Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Another request from a friend, I'm actually only somewhat familiar with the band myself but I can appreciate a lot of the more mainstream songs, as well as some others, so I had to do some listening. (POSER ALERT POSER POSER POSER EVERYONE POINT AND LAUGH)

Obviously the Red Hot Chili Peppers is like one of those cult classic bands your dad is gonna crashout on you for not knowing (if you somehow live under a rock), it borders just enough on slightly heavy and indie alternative to have the biggest audience possible. Active from 1982 in Los Angeles, this godamn band has had over 13 members. For the first two years it was singer Anthony Kiedis, guitarist Hillel Slovak, bassist Flea, and drummer Jack Irons- all friends from school. Their first band name was "Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem", which really roles off the tongue. Their first album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was aired on College Radios, and the group was actually pretty disappointed with the polished sound. So, what do you do when your music isn't gritty enough? A fuck ton of heroin. A fuck ton of heroin, is what they did. Also, they changed their name to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, thank god, "Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem" is just not doing it for me. Freaky Styley was released 1985, and thanks to their excessive drug use and the work of funk producer George Clinton, the sound is pretty different from the rest of their work. There were also some punk elements definitely mixed in there, it was pretty much a "finding ourselves" kind of album. But, it turns out, heroin does more than make creative geniuses. These dumb fucks put 2,000 dollars worth of revenue into heroin and cocaine, they RESERVED MONEY, WHICH THE BAND EARNED, as their drug fund. Kiedis goes off the rails, getting fired after a failed attempt at recording a third album. Then he gets sober, yay! Back in the band. Third album, Rick Rubin, comes out, and Keiden decides 50 days of sobriety is enough for him. In 1988 Slovak overdoses. Keidi does not attend his funeral. 

Okay- now it's 1988, we've got Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John & guess the fuck what- DH Peligro on drums. That's the drummer for the Dead Kennedys, also the absolute love of my life (please come home the kids miss you!!). DeWayne McKnight also joined as a guitarist, but he was fired and then he threatened to burn Kiedis' house down. By now the band is big, they've been named Band of the Year by LA weekly, but they're switching members like it's going out of style. I'm not going to cover everyone, but all you have to know is that my husband- I mean DH was fired due to his drug and alcohol problems, which is like, Anthony Kiedi, you cannot be talking right now. I'm skipping ahead three years, to 1991, the year of the Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour. This tour was revolutionary to male manipulators all around the world, featuring Pearl Jam, Nirvanna and Smashing Pumpkins. Imagine going to a show where Nirvanna was the OPENING ACT. In 1994 we've got Woodstock, and the current members are Anthony Kiedis (lead vocals), Flea (bass guitar, lead vocals, trumpet), Chad Smith (drums), and Dave Navarro (guitar). Dave didn't like funk music, or jamming, so that pissed off Anthony, understandably so, honestly. Keidi then relapses with heroin, because of a dentists appointment where he was given valium!! Jesus!! Navarro leaves, and by 1998 the band has no guitarist and isn't quite sure what to do next, or if there is a next. 

Then, in 1999, Flea finds John, addicted and impoverished, and helps him to recover and rejoin the band. This is the year of Californication. This album hit like a grenade, or a needle of heroin, given the context, selling over 16 million copies. Scar tissue, Otherside, and of course Californication are all widely popular songs that even most non-music listeners know. This album made number 399 on the Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 albums ever. From 2000-2008, things went pretty smoothly. More albums were released, including By the Way and Stadium Arcadium. They took a year long break, but resumed in 2009. John had again left the band, but on good terms, to focus on his solo career. Klinghoffer replaced him. Ten years later, in 2019, John came back- again. For good, this time. Now, 2025, we're waiting for our next album, oh boy.

This was basically a history lesson, but there's just so much to unpack with the band, considering the years they've reigned as rock 'n roll legends. I might do another entry that's more focused on their sound, but this was just a little rabbit hole I went down for my own sake (I'm procrastinating).

Stay loud (=