April 28, 2019

Me and My Friends #4 - Rising again in 1998, part 2

Hi friends,

I suggested in the last edition of this newsletter that Dave Navarro was fired from the Red Hot Chili Peppers earlier than the band would like us to believe, and that likewise, John Frusciante returned a little earlier than the “official” date of April 29, 1998.

As luck would have it, the day I clicked send on that letter I saw this Youtube comment from Dave Lee, John and Dave’s former guitar tech (which I’ve edited for brevity):

I was John’s (and Dave Navarro’s) guitar tech with the peppers. Dave Navarro wasn’t really fired. He also didn’t really quit. He was having some serious problems, and his time in the peppers kind of just ended. We were doing rehearsals for a short run to Denver and Alaska, and it was clear things were not working out. I gave Dave a ride home that day as he was in no condition to be driving. When I went back to the studio the other guys were still there. Flea said to Anthony “John says he wouldn’t be opposed to coming back.” Anthony said “Wouldn’t be opposed?” We laughed. I asked Flea, “Can he do it?” Flea said “He seems to think so.” That’s how it went down. I went to work for Ozzy (Joe Holmes) for a few months while they worked with John. By the time I got back, John was in. I was his tech, and they started writing the Californication record. The rest I guess is history.

Dave’s recounting history is a little fuzzy here, which is fair enough. They were never planning on going to Denver, but the band did rehearse for shows in Hawaii and Alaska. They cancelled those shows once when Anthony broke his wrist, another time when Chad dislocated his shoulder, and for a third and final time after it became clear that the band didn’t have their shit together. Those third cancellations are what Dave Lee is referring to above, and were the site of the falling-over-the-amp story in Scar Tissue, and spoken about by Dave Navarro here.

If what he’s said is accurate, Dave Lee basically confirms all of my suspicions; John’s name was tossed around much earlier than the band implied, and that he didn’t just return to their minds once Dave left. I think, if anything, Dave was asked to leave once it became clear that John was ready to play in a band again. Lee mentions going to work for Ozzy Osborne, who played in February 1998, and when he returned, John was back. The timeline matches pretty much perfectly.

However, Lee also said in another interview that he had no idea that John had returned to the band when he did. But these recollections aren’t mutually exclusive. Just something to ruminate on. Here’s an interview with Anthony in June 1998 that seems to be the beginning of their agreed upon story appearing in the press, that John’s name only came up once Dave had left.

Who do we believe? Does it matter?

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One more little curio: I stated earlier that Anthony had his dates wrong when he said that the band went to Hawaii to rehearse and write music in early 1998, and that he was actually talking about a trip that took place in 1996.

According to this interview with Chad, the band did go to Hawaii in October of 1997, and it was a miserable time. Perhaps that’s the trip Anthony was referring to in Scar Tissue, though I wonder if it really was the month of October, seeing as Jane’s Addiction (with Flea on bass) started their tour that month. Round and round we go....

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The Red Hot Chili Peppers reunited with John Frusciante in early 1998 and started playing together again in Flea’s garage. At the time, Flea was living in a house known as The Castle, in Los Feliz. It has a long and fascinating history, especially among musicians. ¹

Here’s an outside shot of the garage where the band rehearsed, taken by Michael Locke:

I was told by somebody who had stayed at the house in the mid-90s that the garage was “opposite the roundabout” but I’m unsure what that means, because that entire structure is one building, and “opposite the roundabout” is the street. I can’t find any shots of the inside of the garage, but there are quite a few listing photos here. It’s probably changed a lot in the meantime, anyhow.

John and Anthony seemed to have done some work prior to these first rehearsals; in Scar Tissue, Anthony mentions working on the early version of “Californication” at John’s Silverlake apartment. This is probably just after he bought John his ‘62 Stratocaster, while Flea was in Costa Rica.

Starting on April 21, the band rehearsed quietly for several weeks, slowly but surely getting a feeling for each other. We’re not sure what songs came first, but if I had to guess, I’d say “Scar Tissue” and “Bunker Hill” were early arrivals. They would have played a million things that were never heard again.

News was slow through May, but in early June things picked up again, and it finally was time for their return:

SHOW #1: KBLT RADIO, SANTA MONICA, CA. JUNE 5, 1998

Show info and download here.

Wanna be one of the first to hear the newly reunited Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first appearance with current – and former – guitarist John Frusciante? Well you can, cause it’s gonna happen next Friday, June 5, at 8 p.m. All you have to do is live within a few miles of Silver Lake in Los Angeles and tune in short-range “pirate” radio station KBLT (104.7 FM), where you’ll hear Frusciante, bassist Flea and singer Anthony Keidis (drummer Chad Smith is on vacation) play a hour-long acoustic performance, broadcast live for “locals only.”

This is a strange artifact, and completely unlike anything the band have done before or since. It seems like it was meant to ephemeral and lost to time; thankfully, a recording was made. A modest performance of three men² licking their wounds in a small house in Santa Monica, easing back into the idea of playing live again. Part of me is mystified about the choice of song selection; why no singles, why those deep cuts³, why so many solo songs, why didn’t they play the kind of songs they would play in D.C. the following week?

But perhaps they were simply reflecting the strange nature of the performance. KBLT was only on air for a few more months, and it was only broadcast to a small geographic area. I don’t think we truly appreciate the fact that a recording of the show circulates; if it didn’t, it would be holy grail material. Of special note are Flea’s tracks - unheard elsewhere. “How Could I Love Myself”⁴ in particular sounds like it could have been on One Hot Minute.

One day I’d love to track down the actual address where the band played. It was in a house on Santa Monica Blvd, but that’s as specific as we can get so far.

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SHOW #2: 9.30 CLUB, WASHINGTON, D.C. JUNE 12, 1998

Show info here.

This is the first real show that the band did back together, and sits in an interesting little pocket of time; no new tracks, mostly uptempo numbers, a real jolt of vitamin C to get them cooking again. Sadly no recordings of the show exist, but there are a number of reviews (one of which includes Anthony quoting “Purple Stain” a year before we heard it!) we can read to get a glimpse as to what it was like (hint: it sounded intense and cathartic).

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SHOW #3: RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C. JUNE 14, 1998

Show info and download here.

This was a big one, and I’m sure you’ve all heard the story behind it; thunderstorm, Pearl Jam saving the day, etc. If there was a biopic, it could end here: it’s a literal sun shining through the clouds moment. Things were gonna be okay.

The best video source is probably this one, but MTV filmed (at least part of) the show professionally, so hopefully that surfaces at some point. Maybe on a deluxe reissue of Californication.

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SHOW #4: BOWERY BALLROOM, NEW YORK, NY. JUNE 16, 1998

Show info here.

Another one of those quick, heavy, punky shows that shows a singular side of the band. Maybe it’s the smaller venue, but this is where the punk in the punk/funk label really comes out. Sadly no download available for this show either, but there are some reviews here. This kind of show feels like the natural progression point from a show like this one; if the band hadn’t made it so big with BSSM, maybe they’d have a career full of shows like these.

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SHOW #5: HOLLYWOOD MOGULS, LOS ANGELES, CA. JUNE 25, 1998

Show info and download here.

From the Los Angeles Times, June 18, 1998. One guess as to who the “pivotal band” is.

A strange one-off. They added two more Iggy Pop songs to their repertoire as a benefit for the upcoming play “Waiting For Iggy”. John played a solo show beforehand. The building is a bar now. A recording is available at that link above, and it’s a short, fun listen.

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After that run of shows in June, the band retired back to their rehearsal studio in Flea’s garage for further writing. Bizarrely, some shows were initially booked for a South American trip, but the whole tour was rescheduled then canceled a month later, and replaced with some more shows closer to home. Around this stage, according to Scar Tissue, Anthony relapsed a couple of times, and to prevent it from happening again, moved in with Flea at the Castle.

Also during this period, they gave up searching for a producer and decided to enlist Rick Rubin to produce their new album, which was due to begin recording in November. They also hooked up with QPrime Management, who they are still with to this day. This was after Lindy Goetz, their longtime manager since 1983, retired.

When they returned to the stage in late July, the band were finally prepared to show off some of the new tracks they had been writing.

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SHOW #6: ARAGON BALLROOM, CHICAGO, IL. JULY 24, 1998

Show info here.

The first of two shows in Chicago, headlining a festival of sorts put on by the Miller brewing company. Here is where four tracks from the Californication sessions were premiered: “Parallel Universe”, “Emit Remmus”, “I Like Dirt”, and “Bunker Hill”. They also played a loose cover of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”, which they would go on to do four or five more times.

These shows were the first time the band opened with “I Like Dirt”. They would open many other shows this way for the rest of the tour. (An early pre-release version of Californication also had “I Like Dirt” as its first track; I don’t think that’s a coincidence.)

SHOW #7: ARAGON BALLROOM, CHICAGO, IL. JULY 25, 1998

Show info here.

A very similar show to the night before. This time, they played “Funky Crime”, and also did “Under the Bridge” very early on in the show (more along those lines later). Again, there’s sadly no recording of this performance or the one the night before, but the band were interviewed back stage beforehand, and a snippet of that interview appeared in a 2006 MTV documentary. More images from these two dates are available here. The image there of the band, arms around each other’s shoulders, was posted on the official RHCP website, and for many was the first image of John’s return.

On the second night, instead of “Parallel Universe”, they premiered a new song called “Scar Tissue”. An understated beginning for a monster song; I can imagine the boredom and disappearing interest among the crowd when they heard the unfamiliar opening chords.

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After those two shows came another month off. The next run of shows took them across some very small (for them) venues in California and Nevada.

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SHOW #8: SANTA BARBARA BOWL, SANTA BARBARA, CA. SEPTEMBER 4, 1998

Show info and download here.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this show is that they opened with “Under The Bridge” - I’m unsure of the reason for this, and as far as I know this is the only time it ever happened. Perhaps it was simply to get it out of the way; give the fair-weather fans the song they were coming for. Perhaps it was simply an experiment (they never did it again). It’s an interesting rendition of the song, a lot heavier than usual, and the ending in particular packs a real punch.

This show also featured the re-emergence of the “Yertle Trilogy” that hadn’t been played since 1992. Some additions to the medley that followed “Yertle the Turtle” and “Freaky Styley” were two Blood Sugar Sex Magik tracks: “The Greeting Song” and “Funky Monks”. To date, “The Greeting Song”, which Anthony has been openly derisive of, still hasn’t been played live in full.⁵

SHOW #9: HUNTRIDGE THEATER, LAS VEGAS, NV. SEPTEMBER 5, 1998

Show info and download here.

Believe it or not, these were the first shows the band ever did in Vegas. It took them fifteen years, and a couple of cancellations first, but they got there eventually.

The Huntridge Theater has a long and troubled history. The entire roof collapsed just before a Circle Jerks gig in 1995. At the moment, it’s shut.

SHOW #10: HUNTRIDGE THEATER , LAS VEGAS, NV. SEPTEMBER 6, 1998

Show info and download here.

The next night, a very similar show. Much like their shows nowadays, several songs were switched out, but a few staples remained. Sadly, night 2 was the last time they ever played “Funky Crime”.

There are some reviews of the Vegas shows here and here. Unfortunately I can’t track down working versions of those backstage photos. I’d love to see them. Photos from this period are extremely rare, especially of John.

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THE TEATRO DEMOS - TEATRO STUDIOS, OXNARD, CA. SEPTEMBER 15, 1998: ⁶

Something special happened next. Hoping to lay down some recordings of their new songs, the band decamped to the Teatro Studio in Oxnard, California, which belonged to producer Daniel Lanois. The studio is an old Spanish language theatre; its history and its desirability among music legends can be read about in that article above. Here’s a 2015 photo, from a Neil Young session, of what it looks like inside:

You can also see the interior in this video.⁷ In the lead up to this recording session, the studio had been used by Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson for their recent albums, produced by Lanois; I gather he offered them the use of the studio as an apology of sorts after turning a production job down, but supposedly he wound up offering the band his services after they had already decided to go with Rick Rubin again.

For fifteen years, we knew very little about the sessions, the only clues being a mention in Scar Tissue and the two tracks on the 1999 single release of “Around the World” single, one of which was a jam anyway. You can see some of my educated guesses from early 2014 here if you scroll down to “demos”.

It was a delight to find out how wrong I was when the sessions leaked in full in the latter half of 2014. For some reason, Anthony stated they did eleven songs, but that figure makes no sense no matter how you look at it.⁸ They didn’t record eleven songs: they did twenty-three, seven of them completely unheard of prior. You can download them here.

Let’s explore them, shall we, and compare the tracks that made it to an album with their final versions. Below, they’re listed in the order they appeared on the leak, which seemed to have been their recording order.

Emit Remmus: An easy one to start with. The song is almost exactly like the album version, though John’s guitar isn’t as heavy on the feedback. It’s a little less intense, a little more hesitant.

Californication: This, on the other hand, was a revelation. We’d read about the early version of the track, but actually hearing it knocked my socks off. It’s really something: I can’t imagine this song being the classic the final album version is. Anthony’s vocals never seem to find a real rhythm, but maybe it’s just so strange to hear the lyrics in a different way than I’m used to. I’m curious if they ever recorded this version in the studio; we know they came up with the final version after recording had already started (and thank god they did).

Scar Tissue: Fairly close to the final version, but there’s a few extra instrumental breaks. The song was practically finished; all it needed was a little tidying up, something they evidently did in the later half of the year.

I Like Dirt (“Dirt”): The major difference here is the added bridge. A slower (but still beautiful) break appears earlier in the song, and the quicker one we hear on the album appears later. They were right to compress things; it slows the song down entirely, but maybe if it had lyrics that wouldn’t be the case. Again John seems a little unsure of his guitar line, but 90% of the song is already there.

Bunker Hill (“These Are Not My Dreams Of Bunker Hill”): Nothing exactly revelatory about this version of the song, but I much prefer John’s final verse guitar line. Alternatively, I think different bridge is fantastic, and maybe should have made it to the final version. Flea’s bass sounds like a thick and powerful slug. The different intonation in Anthony saying “you don’t know my name” makes a huge difference.

Tellin’ A Lie: The first of the unheard tracks. I think if I had to show someone one example of John’s 1998 guitar playing, it’d be his opening lick in this song. The rest of the song is quite reminiscent of “Runaway” or “She Looks To Me”, but I dare say that the whole thing was destined for the B-side pile. Slow, chunky, not their best, though the bridge is interesting.

Parallel Universe: Pretty close to the album version. One major difference is the little intricacies inside Chad’s drum part; I’m sure that kind of change is what happens in the deep-end of writing and rehearsals. Also of note: the scream during the solo that appears in the album version is lifted from this demo.

Mommasan: This is the one track that really surprises me in that I can’t believe it was dropped. It sounds a little unfinished, but it’s catchy as hell, and with some refining could have fit pretty well on Californication. The name probably comes from here.

Porcelain (“Porcelain Alice”): As far as I can tell, apart from some minor lyrical changes, this is basically the same as the album version. At one point, Anthony says “such a waste to be wasted again”, which is probably the source for his “such a waste to be wasted in the first place” line in “This Velvet Glove”. Probably the closest we’ll ever come to this song being performed live.

How Strong (“How Strong Is My Love”): Much like “Porcelain” above, one of the best things about these recordings surfacing is that it gives us a chance to hear what songs that were never played live would sound like if they had been. This is another example; “How Strong” was never played live, but damn, if it had, it would have sounded great. The song seems basically finished here as well, another track locked down early.

Purple Stain: This is an incredible thing to hear. How the band took this, moved things around a little, and ended up with the final version of the song is astonishing. The verse sounds quite similar to the final version, but chorus and bridge are completely different pieces of music that could have easily been turned into a new song. And then the outro we know and love comes and sounds exactly the same. What a trip. I wonder what instigated the changes?

Fat Dance: Much like “How Strong”, here’s a chance to hear a b-side played semi-live. The band don’t sound 100% sure of the song here; I hear the slightest little apprehension between each change. And who is that doing backup vocals during the chorus?

Andaman & Nicobar: You can sort of see the solidity of each track falling apart the further along they get; Anthony doesn’t have verse lyrics at all here. This kinda sounds like “Fela’s Cock” during the verses, and it seems as if the chorus was recycled somewhat on “Right On Time”. Here’s where the name comes from.

Sugar Sugar: I gather this song didn’t really progress any further for two reasons: One: John clearly didn’t know what to do with it. Two: parts of it sound exactly like the Super Mario underground theme.

Trouble In The Pub: A weird song. Didn’t they think it was too similar to “Fat Dance”? Even weirder was the fact they actually recorded a final version in the studio, though Anthony never finished his vocals for it. This sort of plods along, and doesn’t really go anywhere. Not much lost in its scrapping.

Boatman: Flea’s bass line here sounds like a sequel to “Transcending”. I really like the chorus here, a melodic colour the band never really toyed with all that much. John’s solo feels so out of place though - not sure what he was thinking!

Slowly, Deeply: Almost identical to the final version. I wonder if they figured it was going to be an instrumental this early.

Quixotic Elixir (“New Wave”): Here’s a very early version of the song. I can imagine the band looking at each other, guiding each other through the changes; you can hear Chad lock into the chorus rhythm and then guide everyone else along. If you’ve ever been in a band, you know this exact feeling. It’s almost like it was written ten minutes before they played it. The added intensity to the chorus is interesting. Also noteworthy that Flea is doing that little pre-chorus lick he does on the final version.

Gong Li: Fun fact: the music of this track – I’m guessing Anthony wrote the lyrics – was written by Flea and was going to be on his solo album, but he offered it to the rest of the band. This recording shows the band aren’t exactly comfortable with it, but it sounds pretty close to the final version.

Plate of Brown: A lot of people seem to think the band toyed with with this track during a soundcheck in 2007, but I’m not convinced.⁹ I gather the title of this is probably a heroin reference; I wonder if Anthony ever wrote lyrics to it. A very nice track, but there’s something not entirely cohesive about it, sounds like three parts put together.

Get On Top (“Right On”): A pretty complete version of the song. Interesting that this track is called “Right On”, and Anthony says those words in the final song…

After those tracks come two fairly freeform jams. I’m not sure if they were just running out tape, or if this was a soundcheck, but there’s not a whole lot to say about them. Part of Jam 1 was released in 1999 as “Teatro Jam”, conveniently editing out all of Anthony’s out of tune wails, and you can hear him sing a few lyrics that would later turn up in “How Strong”. If Jam #1 highlighted a darker, meaner version of the Chili Peppers, Jam #2 is the other version; chicken scratch guitar, all bass-driven and upbeat.

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A deeper dive into this collection of tracks is probably better suited to another time, but I think this is a really interesting snapshot into the band as they were in September 1998. I also find it a little surprising they only played a few of these songs out on tour; but you can tell which songs they were more comfortable with and prouder of. Again, we really need to give thanks to the parties responsible for getting these tracks out into the world (they know who they are) because they were genuine holy grails I never expected to hear. Our kids won’t know how lucky they are!

One of most interesting aspects, I think, are the songs that don’t appear (even in gestational form) here, but were later recorded for Californication. Here’s a list of them:

• Around the World
• Otherside
• (the final version of) Californication
• Easily
• This Velvet Glove
• Savior
• Road Trippin’
• Instrumental #1 and #2
• Over Funk

That’s an incredible batch of songs, and almost define the finished album. Californication without these songs doesn’t feel right. In Scar Tissue, Anthony mentions that once the tour ended, they moved out of Flea’s garage, and into the Swing House rehearsal studios, so maybe the shift in location lead to a new hit of creativity. I salivate at the thought of another batch of demos being recorded that include earlier versions of those songs above. They might exist. Who knows.

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After this white-hot session, it was time to head back to the stage for three more shows, again in real out of the way areas.

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SHOW #11: “FIELD OF DREAMS”, OROVILLE, CA. SEPTEMBER 18, 1998

Show info and download here.

This seemed like a fun one. “Field Of Dreams” wasn’t really a venue, but a “makeshift stage behind some guy’s house”, as Anthony puts it in Scar Tissue. Have a look at it on a map. The organization around this show fascinates me; how did the fans get there? Was it really just a stage set up in a field, or was it more like a festival? From the looks of it, there were still shows being played at the site as late as 2016.

I would love to see some photos of this show, if any still exist. As far as the show itself goes, it’s a good performance, with a good setlist, and the band seem to be aware of how casual the whole affair is.

One moment I enjoy: after “If You Have To Ask”, Anthony asks the band to pick what song they’re playing next. “Dealer’s choice,” he says. After an aborted attempt at “Police Helicopter”, Chad teases them into “Skinny Sweaty Man”, before the band does “Police Helicopter” in full.

“What do you think?” Anthony asks the crowd. His response - “Oh!” - after they give him an enthusiastic cheer is a delight. Then he asks the band, again, what they should play. “This is an unusual amount of confusion. Usually we know what we’re doing.” Flea seems to give him an answer: he fires off half a bar of “Parallel Universe”.

“This is some new shit, you never heard this,” Anthony tells the crowd.

Things were very loose here.

SHOW #12: LIVESTOCK EVENTS CENTER, RENO, NV. SEPTEMBER 19, 1998

Show info here.

The band playing at the Livestock Events Center in Reno, Nevada sounds like a joke of some sort, kind of like Spinal Tap opening for a puppet show, but the building is bigger and more prestigious than its name makes it seem. In “Scar Tissue”, Anthony says it was a rodeo bar, but in actuality it’s quite a large space. It seems like it’s being torn down soon.

Sadly there’s no recording of this show, but a look at the setlist doesn’t reveal any surprises. The tease of “Skinny Sweaty Man” from the previous night becomes a complete performance here.

SHOW #13: STOCKTON CIVIC MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM, STOCKTON, CA. SEPTEMBER 20, 1998

Show info here.

Rather than write about the show, I can just link you to a video of the whole thing. A lot of people remember this show as the one where Flea trashed his bass during the opening song; a lot of other people mistakenly think it was John’s first show back. The comments from the people recording are hilarious; lots of “what the hell was that?” and “wow - his tone sucks”.

There’s a real final-show-of-the-tour vibe here. The band are looser, and that’s saying something, after these shows. Fun fact: the day after this show, Anthony cut his hair for the first time since, I think, 1982.

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When the Red Hot Chili Peppers started 1998, they were a mess, on the verge of breaking up. By September that year, they had toured the United States with their new (old) guitarist, had recorded a batch of fantastic new songs in demo form, had new management, and had booked studio time for an album that would sell sixteen million copies. Who saw that rise coming? I doubt the band did.

For the next decade, and arguably beyond, the Chili Peppers ruled the world. It all started, of course, in 1983. But it all started again in 1998. This was a band that were wounded, forgotten, given up on. But perhaps that’s exactly what they needed.

This is a fairly deep dive into a year of their lives, but I know that it’s possible to go further. There are more stories to be told, and I hope to hear some of them in the near future.

And an important thing is accuracy: Scar Tissue, as important as it is to the band and their history, is filled with details that aren’t quite right. I think it’s important that we fix what we can, and dive deeper when we can. This 5,000 word piece is represented by a single paragraph in Scar Tissue, and most of the information in it isn’t right… so we do what we can.

See you next time.