Wikipedia Edit: Red Hot Chili Peppers

I recently made a revision to a wikipedia article regarding my favorite band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers. First of all, it is vitally important to note that I regard the band as,"my favorite", and not simply,"the best." Naturally, we all know that title undoubtedly has to go to those four lovable mop tops from Liverpool that have forever changed the landscape of popular music, The Beatles. My "Beatles" obsession is another story completely that may or may not be addressed at some point throughout my blog. Nonetheless, the "Chili Peppers", the name by which their most intimate fans refer to them by, have played a large role in my adolescent development and have continued to profoundly affect my life on a daily basis. I'm a sick individual you say? That may be true, but that doesn't change the fact that the band, through their live performances, interviews, books, and albums, have significantly shaped me as a person and have contributed largely (third after my parents and friends if you want to rank them) to the way I view the world, myself, and the interactions between the two. Maybe I'm getting a little carried away, but the point I'm trying to convey here is that the band is very important to me.

With this in mind, there are many elements of the "Chili Peppers" sound that are worthy of mention. However, I personally feel that the most definitive component of their unique sound comes from the lead guitarist and back up vocalist, John Frusciante. John (I feel like I know him well enough to call him that), in my opinion, is one of the greatest, most underrated guitarists of recent years, if not all time. His skill level and musical prowess are remarkable, but his ability to distinctly define the band's sound (with his gorgeous melodies and angelic harmonies, it's truly unbelievable, trust me), more so than any other of the Chili Peppers' previous guitarists, is what makes him so special. It also made John's desperate plunge into a life threatening heroine addiction that much more difficult to bare. After quitting the band, John retired to a small apartment in California to feed his addiction, shocking the music community and leaving a gaping void in the Chili Pepper family. After I saw a Dutch film documentary on John in 1994, where he was completely delusional and terribly unhealthy, the chilling fact that he was so close to death became overwhelming. However, John, with the help of rehab, has made a completely recovery from the depths of his binge, rejoined the band, and helped create three masterful albums, maybe the finest the band has ever known. The essence of this band's roller coaster journey, filled with so much beauty and so much despair, is really captured in this interview. For this reason, I felt it was completely necessary to include a comment on the matter in the section entitled: Californication 1998-2001.


The edit:
In 1994, John was interviewed by an arm of a Dutch TV station, VPRO, as part of a documentary. The startling footage from this shoot shows just how far John had slipped into addiction. As his physical and mental deterioration progressed, it was clear he would not live much longer if something wasn't done.