The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ fans were delighted last month when they found out the key voice in the band’s success, guitarist John Frusciante, was rejoining the band. He was out of the band for over a decade with the exception of one live performance. The news of his return came as a surprise. Frusciante’s replacement, Josh Klinghoffer, wasn’t so surprised by the news of the band’s original guitarist’s return as much as fans were. He was wholeheartedly accepting of the decision.
The Klinghoffer Years
Klinghoffer toured extensively with the band and worked on two of their albums, 2011’s I’m With You and 2016’s The Getaway. Both albums produced hits for the band, but to a lot of fans, the albums themselves paled in comparison to their early funk-rock and 21st Century commercial rock. Can’t please everybody, obviously, and many thought Klinghoffer did a fine job bringing a slightly new sound to the band rather than repeating what Frusciante did. No question about it: Klinghoffer is an exceptional guitarist.
Not Surprised
During a conversation on Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast, the guitarist talked about the experience rather openly. It’s a shame, obviously, but he’s happy for John’s return:
“It’s absolutely John’s place to be in that band. So that’s why I’m happy for him, I’m happy that he’s back with them. If John coming back had happened five years ago, it would have been hard for me, temporally, to weigh [my work] against what they had. Now, after 10 years, two tours, and almost three albums of writing, I’m really proud of what I did with them. I feel like we did create something.”
All in all, a very classy and accepting response.
The Dismissal
While it must’ve been crushing news to learn of your dismissal from one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Klinghoffer took it well. The rest of the band told the guitarist the rough news at Flea’s home. He took it as well as he could’ve, based on his own words:
“They just said, ‘We’ll get right to it. We’ve decided to ask John to come back to the band,’ And I just sat there quiet for a second and I said, ‘I’m not surprised.’ And the only thing I could think to say was, ‘I wish I could have done something with you guys, musically or creatively, that would have made this an absolute impossibility.’”
The guitarist added he regretted saying that last sentence, but in the moment, it sounds like he was honest about his feelings on the matter. At the end of the day, he got to produce hits with a band he had fun working with for ten years; all in all, not a bad experience.
John Frusciante’s Return
The band wasn’t the same without the guitarist. Nothing against Klinghoffer’s contributions to the band; it’s just a difference and matter of personal taste for fans, who missed Frusciante’s riffs, low-key graceful voice, and overall sound. When the band announced the guitarist’s return, they were as ecstatic as their fans:
“The Red Hot Chili Peppers announce that we are parting ways with our guitarist of the past ten years, Josh Klinghoffer. Josh is a beautiful musician who we respect and love. We are deeply grateful for our time with him, and the countless gifts he shared with us. We also announce, with great excitement and full hearts, that John Frusciante is rejoining our group.”
At the time of Klinghoffer’s dismissal, he was working with the band on new material. The group scrapped all that material. Now, the band is starting a new album from scratch with Frusciante, which drummer Chad Smith confirmed. With Frusciante back, maybe the band can now recapture a bit of their glory years or show fans something entirely new together again.
