John, starts off the show by staying that before he was the chili's guitarist, he heard voices that said he was going to be a rock star.
the black eyed peas weigh in on on the chili groove and how it's cool to name your band after a piece of food.
the show also features producer Rick Rubin, former classmates and the band's moms!
John's mom calls him Johnny. what a hoot.
the link also leads to a recent small-venue performance in London.
about half way in John sings a beautiful rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her.
What I dream I had:
Pressed in organdy;
Clothed in crinoline of smoky burgundy;
Softer than the rain.
I wandered empty streets
Down past the shop displays.
I heard cathedral bells
Tripping down the alley ways,
As I walked on.
And when you ran to me
Your cheeks flushed with the night.
We walked on frosted fields of juniper and lamplight,
I held your hand.
And when I awoke and felt you warm and near,
I kissed your honey hair with my grateful tears.
Oh I love you, girl.
Oh, I love you.
john's brilliant singing these short, sweet, obscure tunes during the chili peppers' gigs. some of my favorites -- tiny dancer (he does way better than elton) and a 1950s tune, maybe. john's solo version of T. Rex's Cosmic Dancer got me hooked on john's music. during a chili pepper show, he sang that haunting song i'd never heard before and i was struck with the john frusciante bug. i'd forgotten how much i love that song!
check out some of john's original solo work here. he let it run free on the internet. it's under demos. he's recorded about 10 cds, all of them i highly recommend.
the review of the london show:
"Oi mate! Do you know where I can get a ticket?" says the guy holding a ragged cardboard sign. Huddled tight against the spring air it's obvious he's been sitting there asking that question for a while now. Despite this being a secret gig, the Chili Peppers faithful (ticket or no ticket) have tracked their way to the Kings Cross Goods Depot in North London.
And why wouldn't you? Red Hot Chili Peppers live at Canvas is the hottest ticket in town this weekend.. maybe even this year?
The venue is a medium sized hall, dark on the inside with a bar at one end and speaker stacks the size of small bungalows flanking the stage at the other. 500 people pack themselves in, staring past the drum kit, craning their necks all trying to work out what's going on. The hardcore continue to cling to the front barrier as they have been for the last two hours.
Lights out. Here we go. From the darkness Flea bounds on stage, bass in hand. Frusciante's guitar cranks in to life whilst Chad's kick-drum thunder rattles our ribcages. Cheers, whoops and screams fill the air along with a hundred mobile phone screens all hoping to preserve this moment. The opening riff to Can't Stop rings out, the lights go up and there, not 5 meters away, they are. This is the kind of night that's so implausible that you have to see it to believe it.
"I make it up as I go along, cos that way I'm never wrong" confesses Anthony after fluffing the lyrics to the opening number. He's a much better rapper than he is singer yet his boundless energy seems to carry off any slip in delivery. Tonight's performance is an accomplished one with a set list that takes in family favourites Scar Tissue, By The Way, new single Dani California, Me And My Friends (from 1986), Simon and Garfunkel's For Emily Whenever I May Find Her and closes with the mighty Give It Away.
By the time they reach their finale, Anthony is stripped to the waist (and still looking built!), the audience is pogo-ing in unison with the band and even the bar staff are going crazy. The audience are unequivocal in their praise using words like fantabulous, rockin, awesome, fantastik, and 'erm' (thanks Moyles).
There's something very alluring about seeing the high polish of Hollywood get down and dirty in a North London warehouse. For a small show like this one you might expect they'd take it easy but no, the Peppers played it like they are still hungry for their place at the top. For a bunch of guys that have been in the business for over 20 years, they still know how to strap it on. Big time.
Review: Andy P
