Whatever Happened to…John Frusciante

Twice now, the success of RHCP has been too great a burden for their silent guitarist, John Frusciante. Following his most recent departure, it seems as though the rock world has lost him to the world of beats, bytes and bling bling – nowadays he would be more likely to band together with the Wu Tang Clan. All is relatively quiet on the John Frusciante front, since he quietly and mysteriously left RHCP 4 years ago, leaving them to make their comeback alongside Frusciante’s own close friend and guitar clone, Josh Klinghoffer; a move which seems to have worked out quite well for them.

In the middle of the last decade, Frusciante was able to accomplish the most devilish of artistic tasks, producing half a dozen albums in less than a year, alongside his duties with RHCP. Then he had had enough of the rock star circus and took his leave for the second time, just as he had in 1992. Unlike back then, this time he didn’t fall straight into the almost suicidal need for heroin, but instead started smoking again.

In 2009, “The Empyrean” came out; up to now his most recent solo LP, not counting his collaboration with Mars Volta leader Omar Rodriguez Lopez in 2010, which the two had actually already made together some 7 years before. Frusciante couldn’t be persuaded to play as a guest on the new Mars Volta album. Omar recently said that John has reached a point where he isn’t interested in making music which becomes a product. Omar has himself, over the years, helped John out with his extravagant solo escapades, but now says John is living by an entirely different philosophy.

This also seems to be true of John’s own musical tastes. In 2010 he formed Speed Dealer Moms with electro artists Chris McDonald and Aaron Funk. To date, the trio have brought out an online exclusive 2 track EP, that with its breakneck sound effects is clearly even more techno based than the 2004 Frusciante and Klinghoffer collaborative album, “A Sphere in the Heart of Silence”. The Frusciante we see in music documentary “The Heart is a Drum Machine” seems exhausted, unable to easily form his sentences.

Along with his growing love of beats and bytes, the 42 year old seems to be developing a good relationship with “black music”. He was already taking inspiration from Wu-Tang Clan on his last album with RHCP, “Stadium Arcadium” in 2006. Later, he went into the studio with the hip hop all star project N.A.S.A. Lately it is thought that Frusciante is working on a new solo album, and that he had drafted in R&B singer Share “Truth Hurts” Watson, and possibly Wu Tang rapper RZA, as guest musicians.

In recent times, Frusciante has also had success in his personal life. After his liason with Warpaint front woman Emily Kokal (Frusciante produced the first album for her band), he married Nicole Turley from LA avant garde band Swahili Blonde in July 2011. Belated congratulations!!

Most important album – Shadows Collide with People

The first and best of the 6 albums made within one year. History will remember Frusciante for the Chili Peppers masterpiece Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but for John himself, “Shadows” marks his breakthrough as a solo artist. Techno, singer songwriter, Krautrock (German rock), punk, avant garde; later Frusciante would need a separate album for each style, here he uses them all in one.

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