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John Frusciante Won't Attend Red Hot Chili Peppers' Hall Of Fame Induction

Posted 3/6/12 3:14 pm EST by in red-hot-chili-peppers, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Sad news from the world of rock – John Frusciante, the talented longtime lead guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, will not be present when the legendary rockers are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month.

Frusciante left the band in 2009 and was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer:

Talking to Billboard, drum Chad Smith broke the news, saying, "He didn't feel comfortable coming, which we totally respect. We asked him... He said, 'I'm just not really comfortable with that, but good luck and thanks for inviting me.' It was all good."

Smith added, "He's the kind of guy, I think, that once he's finished with something he's just on to the next phase of his life. The Chili Peppers are not really on his radar right now."

Frusciante has a long and complicated history with the band. At just 18 years old, he joined Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Smith on the Peppers' fourth album, Mother's Milk. Though the band was already successful when he joined, things went to the next level with the release of their Grammy-winning 1991 set Blood Sugar Sex Magik which went 7X platinum in the US and sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Frusciante had trouble dealing with the band's overwhelming popularity and quit the group in 1992.

After leaving the Peppers, the guitar hero became a reclusive and developed an intense drug addiction that nearly killed him. His addiction was so severe that after Flea talked him into seeking treatment in 1998, he required surgery to mitigate permanent scarring on his arms and restructured nose and necessitated a full dental overhaul to prevent fatal infection. He rejoined RCP for their 1999 return-to-form Californication and stayed with the band through their multi-platinum efforts By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006).

Frusciante, who Rolling Stone placed at 18 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, left the band again in 2009 – this time amicably, reportedly because his musical interests had led him in a different direction than the band and he wanted to fully focus his efforts on his solo career.

Given the great impact he had on the Peppers, it's sad that he won't attend a ceremony the band might not have ever been invited to had he not brought his talents to their biggest and best albums.

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Tweet Your Questions For The Red Hot Chili Peppers Live

Posted 8/15/11 3:07 pm EST by in Bands We Like, red-hot-chili-peppers, Twitter

Red Hot Chili Peppers

We want you to be a part of our "MTV First: Red Hot Chili Peppers!" The Chili Peppers are debuting their new video, “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” on MTV, MTV2 and MTV.com at 7:53 PM ET/4:53 PM PT on Wednesday, August 17.

Afterwards, the band will sit down with MTV News for an interview and will answer fan questions. This is where you come in! There are two ways to get your questions to Anthony, Flea, Chad and Josh:

1) Tweet your question to @mtvnews and tag it #AskRHCP
2) Tweet a video question from Twitvid, Twitpic or other video sites to @mtvnews and tag it #AskRHCP

We want to see your faces, so we hope you choose option two! Please remember that we can’t use any video that includes profanity, nudity or copyrighted music. So get writing/recording those tweets and tune in Wednesday, August 17 at 7:53 PM ET/4:53PM PT to see if your question gets answered!

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Red Hot Chili Peppers Open Up About John Frusciante Quitting The Band (Again)

Posted 8/12/11 3:00 pm EST by in red-hot-chili-peppers

Red hot chili Peppers

By Zachary Swickey

Fans were bewildered in late 2009 when Red Hot Chili Peppers ax man John Frusciante quit the band. It was like déjà vu, as Frusciante left the group in 1992 as well, only to return in 1998 after going through intense drug rehabilitation. It was hard to believe that the fun-loving band, who have always seemed like such close pals, was losing their musical brother once again. Now they are preparing to release “I’m With You,” which will be their first album without Frusciante since 1995’s “One Hot Minute.”

High-spirited bassist Flea lamented to The Sun about the loss of his comrade, saying, “He’s unbelievable. He gave us so much as a musician, as a songwriter, as a friend, and a bandmate. He’s the greatest. He’s irreplaceable. No one could ever be John. He’s one of a kind, incredible, classic, historically important musician. And he didn’t want to do it anymore and now he’s doing what he wants to be doing.”

Clearly RHCP feel no bad blood toward Frusciante, and frontman Anthony Kiedis admits that his departure was not a surprise. “The time John revealed his plans to move on was something everyone had sensed and was emotionally prepared for. You can’t carry someone who doesn’t want to be there – not that he was kicking and screaming. He played his ass off till the last note so his departure was a relief, but a positive relief.” Read More...

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Which Rock Bands Of Today Will Be The Classic Rock Bands Of Tomorrow?

Posted 8/8/11 10:00 am EST by in Foo-Fighters, kings of leon, Metallica, red-hot-chili-peppers

By Zachary Swickey

The classic rock sounds of The Eagles and Steely Dan are what I grew up on. Other than the occasional Enya or Kenny G album (help me!), my dad was constantly playing me songs from his youth. I recall him putting on “Be True to Your School” by the Beach Boys and commenting that his parents must’ve loved that. I even argued that Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett’s solo in “Fade to Black” was the greatest of all time … until my father proved me wrong by playing Eric Clapton’s guest guitar-work on the Stephen Stills solo tune “Come Back Home,” which remains my favorite solo to this day.

This had me wondering, in 40 year’s time what music from today will be considered classic rock? Here are five rock acts that I think won’t be leaving the radio anytime soon.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
There are few rock outfits that people have as much admiration for as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their spastic funk jams are the perfect happy-go-lucky music for road trips. (Do you think we’ll still have those in the future?) The band dates back to the ‘80s yet remains as relevant as ever today. Songs like “Scar Tissue” and “Under the Bridge” have become automatic sing-a-longs, and even less popular hits like “Zephyr Song” have a great timelessness to them. I anticipate my future children knowing every word to “Can’t Stop” like I do.

Kings of Leon
If the Kings of Leon don’t disband and keep churning out the radio hits we love, then you can count on them still being on the airwaves in 40 years. With the exception of their recent tour cancellation, the guys are masters of the road. If they aren’t in the studio, then they are usually on tour somewhere in the world, which helps them stay in the spotlight. My prediction is “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” will be sung at karaoke bars and danced to by strippers for many more years to come. (Personally, I’d dance to “Crawl.”)

Read More...

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Anthony Kiedis Joins The Justin Bieber Fan Club!

Posted 7/27/11 1:30 pm EST by in Justin Bieber, red-hot-chili-peppers

Justin Bieber

The ever-growing Justin Bieber fan club has two new members. Please send Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis and legendary music producer (with an even more legendary beard) Rick Rubin their autographed poster.

In a recent chat, the rocker confessed to feeling a bit teary-eyed when he watched the Bieber documentary "Never Say Never," which takes an in-depth look at the teen's rise to fame and features him shaking his floppy hair in 3D and performing some of his biggest hits at Madison Square Garden.

One moment in particular really moved the man. "I sat on an airplane recently, coming from Hawaii to Los Angeles, with Rick Rubin just across the aisle, watching the Justin Bieber movie, 'Never Say Never.' I cried twice during that film and I want the world to know that!" he told Q magazine, via Spinner.

"They were doing this very cheesy giveaway of concert tickets to 16-year-old girls," he continued. "The cheesiness didn't matter – it was the reaction of the kids. When you saw those little girls crying deliriously, I lost it."

Tony and Ricky are only the latest members of a group of superstars that are surprising Bieber fans. Hip-hop heavyweights like RZA, Diddy, Ludacris, Kanye West and Chris Brown have stepped up and not only given props to the singer, but also, in a few cases, hooked up with him on tracks. Read More...

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Red Hot Chili Peppers And Mr. Brainwash Collabo: The Latest Musician/Artist Venture

Posted 7/14/11 1:30 pm EST by in collaborations, red-hot-chili-peppers

Red Hot chili Peppers

By Zachary Swickey

California rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers are gearing up for the release of their newest rock/funk masterpiece, I’m With You, and have acquired the services of famous street artist Mr. Brainwash to help promote the album with some Pepper-themed guerilla marketing.

TMZ reports that Mr. Brainwash, real name Thierry Guetta, has been in the Los Angeles area hanging art work that bears the album’s release date (8/30/11), the Chili Peppers logo and a bit of Guetta’s signature pop flare. With his bumbling charm (and wicked facial hair), Guetta essentially starred in the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, which was directed by the notoriously stealth Banksy, who picked up an Oscar nom for Best Documentary for his efforts. RHCP have also recruited Guetta for some other upcoming projects, but the artist was hush when pressed for details.

Collaborating with an artist has become a booming trend. Old timer Roger Waters hired street artists to promote his recent tour behind Pink Floyd’s iconic double album The Wall. Even professional companies and prestigious museums have been known to commission controversial artists. Here are some of our favorite band/artist collabs that all provide some great eye candy.

Interpol and David Lynch

Interpol did something special at this year’s Coachella festival when they worked on a video collaboration with the mysterious David Lynch, director of creepy cult faves like Blue Velvet, Lost Highway and Twin Peaks. The band played along to a short film Lynch directed for the group’s song “Lights,” off their recent self-titled record. The black-and-white animated clip contains a quirky character that repeatedly pushes a red button that makes its color burst all over the screen. In typical Lynch fashion, it will leave you thinking WTF?

Read More...

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Red Hot Chili Peppers Join Long List Of Bands That Almost Broke Up

Posted 6/27/11 11:18 am EST by in Breakups, red-hot-chili-peppers

flea

By Zachary Swickey

Flea, the rambunctious bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers has revealed through an interview with Spinner that he recently thought about quitting the band and leaving his tighty-whitey stage antics behind him.

He said he asked his compatriots for a two year sabbatical in order to regroup his thoughts. “We’ve been going really hard for a lot of years with small breaks here and there, but never a major break,” Flea said. “And I just felt like I wanted to take two years away just to really look and see if the band was something we should be doing.”

Flea attributes his friendship with lead singer Anthony Kiedis, which dates back to childhood, as an inspiration and big reason for his decision to continue making music. “I said, ‘Together let’s do this, let’s make this album, I love you, and let’s f**king rock.’ And as cliché as that might sound, I think for us as a band, and for he and I, both of us, we decided to do it.”

As most RHCP fans are already aware, the group plans on releasing their new album, I’m With You, on Aug. 30, their first with new ex-Warpaint guitarist Josh Klinghoffer – who replaces John Frusciante, who left the group in 2009.

The near-breakup experience of the Red Hot Chili Peppers seems to be a rite of passage that almost every band faces. Some almost breakup in between every album they create. Here are some more groups that claim they almost didn’t make it for a variety of different reasons. Read More...

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Red Hot Chili Peppers Singer's Rock-And-Roll Life To Become HBO Series

Posted 11/12/08 12:32 pm EST by in red-hot-chili-peppers

Anthony Kiedis

His dad was a small-time 1970s Los Angeles drug dealer known as "Spider" who hung out with rock stars and had a parade of girlfriends, one of whom he encouraged his then-12-year-old son to take topless photos of, but only after he'd gotten the tyke properly stoned. A year later, dear old dad arranged for his boy to lose his virginity, and, well, the rest is history. Or will be soon, as Variety reported today that Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis' colorful rock-and-roll upbringing will be the basis of an HBO series tentatively titled "Scar Tissue."
Read More...

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Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea Could Be Your Classmate At USC

Posted 9/30/08 5:12 pm EST by in red-hot-chili-peppers

By Elena Torres

Ever since I was 13 and bought the Californication CD back in 1999, I've always found some kind of weird way to identify with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Since then I've seen them in concert three times, bought every CD they've ever made, read Anthony Kiedis' autobiography "Scar Tissue" and done everything else that goes along with being a superfan.

This weekend I got to add another item to my list of personal RHCP milestones: I got to interview Flea. The band's bassist held a charity event for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, and MTV News was invited to the shindig. The Chili Peppers are currently on hiatus, and we wanted to get an update on what Flea has been up to in the meantime. Of course I made sure to be there. Read More...

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