Getting On Top

They say all roads lead to Hollywood, and that statement is particularly pertinent to the majority of those who, at one point or another, would be part of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The setting is Fairfax High School, situated at the intersection of Fairfax and Melrose Avenues and bordering West Hollywood. The year is 1977, and Anthony Kiedis is struggling to integrate with the diverse demographic of students who make up Fairfax High. And then he meets Michael Balzary, a young buck with more haywire energy than his tiny frame can burn off in one go, his scatty nature earning him the rather appropriate nickname of 'Flea'. Kiedis had arrived in Los Angeles at the age of 12, leaving behind his native Grand Rapids, Michigan, to live with his film star-wannabe father. Balzary was born in Melbourne, Australia, before being uprooted to New York City when he was just four years old. When his parents divorced a short time later, California became Balary's next destination. Seen to be uncool by many of their peers or those who actually took notice of them in the first place, Kiedis and Balzary both came from less-than-ideal home lives. This is likely why the two formed such an inimitable bond, one that would only grow through the mischief they created on the streets of LA. The bond, today reinforced by love and respect, has allowed the brothers in arms to remain the only constants in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' lineup since the band's original formation over 40 years ago.

At first, Balzary was a keen trumpeter with a penchant for jazz until he was introduced to punk rock by his friend and original Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak. Balzary quickly learned how to play the bass guitar, where he adopted an unusual slapping technique that was as animated as the man himself. Not long after, he joined one of LA's most riotous factions, FEAR. Kiedis, on the other hand, had no musical background, having been more familiar with being in front of film cameras. While he was still in school, Kiedis scored some minor acting roles, including, most notably, the part of Sylvester Stallone's son in the 1978 neo-noir crime caper F.I.S.T. Kiedis' true calling wasn't too far away from revealing itself, though, because as he grew older, it was clear he possessed the charisma and confidence that made him the ideal candidate to front an aspiring rock band.

That calling came on 16 December 1982, when Kiedis' friend, Gary Allen, asked him to put together a band to play just one song at Allen's EP launch party. That night, Kiedis, Balzary, Slovak and drummer Jack Irons took to the small Grandia Room stage at the Rhythm Lounge on Melrose Avenue for a one-time-only gig (or so it seemed at the time). They called themselves Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. Kiedis debuted an impressive rap vocal over some improvised funk and punk instrumentation, the quartet's sound a combined influence of New York's Defunkt and the hip-hop troupe of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The song Tony Flow performed on that cold December evening was titled 'Out Of L.A.', and it featured Kiedis' storytelling lyrics about his and his friends' escapades around Tinseltown after dark. The band were immediately invited back to play a slightly longer two-song set the following week. No one knew it at the time, but the early foundations of the Red Hot Chili Peppers had been laid, and before long, the quartet were playing more and more shows around the city. Their funk style was some way away from that of Mötley Crüe, Ratt and W.A.S.P., who were about to take hair metal away from the Sunset Strip and into far bigger venues, befitting of their multi-million record sales. However, with their ascent came an opportunity for new bands to come in and make an impact of their own.

By early 1983, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were officially unveiled - their name derived from those of old-school blues and jazz artists, and by the end of that year, the quartet had signed a seven-album deal with EMI America/Enigma Records. Huffing and puffing throughout the decade, the Chilis steadily built a cult following by relentlessly touring and playing shows and releasing three albums that were each chock-a-block with funk and punk party anthems. Unfortunately, drugs would play a turbulent role in the band's early years, and in a sad twist of fate, it was only when Hillel Slovak succumbed to a heroin overdose in June 1988 that the Chilis career began its upward climb.

Enter John Frusciante, an 18-year-old staunch supporter of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and a talented guitarist who already knew how to play his favourite band's songs. It may have been under desperate circumstances, but Frusciante was the natural replacement for the hugely popular Slovak, and when Chad Smith filled the vacant drummer's spot around the same time, what many consider to be the classic Red Hot Chili Peppers lineup had been founded.

The 1989 album Mother's Milk had Frusciante's stamp all over it, his songwriting offering a new focus on melody over rhythm. There was still a hell of a lot of funk involved, but the band's sound was clearly progressing into something more substantial and fulfilling. Within a year of release, Mother's Milk had earned gold certification in the US, and while the four-piece were finally on the road to bigger things, that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow would come a couple of years later in the form of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Released via Warner Bros. Records on 24 September 1991, the album boasted the punchy duo of 'Give It Away' and 'Suck My Kiss', of which the former scored the Red Hot Chili Peppers their first number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. An even bigger moment came in March 1992 when the stunning heroin ballad 'Under The Bridge' was released as the second single. The song truly placed the Chilis into the mainstream, going all the way to number two on the Hot 100. With a remarkable peak position of number three on the Billboard 200, Blood Sugar Sex Magik would go on to shift over 7,000,000 copies in the US alone.

As the grunge movement began to spread its wings, future Hall of Fame acts, including Pearl Jam, Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins, found themselves supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers on US tours. By the end of 1991, alternative rock was searching for some new poster boys and LA's finest foursome were in the prime position to take the mantle and run with it. Nine years after their inception, the Red Hot Chili Peppers had arrived at long last. But with success came some inevitable pitfalls. Anthony Kiedis was in and out of his own heroin addiction, as he would be on multiple occasions throughout the decade, while Flea had also become accustomed to substance abuse during his teenage years. 'I started smoking weed when I was 11, and then proceeded to snort, shoot, pop, smoke, drop and drag and chase my way through my teens and 20s', the bassist wrote during an Opioid Diaries series for Time Magazine in 2018. John Frusciante, on the other hand, was facing an entirely different struggle - with newfound fame. In Kiedis' 2005 memoir Scar Tissue, the frontman spoke of the guitarist's dramatic plight:

John would say, 'We're too popular; I don't need to be at this level of success; I would just be proud to be playing this music in clubs like you guys were doing two years ago.'

Upon the completion of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Frusciante tried heroin for the first time, and it would kickstart a downward spiral. Things would get worse on tour, where he and Kiedis regularly came to blows. Frusciante's mental state reached a new low when the Chilis were in Japan, and ahead of their 7 May date at Omiya Sonic City, the guitarist decided to quit the band mid-tour. Frusciante was at least convinced to play that night's show, but once it was over, he flew back to LA and became a recluse and a prolific addict. Heroin would not be the only drug on the menu. Frusciante was at least able to experience spells of creativity through drawing and painting, and he would also end up recording some solo music, releasing his first album in 1994 under the title of Niandra LaDes And Usually Just A T-Shirt.

To fulfil the remainder of their upcoming dates, which included a headline spot on the long summer slog of Lollapalooza, Arik Marshall was hired for guitar duties. He also featured in two music videos filmed in 1992 and toured Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina. In Kiedis' Scar Tissue memoir, he wrote of Marshall never letting the band down on stage. However, Marshall's final performance with the Chilis proved to be at the Grammy's on 24 February 1993. On the same night that the band won the Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal award for 'Give It Away', the quartet played a rousing rendition of the track alongside George Clinton and Parliament- Funkadelic.

After completing the stressful Blood Sugar Sex Magik world tour, it was time for the Red Hot Chili Peppers to begin work on a new album, but problems arose immediately when Marshall was let go for failing to attend rehearsals. The next guitarist to come through the door was Jesse Tobias, who had been playing in and around LA with the band Mother Tongue, but his stint was cut short when Kiedis and Flea cited a lack of chemistry. Dave Navarro had been on the Chilis' radar...