Biography
Thanks to Mutha for writing this true blue biography.
Thanks to Mutha for writing this true blue biography.
Michael Balzary, Hillel Slovak, and Jack Irons were three high school pals. They had
musical ambitions and together formed a band they named 'Anthym'. The pals managed
to score themselves a few gigs but many club owners hid the youngsters backstage for
fear of getting busted with minors on the premises. Anthym even had regulars at the
shows, none more of a regular than a guy called Anthony Kiedis. The four, who all
attended Fairfax High school, became mates and Anthony even began opening the
bands shows by reading some lines from his poetry. Flea however left Anthym to join
the L.A punk band 'Fear'. Hillel and Irons stayed on, renaming the band, 'What is
This?'.
Anthony, Flea, Hillel and Jack were reunited when they were asked to play for a friend at the 'Rhythm Lounge Club'. A week before the show all they had was a few funky bass lines of Flea's and one of Anthony's poems. Unperturbed, the guys dropped some acid and headed onstage under the name of, 'Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. Within days, news of the bands performance had spread due to their rendition of 'Out in L.A'. Word reached as far as E.M.I and within 6 months they had an 8 album record deal.
They renamed the band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band did their 1st out of town gig in Aspen at the Cathay Grand Club. Their most notorious peformance however was at the Kit Kat Klub. During the show the guys performed surrounded by a bevvy of beauties in various stages of undress. Not wanting to be outdone, the guys performed their encore of Jimi Hendrix's 'Fire', with socks on their cocks. Word of the onstage romp spread like wildfire, the guys were trying to get their music noticed, not their physical attributes.
Due to Hillel and Jack having prior commitments with their band 'What Is This?', they
had to choose which musical project they would follow through. Having already spent
6 years on 'What Is This?', the two friends decided to leave the RHCP's. Replacements
came with Jack Sherman on guitar and Cliff Martinez, (former bands included Lydias
Lunch 13. 13 and Captain Beefheart and The Weirdos.)
Andy Gill, from The Gang Of Four, was asked to produce the debut album.The Chili's wanted a sound similar to the Gang of Four but Gill had other ideas. The relationship between Gill and the band was at best-tepid. At one stage it is rumoured that Flea and Anthony sent Gill a pizza box with a fresh turd inside. The album was released but the Chili's weren't happy with the result. They wanted no more to do with Gill.
Lindy Goetz became the band's manager and, as a result, they played more live shows than ever. Time on the road was tough in the band's little van, and they often stayed in seedy hotels between gigs. 'What Is This?' wasn't fairing as well in the stormy musical seas. It therefore was no surprise, that in January 1984, Sherman was dumped for Hillel-they're old pal.
It was during the coming months that the band's experimentations with drugs took a new turn. Flea tired of it, but Anthony and Hillel decided to up the pace. Hillel denied he had a problem, Anthony didn't.
The Master of Funk, George Clinton, (Funkadelic, Parliament and other derivitives of
the two), had been a big influence on the band and was asked to produce their 2nd
album 'Freaky Styley'. Clinton moved the guys to his studios outside Detroit. Here the
band wrote and recorded 13 songs. This album, due to the cohersion of both parties
was able to capture the Chili's lusty punk/funk musical style. The album bought the
band more recognition. Still overseas only 'Hollywood Africa' received meagre airplay
even though the band did a stopover show at a festival in Germany and a one-off show
in England.
The the Chili's returned to home to L.A and suddenly, but not surprisingly Martinez was dumped for Jack Irons. The original line-up was once more. The tour which followed was an explosion of Pepper energy and it scored the band the recognition they deserved as an intense live band. Hillel however was falling deeper in his drug crazed world and was becoming alienated from the rest of the band. He also began to mess up while playing, often forgetting the notes.
'Uplift Mofo Party Plan' outsold the previous two albums put together. Michael Beinhorn, the producer, had previously worked with the likes of Nona Hendryx, and Herbie Hancock. Beinhorn knew exactly how he wanted the album to turn out. He also liked the music of Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone-bands the Chili's also aspired to. The tour which followed had the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing in much larger venues with bands such as The Beastie Boys and Faith No More playing support. This was also the time the band faced critism from various parent groups for their often 'colourful' lyrics. Flea likened the situation to kids hearing their parents say 'fuck'. The Chili's had no desire to tone down their antics. Irons (the supposed more sedate member of the band), walked through Heathrow Airport with a 'tit' hat on. The fact of the matter was, the Red Hot Chili Peppers made great music and stuff the critics. 'Uplift Mofo Party Plan' peaked at no.143 on 'Billboards Top 150 Albums'.
The guys decided to release a new album by June 1988 but before then they needed to do something about Hillel. His drug addiction was steadily worsening and the Chili family was suffering along with him. A decision was made to let Hillel go after the show in Washington. Angelo Moore, of the support band 'Fishbone', heard what was planned and talked Anthony out of it. Moore reasoned with Anthony that Hillel needed his friends, now more than ever. Hillel stayed with the band whilst they travelled to England to shoot the now infamous, socks on cocks photo of the Red Hot Chili Peppers walking across that same pedestrian crossing that the Beatles had made famous. The Abbey Road cd included the cover of 'Fire' by Jimi Hendrix which had been cut from Freaky Styley.
They returned to the U.S and decided to release a new album. 4 weeks after a joyous
homecoming though, Hillel was gone. The months of drug abuse finally captured his
life and he overdosed. Hillel's death shook the band to it's roots. Anthony hid out in a
small mexican village-ridding himself of any lingering, narcotic cravings. Jack Irons left
the band also, shutting himself from the rest of the world. He blamed the Red Hot Chili
Peppers for his friends demise, therefore he wanted nothing more to do with any of it.
Flea too immersed himself in other musical side projects-it seemed the end of the Red
Hot Chili Peppers.
Anthony returned home, and Flea's wife Loesha gave birth to a little girl they named Clara. Anthony and Flea decided to set about rebuilding the band, in memory of their friend Hillel at least. It was during this time that the two pals tried to help out John Fruiscante (who was one of their biggest fans), by going along with him to an audition for the band 'Thelonius Monster'. (John was too shy to go on his own). Flea and Anthony sat in a corner while John did his set. Everyone was surprised how well he could play as he sounded so much like his idol Hillel-he'd copied his style to a tee. It seemed only natural that John walked out of the audition as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Finding a replacement drummer would prove to be much more tedious. Ads were placed in the newspaper and scores of drummers lined up for a chance to display their skills on the skins. Nearing the end of another long day, all hope had almost been lost when in walked Chad Smith. He perched himself atop the drumkit and belted out a swirling, frenzied tune backed up by his own 'obscene' lyrics. Chad was in and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were a foursome once more. It was March 1989 and they hit the road to tour.
It was during the tour of '89 that Anthony was charged with sexual battery. The incident occured backstage after a gig at George Mason University. He dropped his pants in front of a female concert goer-a seemingly innocent prank, and the serious charges that were served on him came as quite a surprise. It was a case of bad timing though when Anthony's charges became public knowledge, as Flea found himself in hot water too. An incident at the MTV Spring Break Party, involving a bikini clad fan, Chad spanking her bum, and Flea simulating sex with her on the stage, was eventually dismissed as just fun and games. Anthony started dating actress Ione Skye and his lifestyle changed dramatically.
Mother's Milk was released in 1989, again Beinhorn was the producer. The album contained eleven original tracks and covers of Stevie Wonder's 'Higher Ground' and Hendrix's 'Fire' on which Hillel featured. The first single 'Knock Me Down' was released in memory of Hillel. Flea also displayed his trumpeting prowess on the tracks 'Subway To Venus', 'Taste The Pain' and 'Pretty Little Dittty'. The tour that followed was immense. A stricter routine was kept with no drugs being allowed whilst toring. The guys did a huge show in Dam Square in Amsterdam. World media was finally taking notice. Anthony's frenzied onstage displays often left him battered and bruised, but he transformed before every show into a pumped up powerhouse. The smash hit movie 'Pretty Woman', featured 'Show me your soul' on its soundtrack and the song became a UK top 30 hit. It wasn't long before the Red Hot Chili Peppers sought out a new record company and after having their photos taken with the bosses of Sony at the last minute switched to Warner Bros.
The band chose 'Def Jam' mainman, Rick Rubin to produce the next album. Rubin
hired a house out of town and trucked in all the necessary gear. The house, seemily
was haunted, and a physic was called in who confirmed the house was indeed being
visited but it was ok as the entities seemed friendly. All tracks for this album were
recorded live, one even being recorded outside with the traffic roaring past.'
BloodSugarSexMagic' was a colossal smash. It earned the Red Hot Chili Peppers a
platinum album and stayed in the U.S Billboard Chart for a year. The band appeared
on every major magazine cover including Rolling Stone. The world tour was a total
sellout. 'Give It Away' was released and received massive acclamations, earning for the
band best breakthrough video in September 1992 at the MTV awards. 'Under The
Bridge', where Anthony recalls his days of drug addiction, soared up every major
music chart worldwide.
Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins were some of the bands who now
supported the Peppers on tour. It was during the Asian leg of their tour that John
announced he was quitting the band after the next show. It was 27 days before the
Chili's were due to headline at Lollapolooza. Arik Marshall (of L.A band Marshall
Law), was asked to fill in for the rest of the tour. Marshall practised for 5 hours a day
for the next 3 weeks. His initiation into the lineup was in front of 60.000 at the
Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Francisco. Marshall however didn't fit in well. An
advert was placed in the local newspaper to help track down a new guitarist. 5,000
turned up on the first day! Jesse Tobias was hired for a short while but he was found
to be unsuitable also.
In 1993 Flea was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and ordered to rest for 12 months. The hectic lifestyle had finally caught up with him. It was about this time too that Flea witnessed the death of his mate River Phoenix whilst playing in Johnny Depp's club, the Viper Room.
Dave Navarro, who was with 'Deconstruction' at the time, was again asked to join the
Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dave had previously knocked back the bands offer due to their
heavy workload but this time decided to give it a go. Dave pocesses a very individual
style which is exactly what the Peppers wanted, (and needed), to lift their musical
spirits oncemore. The band headed off to Hawaii to do a bit of male bonding - dive off
cliffs into the deep blue sea and generally partake of the islands offerings. They took
their Harley's with them and rode around under the pseudo of 'La Sensatives' MC
Gang.
They again asked Rick Rubin to produce 'One Hot Minute'. It was released in 1995 and soon catapulted the Chili's back into the spotlight. Some major songs from the album include, 'Aeroplane', 'Walkabout', 'Friends', 'Warped' , and Flea's great tune 'Pea'. October 1995 saw the Peppers gracing the cover of Rolling Stone. The Chili's also appeared on the 11th Anniversary issue of Spin magazine. Dave Navarro seemed to fit very nicely in with the pack of pals. The world tour which followed started and ended in the U.S. and included such places as Finland, Denmark, Belgium, France, UK, New Zealand and Australia-a total of 64 shows in 21 countries.
The beginning of 1996 saw the guys still doing the tour circuit. silverchair, a new band from Australia went along for the ride. At one point of the tour the Chili's decided to surprise lead singer Daniel Johns for his birthday. The Peppers hired a couple of strippers to 'do their thing' whilst silverchair did their set. Much to Daniel's surprise the strippers appeared, but undaunted, the band played on. Everyone involved thought it was a great joke and all commented on the redness of Daniel John's face when he realised that it was a setup!
Flea was named the 1996, 'Bass Player Magazine', guitarist of the year.Then in October 1996, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were asked to record the song, "I Found Out" for a John Lennon tribute album. Dave and Flea also contributed their talents to an upcoming Howard Stern movie. The guys teamed up with Perry Farrel to record the movie's title track, "Hard Charger". Chad meanwhile continued with his drum clinics as well as performing at the Buddy Rich Tribute in New York.
The guys then learn that Lindy Goetz, their manager since 1984, decides it's time to retire.
The Chili's were asked to do the title song for the, "Beavis and Butthead Do America" movie. The song, "Love Rollercoaster" hits the airwaves and the music video clip is done in cartoon format. Flea continues dabbling in the movie business, including an appearance in the Coen Bros movie "The Big Lebowski". Flea even does some voice over work on a kids cartoon for Nickleodeon. Anthony meanwhile travels across the lands of India and is permitted an audience with the Dalai Lama.
During March 1997 John Frusciante appears at the Whiskey in L.A with Thelonius Monster. Whilst John is playing Flea makes an impromtu visit to the stage to jam along as well. This is to be a significant sign as to which road the Red Hot Chili Peppers would travel in the following months. Chad becomes a dad on the 3rd of March 1997. His wife Maria gives birth to a little girl they name Manon St John. She weighs in at a healthy 8lb 3oz. Chad also continues working with Dave on a joint side project. They hope to put together a few tracks and release a cd under the name of 'Spread'. News of a break up start to circulate but then the Red Hot Chili Pepper management announce the 1997 'Wild Tour' itinerary. The band plans on visiting Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok, Honolulu and Anchorage as well as the Mt Fuji Festival. Disaster strikes though when Anthony is involved in a road accident whilst out riding his Harley. The result is 11 broken bones in his wrist as well as multiple cuts and bruises. It takes some 5 hours of surgery to repair the damage. The Alaska and Hawaii shows are cancelled as a result. Mt Fuji is performed with Anthony seated on a stool for the show until Typhoon Rosie decides to cause havoc and stop the show.
Once Anthony returns to the U.S he pays John Frusciante a visit. He's recouperating in hospital after suffering from, 'mental and physical strain'. After John is released from hospital, he, Flea and Anthony started to hang out at Flea's abode a little. Then calamity strikes again when Chad is involved in a motorcycle mishap. Whilst out riding along Sunset Boulevard, Chad is thrown from his harley and dislocates a shoulder. Luckily though no surgery is needed, just a little extra TLC. Dave continues work with his side project 'Spread' which is due to be released through Warner Bros.
Perry Farrel, Dave and Flea join up for a Janes Addiction tour. The two Peppers even lend their talents to the new Janes cd 'Kettle Whistle'. In November 1997, Dave and Flea graced the cover of America's 'Guitar World' magazine. Soon after the Janes tour the 'Spread' cd is released. MTV also votes 'Under The Bridge' #5 in the top 500 videos of all time.
Then on the 3rd of April 1998, the announcement was made regarding Dave's departure. Dave said he wanted to concentrate more on Spread. The space of guitarist #7 is assigned once more to John Frusciante. There no doubtedly could've been a more apt replacement. News of John's reinstatement was made 'official' on the 29th of April.
The 'Awesome Foursome' were once more. Their first gig together was held at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C, a warm up for the Tibetan Freedom concert the next day. Reports from the show gave raving revues. The Tibetan Freedom concert though proved a little more of a challenge when lightning strikes injured several concert goers. The Peppers, managed though, to due a couple of songs after Eddie Vedder prompted them to the stage-much to the delight of those who attended. Then on the 17th of June the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at the Bowery Ballroom. It was the bands first performance in the New York area since February 1996 during the One Hot Minute tour and John and the rest of the band were very well received.
In July the Peppers appeared at the "Waiting For Iggy" benefit at Moguls in Hollywood. The night was organised to raise monies for writer Susie McConnell's project titled, "Waiting For Iggy". John performed an acoustic set of Iggy's tunes including "China Girl", (David Bowie covered this song on his "Let's Dance' album), before the rest of the Peppers joined him onstage.
The Red hot chili peppers have laid down 22 brand spanking new tracks and are currently on the eve of the release of their seventh album - Californication. The set date is the 8th of June, but the first single - Scar tissue, will be released May 24th.
