 Few rock groups of the '80s broke down as many musical barriers and were as
original as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Creating an intoxicating new musical
style by combining funk and punk rock together (with an explosive stage show, to
boot), the Red Hot Chili Peppers spawned a slew of imitators in their wake, but still
managed to be the leaders of the pack by the dawn of the 21st century. The roots
of the band lay in a friendship forged by three school chums, Anthony Kiedis,
Michael Balzary, and Hillel Slovak, while they attended Fairfax High School in
California back in the late '70s/early '80s. While Balzary and Slovak showed
great musical promise (on trumpet and guitar, respectively), Kiedis focused on
poetry and acting during his high school career. During this time, Slovak taught
Balzary how to play bass, while the duo encouraged Kiedis to start putting his
poetry to music, which he soon did. Influenced heavily by the burgeoning L.A.
punk scene (the Germs, Black Flag, Fear, Minutemen, X, etc.) as well as funk
(Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone, etc.), the trio began to
rehearse with another friend, drummer Jack Irons, leading to the formation of
Tony Flow & the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, a group that played
strip bars along the sunset strip during the early '80s. It was during this time
that the quartet honed their sound and live act (as they stumbled across a stage
gimmick that would soon become their trademark -- performing on-stage completely
naked, except for a tube sock covering a certain part of their anatomy). By
1983, Balzary had begun to go by the name "Flea," and the group changed their
name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Word spread quickly about the up-and-coming band, resulting in a recording
contract with EMI. But before the Red Hot Chili Peppers could begin work on their debut,
Flea and Kiedis were dealt a disappointing blow when both Slovak and Irons
announced that they were leaving to focus more on another band they were in,
What Is This. With replacement members Jack Sherman (guitar) and Cliff Martinez
(drums) filling in, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released their self-titled debut in 1984. But
the absence of the two original members showed, as the album failed to capture
the excitement of their live show. While the album didn't set the world on fire
sales-wise, the group began to build a dedicated underground following with
college radio buffs. By 1985, What Is This was kaput (after issuing a single
self-titled album), as Slovak and Irons returned back to the Red Hot Chili
Peppers, resulting
in the George Clinton-produced Freaky Styley. While the album was an improvement
over its predecessor, it still lacked the fire of the band's in-concert
experience, a problem that would finally be solved with their next album, 1987's
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. The album was the group's first to make an
impression on the charts, and they followed it up a year later with stopgap
five-track release, The Abbey Road EP, in 1988. But just as the world was
warming up to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, tragedy struck when Slovak died from a heroin
overdose on June 25, 1988.
In the wake of Slovak's death, Irons left the group for the second and final
time, while Kiedis (who was also battling drug addiction at the time) and Flea
decided to soldier on. After a new lineup consisting of former Parliament
guitarist Blackbyrd McKnight and former Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro
didn't work out, the duo found worthy replacements in newcomers John Frusciante
and Chad Smith. The new-look Red Hot Chili Peppers hit pay dirt straight away, as their
first album together, 1989's Mother's Milk, became a surprise hit due to MTV's
exposure of their videos for a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" and a
song about their fallen friend Slovak, "Knock Me Down," as the album was
certified gold by early 1990. The group knew that their next release would be
the most important one of their career, so they moved into a
mansion-turned-recording studio with producer Rick Rubin to work on what would
become their most successful release yet, the stripped-down Blood Sugar Sex
Magik (their first for the Warner Bros. label). The album became a monster hit
upon its September 1991 release (going on to eventually sell a staggering seven
million copies in the U.S. alone), as it spawned such hits as "Give It Away" and
the group's first Top Ten single, "Under the Bridge."
But not all was well in the Red Hot Chili Peppers camp. Like his predecessor, Frusciante had become addicted to hard drugs, and abruptly left the band
mid-tour in early 1992. Undeterred, the band enlisted new member Arik Marshall,
and headlined Lollapalooza II in the summer. When the band returned to the
studio to work on their sixth release overall, it quickly became apparent that
Marshall didn't fit in, and was replaced by Jesse Tobias. But before Tobias
could record a note with the group, he was handed his walking papers as well,
and former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro signed on. After a layoff of
four years, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' much-delayed follow-up to BSSM was released in 1995,
One Hot Minute. While the album was a sizeable hit, it failed to match the
success and musical focus of its predecessor, as it became apparent during the
album's ensuing tour that Navarro wasn't fitting in as well as originally hoped,
and left the band in early 1998.
After Frusciante had left the group, he released a pair of obscure solo
releases, 1995's Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt and 1997's Smile from
the Streets You Hold, yet rumors circulated that the guitarist was homeless,
penniless, and sickly with a death-defying drug habit. After checking himself
into rehab and putting his demons behind him, Frusciante emerged once again
refocused and re-energized, and promptly accepted an invitation to rejoin the
Red Hot Chili Peppers once more. The group's reunion album, 1999's Californication, proved to
be another monster success, reconfirming the Red Hot Chili Peppers as one of alternative
rock's top bands. The band put in a quick guest appearance on Fishbone's
Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx before hitting the road to support the album. The
following months found the band getting involved in bizarre situations and
controversies. First, their refusal to play songs from One Hot Minute during the
tour was an unpopular decision with some fans and a sore spot for Dave Navarro.
Next, they reignited a personal feud between Kiedis and Mr. Bungle singer Mike
Patton by refusing to play a series of European concerts with Bungle. Patton
responded with a "tribute" show for the Peppers, where Bungle mocked their stage
moves, faked shooting up heroin, and imitated Kiedis' comments about Patton.
They also played the ill-fated Woodstock '99 festival, where their headlining
performance was met with piles of burning rubble and a full-scale riot. Tours
with the Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam brought them into the next year without
problems, but they stepped off the road after a planned stop in Israel was
halted due to security worries. They returned to the studio in November of 2001
and by the summer of 2002 they had a new album ready to drop, By the Way. Warner
Brothers released a Greatest Hits compilation in 2003, followed by a
chart-topping two-CD album of all-new material, Stadium Arcadium, in 2006. ~
Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book the Red Hot
Chili Peppers for your next corporate or private event.
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