Anthony Kiedis Reflects on John Frusciante’s First Red Hot Chili Peppers Departure – ‘We Were Both Quite Foolish’

Who's ready for Round 3 of the Red Hot Chili Peppers with John Frusciante on guitar? There's no denying the band has done some of their best works with Frusciante in the fold, and during an upcoming interview with Zane Lowe, Chili Peppers' singer Anthony Kiedis speaks about the guitarist's multiple exits and what it's taken for things to be right again for all involved. Check out our Loudwire's exclusive preview of that chat below.

"We were both quite foolish at that stage," says Kiedis, telling Lowe about Frusciante's first exit amidst promotion of 1991's massive Blood Sugar Sex Magik release. "We talked about it earlier. I wanted things the way I wanted it and he wanted it the way he wanted it. And he may have been more evolved in some ways and less in others, but he disappeared and somehow we did survive and had this very interesting era with Dave Navarro and John went down as far as he could. And then, just the whisper of a ghost saying, 'Hey, I'm not gone yet,' Or like, okay, 'Let's do this.'"

Kiedis continues, "[Then came] Californication, By the Way, Stadium Arcadium and then he did make a holistic decision. He's like, 'It's not for me. It's too much. Too much attention, too much travel, too much chaos, too much … all of it.' And so he walked away."

"I think he needed a solid 12 years of processing all of that, which he was kind of willing to do slowly," says the singer. "Like, who are these people? What do they mean to me? What have we done together? What life do I want to live? Super smart. And I think he figured out that as difficult as that situation could be, it's just life and it's just an opportunity and it's just being in a band and maybe I can find a better way to do this."

Within the overall chat, Kiedis spoke of some of the ups and downs you go through over the span of a lengthy music career, and admits that some of the changes have aided in maintaining their excitement. That said, he tells Lowe that not every band is meant to have the lifespan the the Chili Peppers have enjoyed.

"I don't think everyone should even feel bad about having a particular lifespan as a band. Some bands were made to have a shorter lifespan. It's not for everyone," says the singer. "And then sometimes it's fun to do it for a while and then go do something else."

He adds, "I think it's the chemistry, it's really not the individual so much as the totality and for whatever reason, there is a healthy, competitive, brotherly, familial element that keeps us together because we have been through so much together and we depend on each other. And then maybe just good luck of the right people having found each other."

Speaking to his own continued passion with music, Kiedis states, "I never feel like I'm quite done with what I want to express or the challenge of expression. And I'm very grateful to have the place to express myself and driven and insane and a little bit rabid for, 'All right, what's next? What's next?' And the cards have played in our favor in that way, especially with John saying, 'I kind of missed this, let's do it again.' I'm like, 'Great. I get a chance to write songs again.'"

The long-anticipated return of John Frusciante on a Red Hot Chili Peppers album is upon us. The band's Unlimited Love album arrives this Friday (April 1) and you can pre-order the set in the platform of your choosing via the band's website.

Be sure to check out more of Anthony Kiedis' chat with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 later this morning (March 30) at 10AM PT. You can tune in at apple.co/_Zane.

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