The John Frusciante Experience

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John Frusciante is the lead guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, an amazing guitarist that has a distinct tone. High overdrive, fuzz, Wah, he balances the use of such harsh effects so finely to express his emotions organically on the guitar. He is my guitar hero and he has inspired me and countless other individuals to pick up the guitar.

I'm a huge fan of musicians that can do improvisation, it started back when I was 16, introduced to Jimmy Page playing Dazed and Confused using a violin bow at Madison Garden in 1973. I was amazed at the band's ability to catch on to one another's melody and groove so seamlessly - John Paul Jones's bass and John Bonham's drums providing constant rhythm, Jimmy Page's experimental, playful, yet melodic solos that puts you in a trance, and Robert Plant adding on flavors with soulful and powerful screams.

Similarly, when watching the Chili Peppers live performances, I felt that familiar experience and joy of being lost in the moment, enjoying the tight groove of the band. I love how they always kick off the show with an introduction jam, and it's amazing to see how the band blends together, giving space for each other to shine, and hyping the audience up.

Flea is a monster bassist and Chad is always there to catch on and provide killer fills on the drums, but it is John's playing that always kept me on the edge of my seat, no matter how many times I watch him play. He always has a way to play the right notes, evoking emotions through his guitar playing - anger, grief, happiness, a whole range felt from him. One moment he can be all soothing and melodic, then BAM, he's shredding and making the meanest sound.

Let's dive into my discovery of John Frusciante, his influences and what makes him stand out to me as my favorite guitarist.

How it started

Back in 2019, I was looking to discover new music artists discography. I have always heard of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, it's one of those band names that just sticks in your head, even though you never really dug them. There was one song of theirs that I heard before, "Under the bridge". I first heard it on the American sitcom, "The Big Bang Theory", where Raj was singing the chorus of the song. My initial impression of RHCP was that it was a mellow, soft rock band, but my view changed after hearing their live performances.

Anyways, I got onto Youtube, and played a 1 hour video of the "Greatest Hits of The RHCP" while I was doing my programming assignments. It was a breath of fresh air, hearing hits after hits that gave off a familiar vibe upon my first time listening. "Snow", "Dani California", "By the Way", I was bopping to the tunes.

Then I got into the live performances, starting off with their 2007 Live Earth in London. The opening jam was so powerful, it started off slow and a bit funky with muted chops, and slowly the jam built up over a minute with Chad Smith driving the tempo up, and John just went absolutely ham, playing with so much distortion and fuzz, evoking emotions with his guitar. The tune got me pumped for the rest of the show, where they played "Can't Stop", their classic opening number.

Their live performance was amazing, and that's the characteristic of every great rock band I have gotten into.

The next live performance of theirs that I stumbled upon was their 2002 Concert at Slane Castle, a concert regarded as one of their best live performances ever, and one that I would say, rivals Led Zeppelin's 1973 Concert at Madison Square Gardens. This live performance was amazing from start to end, each song was played with tasteful improvisation, John played with great panache that played with great panache that day. From the opening jam, to By The Way, and an amazing transition to Scar Tissue that had amazing solos, the music was better than the studio version.

When a band plays their music live better than the studio version, that's the characteristic of a legendary band.

I continued to explore more over time, listening to various live performances, hearing whole albums and getting really into the band. I also reveled in the fact that John might sneak in a cover song during the concert. It made me appreciate old/new tunes from a different angle. It was an exciting discovery for me.

Diving Deeper into Frusciante

As all musicians that am engrossed with, I like to read their backstory. I start by scouring the internet for documentaries and interviews related to the band.

John Frusciante's trajectory as a guitarist exemplifies both the heights of musical genius and the perils of sudden fame. He was a talented guitarist since young, he learnt how to play Hendrix tunes on the guitar, as well as other artistes tunes whom he admired.

An extremely introverted man, he functions differently from the regular person. He was always dedicated to his music craft and always thought in abstract ways, a spiritual individual often manifesting in discussions of spiritual experiences and dimensional consciousness. The guitarist's initial tenure with the Red Hot Chili Peppers came to an abrupt end in 1992, overwhelmed by the band's meteoric rise to mainstream success.

The subsequent period marked a dark chapter in Frusciante's life, documented starkly in Johnny Depp's film "Stuff," which captured the musician in the throes of addiction and isolation. John appeared distraught and unable to speak coherently. During that period, he continued to release his debut solo album Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt, an avant-garde work. Honestly, I can't really appreciate it, other than the tune Untitled 2.

Fun Fact: A notable historical connection exists between Frusciante, Johnny Depp, and River Phoenix, who formed a creative circle in the early 1990s. While all three shared musical aspirations, Depp and Phoenix ultimately found their primary success in acting.

Honestly, I am just really thankful that John did not die during those years of drug addiction. He was very close to joining the 27 Club. He went through rehab and joined back the band in 1999, producing the Californication album. During that period, he was still regaining his arm strength that he lost throughout the years of addiction, hence the songs on the album were slower and mellow. It added much versatility to the Chili's discography.

After that, the band went on to release By the Way in 2002, and Stadium Arcadium in 2006, two absolutely stunning records. I particularly liked John's live jam sessions during the Stadium Arcadium era. These two albums adding more hits to the band's discography, cementing them as one of the greatest rock bands. My favorite tune is Wet Sand, the guitar solo is just amazing.

Apart from the band materials, John was also juggling his own solo materials on the side. It allowed him to be more experimental, as he also inclined towards electronic music towards the late 2000s. I very much enjoy his solo work, especially from the albums Curtains, The Will to Death, and The Empyrean.

In 2009, he would leave the band for a second time, only to rejoin again at the end of 2019 much to everyone's surprise. I honestly thought that he was never coming back, and I am stoked that he did so during a period where I was really into the band. The band would go on to release 2 albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen. Although I did not truly jive with these albums, they had some good songs that made it into their concert song list, such as Black Summer, and especially Eddie, a tribute song for the late Eddie Van Halen. John's guitar style has changed a bit, as he incorporates more tapping and pinch harmonics into his playing, simple and subtle nuances that fit perfectly.

I had the privilege to catch him live twice - 2023 Singapore National Stadium and 2024 Tokyo Dome, and more to come while they still perform 🤘.

Inspiring others - Dave Simpson

Frusciante also inspired multiple guitarists across the web, who post their covers of RHCP songs (both studio and live performances). I play the guitar, and I wanted to learn as much Chili Peppers songs as I could. Everyone who is a Frusciante fan would have come across the great Dave Simpson.

I benefited greatly from the lessons posted by Dave Simpson, who is an amazing guitarist himself, one that deserves way more attention for his prowess and generosity in sharing guitar knowledge. Check out his "How to play like John Frusciante" Youtube playlist, it is a great resource and each lesson dives into a song or an essential technique that John uses. Dave also shares great insights on his amp settings and pedals to achieve John's tone.

Besides posting great learning resources for the "people of the tube" (a phrase Dave loves to use to address his viewers), he also makes me look forward to the 5th of March each year. It is John's birthday, and each year, Dave posts an amazing guitar video to dedicate to John, my favorite being the 2022 version. These guitar pieces are amazing, you can see John's style in his playing, and he always manages to sneak in an iconic guitar fill or solo from John's live performance.

Of course, there are other notable Youtube channels that I enjoy too, I will just list them here so you can check them out:

Notable Clips to Watch

I have compiled a list of John's best live performances in my opinion, some are songs, guitar jams, guitar cover songs, and some are just full concert performances. The song Eddie is always a banger when played live, as well as any intro jams at the start of the concert. John always plays differently each time, and it never sounds mundane.

Songs

Jams

Concerts

Conclusion

That's all for my John Frusciante appreciation post. I am writing as of February 2025, the band is currently on tour hiatus. I do hope they continue to release new materials and go on tour for as long as possible. I will be sure to catch their live concerts as much as possible too. I am also stoked for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, perhaps they might perform during the opening ceremony?

I have plenty of musicians that I admire and look up to, but Frusciante has the top spot. His music has helped me tide over COVID period and other dark times in my life. His songs constantly motivates me to pick up my guitar to play from time to time. Hope you guys might find some of the recommended music video interesting!

Rock on 🤘😜

#personal #music #guitar