Away" playing at least several times a day. The album secured their spot in music history and many bands began to follow the Peppers new trend of Funky Rock ("Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Para. 14).
After the release of Blood Sugar Sex Majik, the bands lifestyle became too much for John Frusciante. He was scared, against, and angry at the mass amounts of fame that their album brought to them. He constantly complained that the band worried too much about the crowd, and that they needed to play the bands own style ("The Red Hot Chili Peppers." Newsmakers. Para. 7). Frusciante also became very addicted to the schedule two drugs of heroin and cocaine, as well as alcohol. He had barley ever had a drink before joining the band, but had always dreamed of being a rock star and living the rock life of drugs and alcohol. At one of the last performances of the tour, Frusciante left the band in the middle of the show. He went solo and locked himself in his house for 6 months, doing drugs and writing music. He destroyed his house, setting fires, drawing graffiti on the walls, but on the positive side, he wrote 6 albums in 6 months. Brad Pitt created the documentary called “Stuff” which recorded his mental breakdown. The band was left without a guitarist once again (Vaziri, Aidin. Para. 7-9).
The Red Hot Chili Peppers searched for a new guitarist that could play their style and finally found one in Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction. With this lineup, they released What Hits? and also One Hot Minute ("The Red Hot Chili Peppers." Newsmakers. Para 7). Critics considered this album a major setback from Blood Sugar Sex Majik, although it went platinum. The critics were harsh but the CD meant a lot to the band due to the songs’ deep meaning. This includes the song Tearjerker, which the band got together and wrote the day after Curt Cobain of Nirvana committed suicide. But after the bands lack of success, Navarro went solo, and John Frusciante returned, clean out of rehab. With John Frusciante back in the band and better than ever, the Red Hot Chili Peppers success soared with the production of the two albums Californication and then By the Way.
Both of these albums set records on and off the stage (Vaziri, Aidin. Para 12). The bands success kept booming touring all around the world. Kiedis became 100 percent sober in 2000 and is now a motivational speaker in a number of rehab facilities. After becoming clean he wrote an autobiography, called Scar Tissue, which was about his struggles in life and how the band helped him get through them. After By the way, produced in 1999, the band was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, and after 26 years of rock, the band seemed to be done with this album. They then produced Stadium Arcadium in 2006. This album was a top seller for two years in a row, and after the album, John left the band, but peacefully this time around. The other three musicians were not done though; they brought in their backup guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer. With Klinghoffer on guitar, the band created the album I’m With You in 2012 and are on their last tour this year (Shriver, Jerry. Para
4-7).
The Red Hot Chili Peppers owe a great deal to the rock and roll industry throughout the course of the late 80’s, 90’s, and up to today. They brought a new style of music to the world that was enjoyed by people all around the globe. Although they went through some hard times and struggles, the band still managed to stay together through the years. They set records of all kinds and are still running strong on their final tour today. They have been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame and will go down in history as one of the greatest bands of their time.
Works Cited
Long, Colleen. "Kiedis just keeps saying 'no ' to drugs: The Red Hot Chili Peppers front man talks about his life in the book Scar Tissue." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] 16 Oct. 2004: R22. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
"Red Hot Chili Peppers." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 29. Detroit: Gale, 2000. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
"Red Hot Chili Peppers." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .
"Red Hot Chili Peppers, The." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 1992. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
"The Red Hot Chili Peppers." Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 1993. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
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