Legendary songwriter Desmond Child recently recalled when the Red Hot Chili Peppers candidly said that they would never work with him.
Desmond is certainly one of the most prolific songwriters in modern music. However, compared to guys like Max Martin, he’s been far more focused on the rock side of things. Of course, we’re talking about the absolute mainstream of rock music, guys like Aerosmith, Kiss, Alice Cooper, and Bon Jovi, just to name a few.
Apart from that, Child has also worked with Katy Perry, Hall & Oates, Jonas Brothers, and even Ricky Martin for his smash hit song “Livin’ la Vida Loca.”
However, in a recent chat on the Produce Like a Pro podcast, Desmond recalled one particular band not being very keen on working with him. When the interviewer said how he must be the “first call for pretty much everybody” back in the 1980s, Desmond said that that’s not really the case and recalled (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):
“I remember listening to some — or reading some — interview of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And they said, ‘Well, we would never write with Desmond Child.’ It’s like, okay, then I won’t write with you then. I don’t know. I mean, they’re great too, but maybe they didn’t need me.”
Of course, back in those days, Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the bands achieving massive success in the more “alternative” waters and were the exact opposite of the kind of a band that would deliberately hire a hitmaker songwriter. But going off on that, Desmond looked back on his career and the way of work, offering:
“But the thing is that I’m also quick. I capture the idea, and I’m able to quickly get things to happen. So it’s not like I’m working on a song for decades and playing one string at a time to make a chord. There are producers that are very meticulous and all of that, and their records are fantastic. But I’m much more of a spontaneous creator.”
“I was lucky enough to have a manager, Winston Simone who helped me to navigate through which ones to do, which ones not to do, which ones I was most suited for. Or, at least even if I wasn’t the most suited for, that would be the most challenging, would be a worthwhile experience.”
