Red Hot Chili Peppers Reveal If John Frusciante Was Responsible For Radio Hits

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Anthony Kiedis discussed John Frusciante and Chad Smith’s roles in Red Hot Chili Peppers becoming a radio friendly band in a recent Woody Show Q&A. Alternative Nation transcribed Kiedis’ comments.

“We really had no concept of longevity, or other levels of success, or being on the radio, or selling records. We just knew that artistically, energetically, creatively, as a brotherhood we had succeeded, and that was pretty apparent to us. Then along the way there were many many different odd stages of peaks and valleys. Anytime you write a song, you feel like you’ve succeeded in life as a musician because you woke up in the morning with nothing, and you go to sleep and all of a sudden you have this valuable beautiful thing that just materialized.

So we were kind of cruising, and then when Chad [Smith] joined the band in 1988, this whole new avenue opened up that we didn’t contemplate prior to Chad coming, which was being on the radio, something about the way he [played.] And John [Frusciante], but Chad had a particular way of playing that kind of expanded our horizons, as well as our melodious six stringer Frusciante.

So then we started doing this whole other thing that we didn’t even know existed, or didn’t eve care about too much. We were sort of the king of the clubs. But really it’s more about the creative accomplishment of getting together and playing music. It makes you feel like you made it.”