“I am here today to talk about the Uplift Mofo Party Plan. A plan based on a band, a band based on a plan.There shall be no slaves in the land of lands, it’s a Hollywood jam.”

Over the past 35 years a little band out of California has raised hell and spread good vibes around the world: the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Formed by high school friends and nurtured in the fertile alternative music underground of Eighties Los Angeles, the Chili Peppers have gone on to become one of the most prominent rock bands of the modern era. Unlike other bands that blew up in the Nineties, they aren’t associated with grunge, but combined punk, funk, and psychedelia to create a distinctive brew of sound that earned them a spot in the mainstream while still rewarding deeper listening. More personally, they are one of my favorite bands ever; they happened to release the music video for “Dani California” right when I was 15 years old and just starting to get into music. It hooked me and I’ve been a big fan ever since. 

My fandom, however, isn’t a given, as it seems that just as there are millions of fans around the world, there are also plenty of detractors. It’s very, very common, especially in hip music circles, to bash on the Chili Peppers. It seems like self-serious hipsters just can’t let themselves enjoy something that is supposed to be unabashedly fun. At some point, the Chili Peppers (along with Rage Against the Machine) got blamed for the rise of the often maligned “rap-rock” and nu-metal of the late Nineties, but are musically much more supple than their angsty imitators. They’re also associated in the public’s mind with the bro reggae of Sublime and 311 types. While RHCP do propagate some form of West Coast sunshine chill that is very stoner friendly, frankly they’ve always been way more than just surfer-bro fare. The best of their music is pure emotional expression; whether that emotion be celebration, melancholy, or lust, it comes across with an appealingly good-natured sincerity. Plus they do all this with an instrumental acumen that is far above many dreadlocked peers.

In fact, bassist/trumpeter/sometimes-vocalist/heart-of-the-band Flea is inarguably one of the best bass players ever, who combines energetic slap technique with deeper melodic grooves to create a supple foundation for everything they do. Vocalist Anthony Keidis originally drew from hip-hop as one of the first vocalists to consistently introduce rapping into a rock context, yet over time he’s become more comfortable with melody. Keidis is another major point of criticism for the band to many people. True, he isn’t a traditionally strong singer, but he is certainly distinct and a great performer. His lyrics often seem unclear or juvenile, but at the same time his abstract associations build upon themselves to conjure unique images that strike to the heart of an emotion. While I agree that Keidis is the weak link of the group, they certainly wouldn’t be the same band without him. I think most fans acknowledge this, and take it with knowingly good humor. The Peps have boasted several guitarists and drummers over the years who have each added their own spice to the proceedings; Chad Smith has been a reliable beatmaster since 1989, while their most frequent and successful six-string man John Frusciante has come to be acknowledged as one of the most brilliant guitarists of his generation.

At the end of the day, a little band that started as a side project between friends has built up into an alt-rock institution. The musical chemistry and genuine personal love between the Red Hot Chili Peppers, forged through both immense success and unfathomable tragedy, has spawned great, versatile music over the course of their career. We’re due for another release to come out on April 1st called Unlimited Love. With Frusciante back in the fold for the first time in a decade, expectations are high. No matter what we get, I’m confident that it will enhance the ongoing saga of one of the best bands of our time.

Continue reading In Defense of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: A Ranking →