Adding this an announcement for anyone who doesn’t know the latest band news, and also to summarise the events now we’ve had time to process shock announcement.
Last weekend, a post appeared on the official band Instagram thanking Josh for his contribution over the last 10 years and saying he was no longer the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It also stated that John Frusciante was returning to the band.
Initially, people thought the account had been hacked and that this announcement was a hoax as it was so sudden and unexpected. To add to the confusion, it didn’t appear on the band’s other social media accounts at the same time, including the official website (it was posted there the following day- UK time at least).
Flea posted the same announcement on his personal Instagram and Twitter accounts shortly afterwards, but many people still weren’t sure it was genuine until James Slovak* publicly confirmed it was. Chad posted the same announcement a few hours later. (* Hillel’s brother. James, I believe, works for QPrime, RHCP’s management team, and that’s the most likely reason he knew the post was genuine).
No details are given on the announcement and it merely states the band is “parting ways” with Josh. No mention is even given of Josh leaving to pursue his solo career which would have been the logical explanation given the recent release of his Pluralone CD.
As for details, the same account is circulating from numerous sources and that is John requested to rejoin the band and since that was agreed, there was no longer a position for Josh. If true, whether Josh left of his own accord, or was asked to leave, isn’t known. The only definite is that John was photographed with Flea in the summer (July) so they have been back in contact recently.
How long John has actually been back in the band again isn’t known. It might be starting with the announcement, or they might have been together for a while, or he might have been working with just one band member initially and it led from there.
As for the forthcoming expected RHCP album, Flea recently stated during one of his promotional interviews for his memoir, ‘Acid For The Children,’ that an album will be released next year in 2020. There have been various mentions that the band are working on an album. The most recent comment about the actual process was, ironically now, from Josh at the Ohana Festival a couple of months ago (29th September), stating work was slow due to family commitments of the other band members. It certainly sounded like he was part of the process then and people at that point assumed he was as there was no reason to think otherwise. Some fans are now speculating that work has already begun with John, but there is currently no actual evidence for this.
An interview with Josh is due to be aired on 5th January so maybe more details about his departure will be made public then. No member of the band has commented publicly at the time of writing this. Flea has tweeted a few things about loving Josh and about his solo work, but nothing about the reasons for his departure.
As for Josh, for those of you concerned about him, I’ve had word back saying he is fine and I know a couple of other fan pages have had the same message too.
The Announcement:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers announce that we are parting ways with our guitarist of the past ten years, Josh Klinghoffer. Josh is a beautiful musician who we respect and love. We are deeply grateful for our time with him, and the countless gifts he shared with us.
We also announce, with great excitement and full hearts, that John Frusciante is rejoining our group.
Thank you.
