To celebrate the 30th anniversary of BSSM’s release:
And Finally! RHCP with Frusciante…
On the 30th anniversary of the release of Blood Sugar Sex Magik yesterday, RHCP released a new video and three new photos with John Frusciante… like buses there’s nothing for ages and then a load come along at once! The photos were taken by Flea’s daughter, Clara Balzary.
The video is a spoof newsroom announcement of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2022 world tour and new album. Flea and Anthony Kiedis are the presenters Todd the Squirrel and Johnson Hammerswaddle respectively, John Frusciante cameos as himself for the special guest slot, while Chad Smith is Randy Raindrops the weatherman.
An email has also been sent out if you have subscribed to the news update service on the official RHCP website mentioning the 2022 tour and new album:
Rick Rubin Comments on the New RHCP Album
Rubin was talking on the Chris Jericho podcast and he has confirmed what we already assumed since both Flea and Chad have posted photos from his studio. Rubin is working on the new RHCP album. Here is the transcript of the relevant parts:
Transcript
CJ: When you worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, how do you corral them? I know you’ve worked with them for so many years. What was your role? I know they are obviously very artistic and very free in their jams and their song writing. Where did you fit in?
RR: It still is. We’re finishing the new album right now.
CJ: Ah, you’re working on the new record with them?
RR: Frusciante is back in the band.
CJ: I know that…
RR: And it’s unbelievable.
CJ: Chad is one of the best people on the planet. Just great… and one of the best drummers in the world and you know as you use them all the time
RR: Absolutely. I went to the first rehearsal that I was invited to after John re-joined the band and it made me cry. It was so thrilling seeing that group of people back together coz they just made such great music for such a long time together. It just hit me in an emotional way.
So with the Peppers we just talk about songs. They have really good habits in that they write lots of songs. It is something I’d say we probably developed together from the beginning; this idea of overwriting. You know, if there’s going to be twelve songs on an album, they might write fifty, they might write a hundred to find those twelve. And they we just talk, they play for me in rehearsal. We talk about song strengths, weaknesses, how to make them better, where they work, where they don’t and then we try new stuff. I don’t necessarily have the way to fix them, I just say what I think. I notice where the weaknesses are and just say, “This part going into that part doesn’t sound so good. Is there a better way to do it?” And then they come up with a better way.
***
The interviewer chats and mentions some albums ending with Stadium Arcadium.
RR: I hope you like the new stuff. If think if you like Stadium you might like this
CJ: Frusciante to me is like Adrian Smith in Iron Maiden or Phil Rudd in AC/DC, without that integral part, people might not realise but Frusciante is the Chili Peppers. Hopefully everything is cool coz they brought him back a third time and that rarely happens in rock ‘n’ roll.
RR: And I would say that’s the combination. It’s when Flea and John play together something magic happens. When Chad plays with Flea and John, something magic happens. When Anthony sings based on what those guys play, it sounds like the Chili Peppers. And there are some flavours where it happens on the new album and it’s like, “Oh my God! Nobody else sounds like that. So quintessentially Chili Peppers…
You can hear the podcast here: Episode link
It’s All So Quiet!
The website is still “active” just to let people know- there’s just been no reliable news to post on RHCP generally other than band members doing individual things. I won’t post paparazzi photos out of respect for band members. The official RHCP website is allowing people to sign up for news on the planned tour for next year but that’s about it for now- the album will not be out for a fair while yet (I know rumour and gossip have been saying this summer/#soon but it is only gossip and not accurate).
I saw Flea’s book in a local store this week- I didn’t even know it had been released in paperback. It was £10.99 for anyone in Britain who is interested (it looked “fragile” so maybe paying the little extra for the hardback might be a better idea as I think the book spine would split easily).
Rest In Peace Blackie Dammett
Rest in Peace
Blackie Dammett/ John Kiedis
“Lord of the Sunset Strip”
7th December 1939-12th May 2021
The cruelty that is dementia has reached its inevitable end and Blackie, so sadly, passed away earlier today (12th May).
I know many of us here have fond memories of Blackie as the Head Honcho of the RHCP fan club. Others will have memories of someone who went on to become a dear friend, whether in real life or online. Some will know him as an actor and some of you will be family. You may only know him as the father of Anthony Kiedis and may have possibly have read his autobiography, ‘Lords of the Sunset Strip.’ He was also a talented artist, a collector of skulls and a champion of wolf dogs…
Blackie was a flamboyant, larger than life, character who blazed his own trail through life. His life certainly wasn’t conventional- nor was his method of parenting- and had its rollercoaster of ups and downs, but in later years he very much found his place leading the tribe of RHCP rockinfreakapotomi as president of the official fan club. He didn’t just produce the fan club magazine or organise meet-ups, but there was often a personal aspect too with individual letters or little mementos sent out to fans along the way. Blackie was an amazing link between the band and the RHCP fan base, and since his retirement, he has been very much missed having left a huge void in his wake.
I personally have missed my chats with Blackie about art and literature, & the crazy details of his life and his latest exploits. Helping with his book was fun and I was so delighted to be mentioned in the credits.
My thoughts and love, and I’m sure those of many of us, go to all of Blackie’s family and friends at this sad time, but especially to Peggy, Anthony, Everly Bear, Julie and Jen.
Rest in peace, my friend. Our friend. Head Honcho.
Rebecca
RHCP 2021 Festival Dates Cancelled?
The official RHCP website recently removed all festival dates already booked from the tour section apart from the Funkyard festival in Israel. That festival has since been postponed with attempts to arrange a new date. When I checked yesterday, all dates have now been removed with the page now stating, “There are no upcoming dates.”
Flea Interviewed by His Daughter
From 23rd April:
Flea was interviewed by his daughter, Sunny, during a pop-up musical event for The Thacher School. You can watch the interview HEREIt’s hard to hear the actual questions, but it seems he’s talking about his favourite part of music making process or being in the band at 38:08-39:18
Around 39:32 he mentions the band again. He says they’ve been a band for nearly 40 years now, but laughs and says people “keep quitting and leaving” so that they “always have to kinda reinvent and it makes it different every time”.
Then at 47:08 until 48:52 he talks about how he got the nickname Flea and explains Anthony most likely gave it to him although he’s not totally sure because some of his other friends also tried to take the credit for it.
He talks about the band again around 57:58 until about 1:00:48.
About a minute after that, they perform Mellowship Slinky. There are a few other mentions e.g. Hillel teaching him to play bass.
Many thanks to Sister Witch for the link and all the details.
RHCP Cancel Funkyard Festival Appearance for 2021
Unsurprisingly, the Red Hot Chili Peppers appearance at the re-scheduled Funkyard Festival date in Tel Aviv, Israel for 2021 has been cancelled for this year.
Due to the coronavirus crisis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers band will not be able to hold their planned performances in Europe this summer, among them the concert at the Funkyard Festival in Tel Aviv, planned for June 23
We are doing everything we can to set a new date for the expected festival, and will continue to update soon with more details and a new date.
It’s important for us to emphasize:
In recent weeks, the production has made every effort to continue and hold the original date, with the return of the farm to ?? full activity ?.
Unfortunately, the situation in Europe does not allow the band to hold this year’s tour, and therefore the production commissioned on a rescheduled date.
Tickets for the Punkyard Festival are sold out and thanks to the trust you’ve given us so far in choosing to wait – it’s not obvious!
In this position we want to thank you and hope that most of you will choose this again to allow us to make the tedious wait so that you will be especially worth it.
Q & A about postponement of the show and the different options >> https://bit.ly/3noqOdr
Source: Live Nation Israel Facebook
Are RHCP only playing Israel this year?
I’ve been checking the official Red Hot Chili Peppers’ website over the last couple of weeks (mostly in surprise that it hadn’t been updated and festivals which had been cancelled were showing as going ahead), and all the booked dates for 2021 were still showing a few days ago – including ones where the festival has been cancelled by the organisers.
However, the website has recently been updated and is now only showing the Funkyard Festival in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 23rd June. All other dates have been removed including the festivals which have not (yet) been cancelled by their organisers.
It could be just a glitch, or even that Funkyard has confirmed and the other festivals haven’t, but currently only the one date is listed. There could be a number of reasons and it doesn’t necessarily mean they are only playing Israel (or that Funkyard itself is a definite), but the other festivals are not currently showing.
Guess it’s a case of watch this space.
Source: redhotchilipeppers.com Tour
2021 Ejeck Festival Cancelled
RHCP were due to play this year’s Ejeck Festival in Greece after it was postponed from last year. Sadly, it’s another festival that’s fallen to the ongoing pandemic and this year’s festival has now been cancelled too. You can keep tickets for 2022 or apply for a refund.
