Me and My Friends #44 - Memories of the Eighties
Tom Bennett got in touch with me a few weeks ago and we got to talking. Turns out he's a fan from way, way back, and saw the band many times in their early years. Recollections from the 1980's are fairly rare compared to the following four (!) decades, so I thought I'd ask if Tom would like to share what he remembers from those wild times, and put something out there for posterity. Tom met Hillel, recognised John from shows before he joined the band, witnessed Chad's first gig... many historic moments that could always do with a bit more attention.
The rest of this letter is all Tom, I've just edited slightly. Enjoy.
I saw them live 25 times total during the years from 1986 to 1990.
A lot of those shows bleed together now since it’s been three decades since I last saw them. However, there are a few that I remember quite well. I wish that I had not lost all my valuable Chili Peppers memorabilia from those days. I had original set lists from some of the shows. I also used to obsess about keeping track of the songs they played at each gig. I do have one autographed flyer still from 1987 though and the original ticket stub from the June 6th show at Variety Arts Center.
Being a fan of the band in the late '80s and seeing them live was a great time. You’d see the same people at the shows; a group which was mostly comprised of punks and skaters. The energy was incredible when the band started playing - it surged through the crowd and swirled into a typhoon in the pit at front of stage. And I’m talking old school punk pit not this chaotic let’s-see-how-many-people-I-can-injure mess that was at later shows, after Mother's Milk took them mainstream around 89 or 90. I can still feel the power and singular voice of almost the entire venue sing out “Last night and the night before I heard a Fopp outside then I came indoors. Rock! Out!” during the song "Out in L.A."
June 28, 1986, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
The first time I saw them was on June 28, 1986 at Irvine Meadows. This was a great moment for me, it’s just too bad it was seating and not GA. Most of the people were there to see the Untouchables, who did a great set by the way. Fishbone, who are one of my favorite bands of all time, played too. I know that they started the set with "Out in LA." I also recall "Get Up and Jump," "Green Heaven" and "Blackeyed Blonde." I remember Flea had this wild man ‘fro thing going on with his hair and was out bouncing a basketball on stage between sets. This was the only show I saw with Cliff Martinez.
January 9, 1987, Fenders Ballroom
This was indeed what I can call true Chili Peppers show - there were punks, skaters, metal heads and also the Suicidals (Suicidal Tendencies fans) from Venice. I remember Doggy Rock and TSOL playing. Both were good. Chaingang was just a really bad hair band that no one really paid attention to. When the Chili Peppers took the stage half the audience left. I guess they were those who left were there to see TSOL. The Chili Peppers played the usual songs for the time - definitely started things off with "Out in L.A." I remember things were getting a little crazy because the Suicidals seemed to be there to just inflict havoc. Anthony arrived in a long jacket with an AA symbol on the back and he was sporting a cowboy hat and had his girlfriend of the time, Jennifer Bruce, in tow. During the show Anthony swung from the ceiling rafters of the venue. They played for about an hour and half or so. First show I saw with Jack Irons, who I could not identify at the time but he kicked ass.
June 6, 1987, Variety Arts Center
June 6, 1987 at the Variety Arts Center was a very memorable show. Me and my friends had arrived a few hours early to drink in the parking lot. To my surprise the Chili Peppers were doing their sound check and the Centre's rear stage doors were wide open. I made my way up there and was able to watch and listen for most of it. These little Mexican kids were there on their bikes watching too. Loesha, Flea’s girlfriend at the time I think, was standing next to me. She asked if I wanted their autographs - Yes I said, of course! Flea and Anthony were off stage as Loesha collected Jack and Hillel’s signatures. She hands me the flyer with Jack and Hillel’s signature and I hear Flea say, “Hey man, want me to sign it too?” I turn around and he’s standing there with Anthony. I get Anthony’s and Flea’s autographs face to face but I am too star struck to say a thing - this was an event of my life. It was like meeting God or something. Bob Forrest, looking like a hobo, came riding up on his beat up bike. The little kids on bikes by this time had gathered around us and one of them asked Anthony who taught him to sing. AK replied that he taught himself! Flea and AK went back into the Variety Arts Center just as they began to put up the back drop and security/staff shut the doors. I was so stoked - I had met my idols and was so pumped for the show.
The VAC was seating tickets and there was a slight tension in the air as a bunch of Schooly D’s fans were there along with all these punks, etc. Schooly D came on and he rapped his stuff as he strutted back and forth up and down the stage. I like rap a lot, but he was mediocre in my opinion.
Then the mayhem really started as Thelonious Monster, who I had come to adore, went on next. Bob Forrest was really messed up drunk and high on something. They played and played hard in the way that only the Monster could play. From what I could tell I was one of the few Monster fans in the house. Not seeing or getting much attention from the crowd pissed Bob off to no end. He told us to fuck off and went back stage, got his bike and came out on the stage riding it as he crashed into anything he could as the band played on. Drums, amps, and mic stands went flying everywhere. The crowd went wild.
The Chili Peppers came on next and I had no idea they were gonna do that night. The stage went dark and suddenly the whole stage was glowing in black light fluorescence. Flea, Anthony, Hillel and Jack came on stage and were painted up in glowing fluorescent paint. Anthony told the house it was Be Kind to Monkeys Week and Flea counted off the start of "Out In L.A." The crowd went nuts and surged from their seats down to the small open area front of stage. They rocked out that night and there was such an energy that pulsed and was even magnified by the glow of the fluorescent paint. At the end of their last song of the encore they Anthony sprayed everything with glow in the dark silly string. I really wish I could remember the songs from that show… This was the only time I ever saw them done up in their glowing war paint.
I vaguely rememember seeing John at some of these shows prior to his working with Thelonious or the Chili Peppers.
The January 20, 1988 show never really took off at the Palomino. It was a free show they were putting on there. The only inconvenience for my going was the Chemistry Lab semester final was scheduled for the same day. Of course, 18 year old me knew that seeing the Chili Peppers took priority - and yes I got an F in the class! I arrived at the show a few hours early and already people were in line out around the building. So I took my place in line and waited to see my Gods. As the time to show got closer I noticed the line stretched up the street. They started letting people in but the line rushed the door. People were climbing over cars to try and get in. I remember one guy who was pleading for people to not climb on his car which was by now dented and the hood and roof smashed flat. Suddenly I could hear the band go on and starting to play. People continued to rush the door as the band played on. I knew that this wasn’t going well and took off when the cops arrived. Luckily I had parked a few blocks down.
May 13, 1988 at the Palace was a dismal show. It was a fundraiser for Jesse Jackson’s presidential run. Thelonious Monster played I remember. The Chili Peppers did a really disappointing set that night - Hillel looked like he was running on empty. They played about 30 or 45 minutes and ended the show. Little did I know that Hillel would pass away in a little more than a month from the day of that show.
When I found out from a friend that Hillel was dead my life crumbled about me as the Chili Peppers music was the core of my life at the time. I was actually half asleep when she called and thought she was messing with me. I remember I had started crying and felt like shit because I was so mad at them for their dismal show at the Palace the month earlier. What also hit hard was the fact that they were no longer going to go on as a band. I was pretty depressed for quite a while. I I thought they were over. I went and saw X at the Ventura Theatre a short time after Hillel passed away. Before X came on stage Flea came out solo and played Taps on the trumpet.
As for John… I can’t really recall much about him in the days of his joining the band. I did not know him personally. Like I said I have very, very vague memories of him at the early shows.
I had no real opinion of him when he joined other than he was an awesome guitar player, could play all the songs and that he and I were 6 months apart in age, which I thought was cool. I saw him quite a bit hanging out at various shows like Thelonious and Fishbone.
One specific memory I have of John was at their show at the Ventura Theatre in September 1989. Me and my friends were waiting outside for the doors to open and John was out there with these two really gorgeous girls. They were fawning all over him as he told the girls that during Stone Cold Bush he wanted them to come up on stage with him. The two girls never appeared, but would have been hot if they did.
I did see Blackbyrd sometime in 1988 along with DH Peligro. Had to be the Alcohol Salad show but I don’t recall it too well except for meeting DH Peligro and getting his autograph. That show is a blur - I was most likely very drunk for that one…
On January 22, 1989 me and my friends went to see Thelonious at the Roxy. Rumor was going around that the Chili Peppers were going to play that night. Me and my friend watched as the Chili Peppers familiar roadies were setting up their equipment. My friend and I made our way up to the very front and commented on the heavy metal dude we had never seen before setting up the drums. I mean he looked really out of place. So Flea, Anthony and John walk on stage as does the heavy metal drum tech, who seats himself behind the drums. My friend and I look at each other and the band - heavy metal dude too - launch into "Good Time Boys." It was beautiful!
You can find the complete show on YouTube - you can even see me rocking out at the front of the stage.
Thanks again to Tom for his memories!
See you next month