However little you may think of the nowadays more-or-less declasse (in indie circles, anyway) punk/funk band Red Hot Chili Peppers, if you're a pop music lover it's still pretty hard to ignore the seemingly extraterrestrial talent of their lead guitarist/songwriter John Frusciante. John's immense contributions to multi platinum recordings such as 'By The Way,' 'Californication,' & 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' have been critically hailed as beautiful and even at times staggering.
He's written a string of incredibly catchy pop tunes that have dominated AOR radio in recent years, and as L.A. rock icons go, John surely sealed his infamy in the 1990's during a six-year heroin habit that nearly cost him his life. In person, John has a reputation for being soft-spoken and often slightly less than coherent. This is a man who's said he lives in the fifth dimension, and judging by my conversation with him, it's easy to believe that's true.
I talked with him to discuss his new solo record, his recent work with legendary producer Brian Eno, his new band with Fugazi bassist Joe Lally, his upcoming performance at All Tomorrows' Parties with Jim O'Rourke & Vincent Gallo, creativity and madness, and his newfound love of the modular synthesizer.
-Evan C Chase
