John named the coolest member of an otherwise uncool band
Before we discuss anything, by now everybody should have learnt that top lists are just for fun and that de gustibus non disputandum est. In this particular case, the list is not one of the best, neither it is one of the worst – it’s a list of the best among the worst.
Sound City, the music blog on Village Voice, has compiled a somewhat cynical/satirical list of top six coolest members of, in their words, otherwise uncool bands. According to them, John tops the list and here is what they had to say about it:
First off, yes, Flea is coming around. Joining Thom Yorke’s Atoms For Peace is a big step in not being super lame. But he has a long way to go to redeem himself for the years of playing slap bass in a diaper. John Frusciante, however, is way too cool for Red Hot Chili Peppers. When he quit in the late 90s and the band hired Dave Navarro’s pierced nipples as a replacement, he made a series of raw solo albums. Not raw the way a White Stripes record is raw, but raw the way listening to somebody die of heroin is raw. In all honesty, Frusciante rejoining RHCP may have literally saved his life, but realizing there is no guitar part great enough to mask the vocal trainwreck that is Anthony Keidis [sic], he quit again in 2009. Perhaps he figured out that he’s the coolest person in an uncool band. Thankfully, he was smart enough to do something about it.
The other musicians mentioned on the list, from place 3 to 6, are the experimental virtuoso/Diana Krall’s hired gun Marc Ribot, Mickey Madden of Maroon 5, Jose Pasillas of Incubus and James Dewees of The Get Up Kids and touring with My Chemical Romance.
You can read the entire article on Sound City.
*Many thanks to the whole football team of folks for heads-up!
