John Frusciante

John Frusciante was born on March 5, 1970 in New York, NY. Very little is known about his childhood or basic existence until he joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When his family moved to L.A., he attended a concert of theirs, & was immediately awestruck by Hillel Slovak's playing. He became a very large RHCP fan & copied Hillel's style. This played a major role in his joining the band. When the unfortunate time came that they needed a new guitarist due to the death of Hillel, John was cast the role w/o much contemplation. Joining a band that had already three records under their belt, @ the age of 18, he was the youngest in a band of veterans to the music scene, aside from drummer Chad Smith.

John is what as known as a guitar prodigy, & he has a very soulful style. He was immediately recognized by a wide group of fans as a funk guitarist. John has always been a fan of punk rock as opposed to your usual everyday classic rock. Although he admires these bands as artists, he says he's always been much more romanticized by bands such as the Germs & the Clash. When he joined the Peppers before Mother's Milk, this was the first time he'd ever actually laid down any track to tape. Quite an adjustment to be thrown into a band that had members who already had three albums under their belt.

John adapted nicely @ first, & then BloodSugarSexMagik came along. Becoming very successful very quickly would have to be hard on anyone, but John completely turned his back on the fame. In the middle of the tour for the album, @ the height of their popularity right before headlining shows @ Lollapolooza & Woodstock, John quit. Frusciante then consciously threw himself into a world of drugs, addiction, & battling his own demons.

For the next five to six years, he lived in & out of anywhere anyone would let him stay. He recorded two solo albums to support his heroin addiction, & he didn't want to get better. John came so close to losing everything that even Flea, who had been determined to stay close to him, didn't want to talk to him. Flea didn't want to watch his friend die, but it was happening right before his eyes, & he felt helpless. John didn't come out of his home except to score some more drugs. He was trying to "wrench the colors" that he heard in his head into his massive collection of vintage guitars & onto tape. John lost his teeth, he because so weak that everyone was sure he was as good as dead. Finally, friends convinced him to enter rehabilitation. John opened his eyes to realize that this part of his life had run its course, & it was time for a new chapter. He was asked to return to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as they had never felt just the same since John had left. Relationships weren't angry or forced as they had been prior to his departure. John & Anthony didn't get along particularly well for the last year of his being in the band. But now things are better, & they're all just happy to be together again. All of them have stated they've never been in a happier, more satisfied place, & John is beginning to get some well deserved recognition as an unique guitarist. Californication has went double platinum in the States alone, & the Peppers are currently doing a world tour, preparing to tour the States next spring.