Off The Map interview transcript, 2000
2000, Off The Map DVD, 2004
If you like the interview, you should probably acquire the DVD. It’s worth it.
Anthony Kiedis: Yeah, I’m giddy. I’m giddy to be home. It’s um…it’s a transitional phase and it’s a decompressing phase. You know, a lot of times, coming back into L.A. I liken it to, oddly enough, this craft right here. It feels like, like you are a space shuttle reentering the Earth’s atmosphere. And you get all hot, and your heart tiles start flying off of your face.
Chad Smith: Partway through, I kind of lost my focus a little bit, I think.
Interviewer: How?
Chad Smith: A little too much hanging out. A little bit too much partying, I think, you know? And, uh, you know “Please, stay focused, stay focused, focused”. And it was a period of my life where I faced
Flea: “The whole tour, for me, was really a transformative thing, I faced some of my worst fears. And it was a period of my life where I faced some of my worst fears and confronted them and went through, like some of the most difficult pain of my life and I came through it by dealing with it and by going through pain. And I’m just real proud of myself to have done that, more than anything.
John Frusciante: In every way, it made me a stronger, healthier person at the end of it.
Chad Smith: A giant squirrel jumped…it just jumped off the roof onto that kumquat tree.
Anthony Kiedis: Today I feel like, “What happened to my purpose? Where’d my purpose go?” You know, before, it was making sure I got to the venue so I could eat, you know a meal exactly three hours before so I’d be digested yet I’d have the energy. And I could start drinking the green teas and I could start stretching and make sure that I didn’t have too many verterbras out of place and make sure that everything was cool with Flea, make sure that everything was cool with John, you know, connect with Chad, you know, see my engineers and do that. And now, it’s like, “Where do I go? What do I do?” Oh, hmm, I guess I’ll go have sushi.
(Flea pats the dog.)
John Frusciante: I just had no interest in doing anything other than centering my day around being as good as I could be on the stage that night, you know? That was just my life then, so that usually meant a lot of listening to music and a lot of getting excited about music and a lot of practicing guitar. And… hmm, eating a lot of healthy food and taking herbs, and stuff. And everything centered around being able to be as good and as free and as wild on stage just as possible.
Interviewer: What is your favourite journey?
Flea: My favourite journey? The journey through blue-green light. Oh, my… my favourite Journey? Uh, I think it’s the second album when, uh, that one, uh…what’s that Journey song?
Chad Smith: Russia was pretty exciting. Never been to Russia before.
Anthony Kiedis: We were in Las Vegas…and John and the man behind the camera, Dick Rude, um, King of the Green Mountain and myself all went out to a Las Vegas show, you know, The Cirque Du Soleil. And it was beautiful and, you know, John cried during the show, which I love. I fucking love it when John starts crying because it means that, you know, he’s touched and he’s happy. And afterwards, we decided to go to the Stratosphere and ride the “Big Shot”, the rocket on the top of the Stratosphere which shoots you 150 feet above the already 1 000 or so feet that you’re up on top of this hotel. And you hit four Gs and they take a picture of you at four Gs. And we did that. We rode the “Big Shot”.
Flea: Playing music and devoting my life to music always seemed like the sanest thing in the world. Like, out of all the ridiculous things I’ve done in my life like all the drugs and toxic relationships and fucked-up, crazy shit I’ve done in my life doing music seemed like the sanest, healthiest thing I could have ever possibly done, you know?
John Frusciante: Your position and your relationship with music has to be one from the inside. Uh, “inside” being the process of making music, uh, a passionate interest for what goes into making music as opposed to, uh, an opinion about what it’s going to eventually be.
Flea: I imagine that I will always play music as long as I’m alive, in some way. I really like playing music. I mean, the idea…like I’m going to take a couple of days and do nothing right now. But the idea of just sitting in my little studio and playing my instruments and getting up some grooves and getting my sampler going and doing all those things is real exciting to me.
Chad Smith: It’s such a powerful feeling to be you know, the one that’s the heart and kind of the engine of the band. And I never feel like, “Oh, I wish I could do this” or, “I’d like to be able to play more like that”. I’m at a point where I know how I play and I’m trying to more have the…again, inject the personality of what I’m doing. It’s not by playing flashy stuff or…in fact, I’ve probably played less to make it more, give it more of an impact by just being more solid and playing more musical and being more of a mature musician.
Flea: [To the dog] Give me the fucking stick, you little bitch. You found it this time, it’s going way the fuck down there.
Anthony Kiedis: We left for tour year and a half ago and we just played nothing but high schools for the first month, or for high school audiences. And they were free shows and they were to let the world know that, you know, “A”, we had a new record out, “B”, that art and music and that type of vibration could be a source of healing and an alternative to shooting people with guns, basically. It’s like Oscar Wilde had this notion 100 years ago that probably the only thing that could overwhelm man’s instinct to kill and have war would be art.
John Frusciante: Somebody who spends their days absorbed in this music that I’ve been making with the Chili Peppers or in my own solo music that I make I know that’s having a good impact on them. Like, I know it’s coming from a completely healthy place. I know the spirits that helped me do it are wonderful, are wonderful parts of the universe. And I know that everything that’s hone into me being able to make that music is so good, it’s so there to be good for people that, like, I’m just proud for all of them and for all of us like that that’s what’s taking place now. And I know…I just know that it’s healthy for people.
Chad Smith: I think that we’re a very positive band in the things that we sing and the music that we make is very positive. And people get really good feelings about it. And that’s… to put positive energy out there and have people really respond to it is something that has really made my life more fulfilling as a person and as a musician.
Flea: Well, I’d like to ask everyone to be kind and to be gentle and to, uh, create love and pace wherever they go ’cause that’s the most important thing that I could ever possibly think, is to make a difference.
Anthony Kiedis: Surf whenever possible. Try not to eat too late. Um, make sure you call your mom or dad at least once a week, just to say hi.
Flea: Eat lots of beans and stay out of jail.
Anthony Kiedis: Don’t leave the toilet unwiped in any shape or form. if you have to jump in the shower real quick take the time.
Chad Smith: There’s a giant squirrel jumping there.
Anthony Kiedis: The little story about the mouse and the lion? Bear that in mind, just bear that one in mind. It’s always going to come back to you, no matter what you do. It’s always going to come back to you. Just like you put it out there, it’s coming back at you.
Chad Smith: I’m very proud of what we do. And me being a big part of it, I’m proud of myself.
Interviewer: Does your mom like it?
Chad Smith: My mom, yeah. My mom seems to…”I like that ‘Otherside’ song. What’s this ‘slit your throat’ thing? What does that mean? What is this? What is he talking about?”
John Frusciante: …so, if there was a sort of a parallel world to this dimension, uh, that was very similar, but that maybe had…people’s fates were slightly altered in slightly different ways and maybe the same energies were at work beneath it but the manifestation in the world was slightly different so that if I saw one of those John Frusciantes — or ten of those John Frusciantes — that I would be as proud of what I’m doingin this dimension as they are in the ones that they’re doing. And that’s, that’s been one of the main things that’s compelled me to be as good as I can be, you know and to create the best music I can, you know. Despite the years of, uh…that I really didn’t do anything for a few years I’d still put my, you know, my works that I’ve done in this reality here against the other John Frusciantes any day.
