Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist and longtime friend John Frusciante joins bandmate Flea on the latest episode of This Little Light to talk about his musical roots and evolution, and the path that led him to join the band back in 1988.
LISTEN NOW: This Little Light: John Frusciante
Flea describes Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante at the onset of their talk as "a powerful creative force... a huge part of our best records as a songwriter, as a virtuoso, as a powerful light... and the greatest musician he's ever played with," admitting they share a musical connection unlike any in his life before. Aside from his work with RHCP, John's 15 solo records and numerous collaborations have made him a "music dynamo" in Flea's opinion. "A river of music flows through him, and he's always expressing it."
As this podcast has focused on the musical inspiration and education of his guests over 15 episodes now, Flea dives into the teachers and techniques that helped and harmed John as he learned to play and perform, and eventually gained the trust in himself necessary to "let his light shine," and truly find his voice as a musician.
John met Flea when he was just 18, and the two have been friends and on-and-off bandmates ever since, joining the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1988 following the death of Hilel Slovak and appearing on 1989's Mother's Milk and 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik before leaving due to a heroin addiction and rejoining again in 1998.
Growing up and taking lessons with numerous teachers since a young age, John says he "had this feeling that he was going to be a guitar player one day, in a band and all that stuff, but when you're 14-15 years old, there's the question in your mind of, 'What do I have to say?'" Thinking of guitar masters of the day like Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Jeff Beck, and others, he admits he struggled to find his own place in the big picture. "I had to figure this out..."
John says he finally felt as though he found his true sound, "probably not until we started writing Blood Sugar [Sex Magic]," he says, after joining the Chili Peppers, touring, and then hitting the studio for their second album together. "I used to just attach my identity to these other [guitarists]... and that became my identity... but I didn't have any vision of myself."
"Blood Sugar," he says, "was the first time when we started writing that I just relaxed. I had a couple of turning point moments where a lot of little things were occurring to me at the same time. I got into the Television 'Marquee Moon' album and heard how powerful guitar soloing can be... that you could say a lot by playing really simply, and almost in a feminine kind of way. Somehow I had missed that album, and when I got it, it made a huge impression on me. I was listening to The [Rolling] Stones one day... 'Sympathy For the Devil,' and I was like, 'No guitar solo is better than that. That's as great of a guitar solo as a guitar solo could be, and just listen to what he's doing and how sloppy it is!' I just threw everything out the window..."
Listen to the full This Little Light podcast episode with John Frusciante now on the free Audacy app.
Hosted by Flea, founding member and bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, This Little Light is a podcast about falling in love with music. Flea interviews musical guests from all genres to discuss the teachers who guided them, the influences that inspired them, and how the lessons they learned as young musicians have shaped their creativity, resilience, and careers. The podcast is produced by Cadence13 and Parallel, with proceeds benefiting the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that Flea co-founded in 2001.
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