2008 Woodie Awards
Chili Peppers' guitarist's struggle
Andy Downs
Issue date: 9/12/08 Section: Intermission
The multi-talented John Frusciante is best known for his work as the longtime, long-haired guitar hero of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but his true creative nature often gets overshadowed by his freaky-funk counterparts.
Frusciante's solo career is one of the music world's hidden gems, waiting to be discovered by the unsuspecting ear. Together with five Chili Peppers albums under his belt, Frusciante released nine LPs and one EP as a solo artist, two albums with his collaborative effort Ataxia, and has contributed guitar work on three albums by experimental prog-rockers, The Mars Volta.
Frusciante joined the Chili Peppers in 1989 and appeared on the band's album "Mother's Milk" the same year, soon becoming overwhelmed by the instant rock star status they received after 1991's breakthrough, "Blood Sugar Sex Magik."
Struggling to cope with the band's sudden popularity, Frusciante grew bitter and continued to smoke copious amounts of marijuana as he had with the band during their eerie recording sessions for "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" in an old Hollywood Hills mansion, but soon found heroin, which quickly became his new little joy.
He returned home to California the following summer and amidst a full-blown heroin addiction, felt his life was over and couldn't write music or play guitar. To battle his depression, he upped his heroin intake in order to "medicate" himself, claiming, "I was very sad, and I was always happy when I was on drugs; therefore I should be on drugs all the time. I was never guilty-I was always really proud to be an addict."
His first solo album, "Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt," was released in the spring of 1994, containing lo-fi, strung-out recordings filled with strange feedback, reverse playback guitars and some of the least desirable vocals Frusciante has recorded.
Over the next three years, Frusciante would slip further into addiction, nearly dying from a blood infection. His arms were left in permanent abscesses and hideously scarred from poorly shooting heroin and cocaine while he lived as a recluse in his deteriorating, graffiti-covered Hollywood Hills home. His house eventually burned to the ground, destroying Frusciante's vintage guitar collection and seriously burning his already-suffering arms.
Frusciante's solo career is one of the music world's hidden gems, waiting to be discovered by the unsuspecting ear. Together with five Chili Peppers albums under his belt, Frusciante released nine LPs and one EP as a solo artist, two albums with his collaborative effort Ataxia, and has contributed guitar work on three albums by experimental prog-rockers, The Mars Volta.
Frusciante joined the Chili Peppers in 1989 and appeared on the band's album "Mother's Milk" the same year, soon becoming overwhelmed by the instant rock star status they received after 1991's breakthrough, "Blood Sugar Sex Magik."
Struggling to cope with the band's sudden popularity, Frusciante grew bitter and continued to smoke copious amounts of marijuana as he had with the band during their eerie recording sessions for "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" in an old Hollywood Hills mansion, but soon found heroin, which quickly became his new little joy.
He returned home to California the following summer and amidst a full-blown heroin addiction, felt his life was over and couldn't write music or play guitar. To battle his depression, he upped his heroin intake in order to "medicate" himself, claiming, "I was very sad, and I was always happy when I was on drugs; therefore I should be on drugs all the time. I was never guilty-I was always really proud to be an addict."
His first solo album, "Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt," was released in the spring of 1994, containing lo-fi, strung-out recordings filled with strange feedback, reverse playback guitars and some of the least desirable vocals Frusciante has recorded.
Over the next three years, Frusciante would slip further into addiction, nearly dying from a blood infection. His arms were left in permanent abscesses and hideously scarred from poorly shooting heroin and cocaine while he lived as a recluse in his deteriorating, graffiti-covered Hollywood Hills home. His house eventually burned to the ground, destroying Frusciante's vintage guitar collection and seriously burning his already-suffering arms.