An artist who breathes through his art, one of those guitarists who can make the instrument speak. John Anthony Frusciante is mostly known as the main character behind the rise of one of the most loved groups of our time - Red Hot Chili Peppers. A brilliant musician and impressive personality. A star unspoiled by glory, even denying it for the purity of art. John was born in New York where he spent his childhood listening to Jimmy Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and Kepton Beifhart and trying to repeat on his guitar what he heard. His first song is written in 9 (its name is 'Fuck You To Jose' and is directed to a guy he played baseball earlier), and in the seventh grade he could play all of Hendricks, to which he has managed to get. He spent between 10 and 15 hours a day exercising his skills with the instrument for years until he decided to move to Hollywood, where his life was overturning.
At that time Red Hot Chili Peppers are the most recognizable group on the club scene in town. Their concerts are wild, but somehow intimate - the band is able to convey the way it feels to the audience. Frusciante is quickly fascinated by this atmosphere and becomes their fan. Upon his arrival in California he drastically reduces the time spent on improving the skills of the guitar. The reason? He finds his next great love, which marks a decade of his life and almost takes him away - cocaine. On days when he fails to buy drugs, he opens David Bowie's magazines, where cocaine is a major topic. In his words - looking at the photos, he managed to reach almost the same condition as he is when he is overlaid. At the age of 18, in 1988, Frusciante faced a dilemma: Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillary Slovakia just died from an overdose and the place was released, and at the same time one of John's childhood idols - Frank Zappa - invited him to play together. Buoyed by the prospect of living at full speed as a true Rock N 'Roll star, he decides to join the California group to devote himself entirely to music, drugs and girls. This choice gives him the right to arbitrariness that would not have been allowed at Zappa. So it's time for Red Hot Chili Peppers to become the band that will be loved from the whole world.
First period at Red Hot Chili Peppers
Right since they met, John and band bassist Flea fit perfectly. The creativity that the two of them have brought together in one place is mind-blowing, and this is noticed at first glance. There are two fast albums that conquer the world: Mother's Milk (1989) and Blood Sugar Sex Magic (1991) create an absolute furor in the industry. The second one exceeds seven million sales. The fabulous compositions of Frusciante are the basis of these successes. He breaks the funnery nature of the band without taking it completely, and adds new colors to the palette of sounds in their music, 'Under The Bridge' is a brilliant example of this. Anthony Kiddis says John is the person he has worked with most easily throughout his life:
We just sat down on the ground, I was giving him a sheet of paper I had written and he was playing. I asked him if he could recreate a feeling in the melody and a moment later we had a song ready.
Depression and dependence
In 1993, Johnny Depp and Gibson Hines from Butthole Surfers make a short film about the life of Frusciante at that time called 'Stuff'. They guide us in John's apartment, which is full of mess - the walls are filled with drawings and inscriptions, the earth is buried in diaries, notebooks and all sorts of objects. In 1994, Frusciante first appeared in front of the camera after leaving Red Hot Chili Peppers. Scarcely weak, barely standing in his seat, staggering, pale as a dead man, and rotting his teeth. However, he accepts it and he is even proud of being addicted by saying he feels better than ever. He also likes his body - like a skeleton covered with fur, because that's the look of Bowie in 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'. In this period he writes an average of two notebooks per week, finding them all sorts of things - drawings, poems, thoughts, scripts for movies, even mathematical tasks. Whatever he claims, the cadres show something else and it is a miracle that he has not just become one of the great artists who have lost their young lives. In spite of his condition, however, he speaks relatively clearly and meaningfully, as an extremely strong part of the conversation is the moment when it comes to Kurt Cobain's death
Purify and return to Red Hot Chili Peppers
Frusciante remains dependent for another two years until his friends finally convince him to go to a clinic. Fortunately, by entering the clinic, this page of his life is closed. In 1998, John restored his contacts with Fly and the band decided to invite him again. He accepts quickly and the four of them together with Chad and Anthony are working on a new album. This album? 'Californication'. More than 5 million copies have been sold. Shortly after 'By the Way' and 'Stadium Arcadium', while Frusciante did not stop working on his solo work, side projects and movie soundtracks, he often played back the stage, Anthony. The guitarist's second period in the band lasted almost 12 years. Separation this time is lighter and does not bring bad feelings.
Solo career
As a solo artist, John has 12 albums, many of which have been released while working with RHCP. His solo stuff lacks the funky look of the band, the music is more relaxed and melodic, even though it is dotted with the familiar solos and does not lack energy in it. His most successful album is 'Shadows Collide with People' (2004), followed immediately by 'The Empyrean' (2009), which features the current Red Hot guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Not to mention the non-apocrypse that Frusciante approached in some of his songs. He has never been influenced by what people think about his music, and this is evident from the way he sings in some of the tracks. He is not afraid to sing falsely and to scream in places if he feels he should do so. True, sometimes it is difficult to listen, but this thinking beyond the limits of the usual just enriches the image of him.