Crossbeat interview
Oh! Anthony came onstage wearing pure-white suit! Maybe there were also a lot of people in the audience who felt that Anthony’s wardrobe was representing rising spirit of the Chili Peppers. Chili Peppers’ appearance warmed up festive mood, and their play made Yokohama’s scorching summer even more heat up. The biggest show Chili Peppers have ever had in Japan, not only reflected current their strong power which didn’t wilt under the big arena, but also illustrated the potential for Chili Peppers’ growth. Like “Live in Hyde Park”, they played a new song “Leverage of Space” and a new cover song “Brandy”. From beginning to end, we had been overwhelmed by phenomenal performance of them. Moreover, we saw Anthony played the drum during the jams by Flea and John, and Flea played solo with trumpet at encore. In Japan, we have never seen those scenes before. Although Chili Peppers made their first appearance in a year and a half, four persons were two or three times more powerful than we had expected.
Additionally, how active John Frusciante was! As well as playing the guitar with beautiful emotion, he improved his vocalization and refined his sensibility of a member to Chili Peppers’ sound. Furthermore, he often gave brilliant smiles to audience and moved freely around the stage. He enjoyed many activities on the stage. And since the beginning of this year, he also has kept on pursuing solo stuff with surprisingly fast-pace. He has already released three albums “Shadows Collide with People”, “The Will to Death”, and “Automatic Writing” which is released under the name of the band “Ataxia”. And he is going to release four another albums. All those are proof of his current energies. What does John Frusciante see about now? I tried to ask about it.
Including “Shadows Collide with People” – which was released in the spring – you will have released seven albums this year. When did you plan to release a large number of songs at a dash?
Well…having finished the tour of Chili Peppers, November, last year, I brought a mountain of songs to completion. I wrote many songs on RHCP tour during one and a half years. So I wanted to record them as much as possible. Just I had six months off and it was time for nothing to do. I thought “OK, I will record those songs as much as possible, during these six months.” During the period, of course I also enjoyed myself listening to music without working. In addition to that, I continued to record an album a month… and when I had finished recording all songs, I decided to release them as quickly as I recorded them, that is to say, I will release an album a month.
Do you feel like sharing your music with people when you have just finished writing songs, instead of taking a lot of time to work over after writing?
I think music ought to be listened to by people when music has recorded. I feel the certain energy of music is going to disappear with time. My music comes to me not only to enjoy myself but also to enjoy other people. For that reason, I feel my behavior would be egoistic if I had recordings for only me. Though I record music for me, I also would like my fans to enjoy them, so that I release albums.
Currently, do you feel that your act of doing music is a one of acts of spiting something from inside of yourself?
Um…I really love music. I have loved music since I was a kid. I play music because I love music. I am able to agree with your opinion. Maybe something from inside of myself is unleashed by playing music. But I don’t play music for spitting. There are other ways to let out pent-up steam…(laugh)…for instance, you make love to someone, or you roar at someone… there are some ways. But for me, music is that brings something marvelous to other people. When you roar at someone, you may feel good. But, at the same time, you make someone feels bad. Playing music, player feels good. Listening to music, listener feels good. I play music because music is beautiful. I don’t play music to let out pent-up steam. Even if someone wants to let out pent-up steam, it is better for him or her to stand on stage, to play something, to run, and to roar in front of 5 audiences. Contrary to such thing, it needs tireless efforts to make good music. I have been continuing efforts because I really love music, and music is purely beautiful. I don’t think any reason other than it.
Then, where on Earth do you get energy that has been putting you into music?
I don’t know. Maybe it arises from something I haven’t remembered and something I experienced or hardly remember in my early childhood or before my childhood. Also it comes from soul of mine that has been subsisting since former incarnation. In a lot of cases, I think, music reflects artist’s former incarnation, and indicates his or her individuality in the next world.
Except for you, current musicians don’t write a large number of songs in short time. Have you ever been surprised at your creativity?
No, I haven’t. I take it by little and little. Well…I think…it is very lucky for me to get such creativity now. Six years ago, you know, I was not able to create music. I had exerted myself to create music, but I was not able to complete and I was not able to record songs in the studio. In those days, I had no power to push anything through to the end, and no willingness finish with. Now, for that reason, I’m really lucky in creating music…really and truly … I think so.
And I have been practicing to improve my abilities. For the last five years, I have spent all my time listening to music, writing music, practicing the guitar, and considering music. That’s why I am able to write many songs now. On the other hand, many artists tend to spend a substantial amount of time in writing songs. I think they are very dull. In my opinion, the pace of my work is far from quick, but they are too slowly to do something. I think, everyone is be able to do something better than what he or she is doing now, but everyone doesn’t have the will to do it.
For instance, last year I conceived “I want to end up making an album in five days”, I heard that 60s artists had ended up making an album in one or two days, or in five days. After I had heard that story, I thought I would be able to do it. And I had exerted myself for it, and had made efforts to realize it. Finally I found the key to do it. Maybe it is not an objective for other people to make an album in such a short time. They always say definitively “We must spend a lot of months to make an album”. But I refuse their opinion. It doesn’t need six months to record an album, so I challenged myself. I had set my mind on recording an album for five days, and put my determination into action. Anybody can do it, if they try. I always set up my objectives, and challenge them, so that I am able to get current situation.
Having said that, have you ever worried whether your fans could keep up your release with high-pace?
No, I haven’t. If I was a million-seller artist, I might be anxious about a million and one fans “Can they buy an album a month?” Contrary to your imagination, I don’t have a lot of fans. I am supported by small number of fans. I suppose that they, enthusiastic followers, can buy my album every month because my music is meaningful to them. If I would like many more people to listen to my music, I should release an album a half year. However, I have been creating music not for many more people but for those who have liked my music. My purpose is not to increase the number of fans. I would like those who have liked my albums, to buy my new album and to listen.
You are on tour now. Are you writing music during this tour?
Yes. On my album, there are a lot of songs written during past tour. I write songs when I stay quietly at hotel room after show, before show, or on day-off. In the last few years, most of the songs were written at hotel room.
What do you think about your methodology or important thing when you write a song?
I have no method to create music. Songs are created on idea or feeling, coming across my mind. And I keep things in my mind like that each song is unique. I have never written songs based on the same idea. The way to write song is the same as usual … that means, when I write a song, I open up notebook, take a pencil, switch on the MD microphone, and record the sounds one by one. After getting ideas in shape, I record it as a hum on MD disc first. And then, I write down words on every line. Every time finish writing one line of lyric, I record the sounds of them. Through the process … it takes about one hour to complete song. For that reason, each song is same about process, but, each song is different from idea and that’s where idea is coming from. I don’t like to write a song along routine format, like “First chorus, Second chorus, Bridge…”. Occasionally, of course, I write such a kind of song because feeling that I want to put into song, which leads me to ought to write such a kind of song. It is not for the reason that top sales song is written along format. I think, songs should be different from each other in arrangement and we should ignore routine format.
Every time we listen to your music, we feel your music is filled with human emotion. Do you feel a sense of mission to keep on making real music in current music scene filled with commercialism?
Sometimes I feel so … but… my music is filled with not only human emotion also … yes indeed, each song may be filled with human emotion. And sometimes I feel that my music can sound cold to your ear because I like computer music too. So, my mission is … I really love music from the bottom of my heart, so that I play music. That is what I would like everyone to know. And, what someone is like music that puts such cordiality into? That is what I would like everyone to listen to, so that I have been creating music. I do music with pure reason. As I said, the only reason that I create music is because I love music. I don’t think other than it.
You know, there are many people to do music for advancing their career, for winning fame and fortune, or for making someone take photos. I think such people don’t have a reasonable reason for doing music. Well … I don’t think they are strange people … it is undoubted that music is an industry to make money … I am able to understand that money-seeking people come into this business. But I regard Chili Peppers as one of a few bands haven’t been playing music with such a reason, so that I am proud of being a member of Chili Peppers, and I am really happy that Chili Peppers is a part of my life. All of the artists who play music that I like, and fascinate me, they have a natural relationship to music. I am attracted to those who have no choice but to create music, and also I am one of them.
When you begin writing a new song, do you consciously differentiate song for your solo stuff and for Chili Peppers’ stuff?
Um … when I hit on an idea for Chili Peppers, I usually notice it at an early stage, and I keep Chili Peppers a sort of music. Haven’t I written a lyric for Chili Peppers? I think I shouldn’t write a lyric for Chili Peppers. I consider my lyrics ought to be sung by me and Anthony’s lyrics ought to be sung by Anthony. So, when idea about lyric existed earlier than music, I put words to music as a solo stuff. Sometimes … very occasionally, I waver in choice. For instance, songs I write while Chili Peppers are currently preparing to create a new album, that I usually keep for Chili Peppers. Though I want to write lyric for a new song, I resist my impulse in order to provide Chili Peppers with song. On the other hand, year ago, Chili Peppers didn’t work anything, so that I put words to music as a solo stuff. Basically I provide Chili Peppers with ideas of guitar part, and then Anthony puts vocal over it, then Flea thinks base line, and Chad writes drum-part. However, when I think of a new song as a solo stuff, I can see a whole image immediately. Lyric comes to me as soon as guitar part comes to my mind, and also I can settle over-dub part, that is to say all come simultaneously.
I think music has a lot of potential. For example, music sometimes becomes a medium of communication, or music is able to free up our feelings. What do you currently think about potential of music?
When we think of potential of music, we don’t have to forget that our life will become dull if there is no music. In my childhood, I discovered music is able to make another shape of what I saw. Music changed shape of what I saw. For example, there is a room where music is streaming…but, without music, the room would change into a completely different room. When I noticed the thing and was able to “see” music in my childhood, I found that music creates wonderfully lovely sight. I think, if there was no music in this world, our life would be bore and dull, and it is very important for us that we don’t take music for granted. We don’t have to forget that music always gives immeasurable moments of happiness and joy to us. Memory of my first kiss reminds me whenever I hear a certain music that was streaming at that time. Or, when I hear another music, I may be able to recall that I have gone to somewhere, swaying in the car that was driven by my mother. Every time I hear music that I had heard in my childhood, I am able to discover a wonderful memory of my childhood. Without music, I would not find joy in those memories and my life would have no meaning. I am not able to live without music.
I guess, however, other people perhaps don’t notice that music brings immeasurable beauty and warmth to our life. Maybe I am not able to say, “Music has a power to change the world”…I have no conception of how become this world would, if there was no music in this world. In my opinion, if there was no music in this world, our life would go to mess-up, this world would be filled with much more violence, and many more people would not find and any fulfillment in life. I think, when we think of “what is potential of music?”, we had better think of “without music, how would this world become ?” more than think of “what can music do in order to brighten future?”. I guess there is no sense in thinking of potential of music, whereas it is meaning that “without music, how would this world become?” because it is clear to answer… for instance, looking back upon your past, haven’t you really enjoy your life if there was no music, have you?
I quite agree.
And there is a question of what is music. There are spirits in another dimension where is completely different from dimension we live in now. There is no real existence in the dimension … so that they are not able to touch anything, and they are not able to eat anything. But, as same as us, there are human beings as individuality, and everyone has each personality. Once they think about something, each thought become reality in his or her inimitable way. And each reality is influenced by his or her way of thinking and each mind. They are able to become a person whom they want to be, and they are able to show themselves to other people in the dimension. Though everyone understands everything, they are not able to make anything because they live in a non-linear space-time. Though everyone has all of the knowledge and inexhaustible ideas, they are not able to actualize them because there is no pencil, no guitar, only existence is thought in the dimension. So we are able to write music, connecting with those human beings living in the dimension. Most people seem to be unaware of the thing, but I think, connecting with himself or herself living in the dimension too, each artist is able to create arts. People who live in the dimension send their ideas to us, and we receive their ideas, so that we are able to make sounds with guitar, to sing with voice, and to draw arts with canvas and brushes. Idea that was born in the spiritual dimension which changes to actuality in this world. Before idea comes to us, that idea has not yet changed to song or anything to be shaped, and it was just like a dust as it was flowing in the cosmos. There are many ideas and feelings even if we don’t exist. But it is we who realize those ideas. Those ideas are called “network of thought” by me, and those ideas exist in only that dimension. We transform those ideas into reality, or actualize them. And actualization of those ideas are also influenced by our way of life…how to interpret ideas from “network of thought” is that depends on our life, our experience, the person who we love, and the music that we love. And I believe that something core of music already exists before we start writing music, and picture already exists before the picture is started to draw. The quintessence of picture and the quintessence of music already exist before we take them.
I am very interested in your opinion. By the way, we are really touched by your play as if strike home to the heart of us, not only your solo album but also at the Chili Peppers’ show. How is state of your mind when you energetically play the guitar on stage?
I always keep on being excited by music. And I concentrate on listening to other member’s play and listening to the situation closely. I think, in a way, I am in the same state as audiences. If we do what must be done, we ought to listen to music. We should not think about “Which note do I have to play next?” or “What is play now?” It is important for us to enjoy moment to moment. To be honest, my mind is blank when I am on the stage and I don’t concern anything… there is no “thought” in my head at that time. State of mine on stage is the same as myself listening to record while sitting on couch in my living room because I concentrate on listening to music.
Really? Little did I imagine that you are in such state! We have long-waited Chili Peppers’ Show in Japan and the show will be held from tomorrow. We are looking forward to see your show.
Yeah, when show-time is approaching to us, I am going to concentrate my expectations on show. I’m not excited now…because show will be held tomorrow. I always feel a thrill of pleasure at the moment of going to stage. It is impossible for me to have been excited since the day before show (laugh).
—Hideyuki Otani
