red hot chili peppers iceberg

i've seen a lot of iceberg videos in my time but i've never come across an rhcp one. this iceberg will be based on one i found on reddit ( because duh ) though i will be changing some things,, i hope you find it interesting ^^

note : i know the image is really small, when you click on it you'll be taken to reddit so you can see the full image (* ^ ω ^)

tier 1

AK scat singing

AK, or anthony kiedis, is the lead vocalist of the chili peppers. he's well known for his scat singing, where he'll use gibberish to fill in lines of songs. this is seen in tracks like around the world and soul to squeeze. anthony is quite famous for the use of this technique, though i do think it's unfair to say " ohh he never sings real words ",, i do hear that a lot and it's just silly because the vast majority of their songs don't have any scat singing at all.

b-sides

rhcp has many b-sides, especially after over 40 years of writing music. i'm beside you is a compilation album consisting of 17 unreleased tracks previously recorded during the i'm with you era, as well as b - sides and rarities released in 2011. there are many other b-sides albums, which you can look into if you're interested. bunker hill, gong li and quixoticelixer are my personal favourite b-sides of theirs. yes there is debate over wether or not quixoticelixer could be considered a b-side but i don't care, it's a fucking great song.

live at hyde park

this was the first live album released by the band, recorded in hyde park, london, on in late june during the roll on the red tour. these three concerts set records for the highest-grossing concerts at a single venue in history, as well as being considered one of the best rhcp shows of all time. the cd is a little more rare, which is cool because i actually own it, but there were only 500 pressings of the vinyl, making it even more rare !

the half finished josh album

the band has had their fair share of lineup rearrangement, this unfinished album the result of the depature of guitarist josh klinghoffer and the re-entry of john frusciante in late 2019. josh admitted he was “sad” that the album he’d been writing with the band would be scrapped in favour of new material with john. there is no sign of a release of any of these tracks ever, especially considering john's general distaste for tracks written with other guitarists.

song covers live

the red hot chili peppers have played many covers over the years so i'll go over the most notable ones as well my favourites. john frusciante, the band's guitarist and backing vocalist, has done a few solo covers live. he's sung i feel love a few times, one of my favourites being at msg in may 2003, just because you can see him counting flea in ( and getting quite annoyed ) but still performing a great cover. he's also played how deep is your love a few times, this version being my favourite cover of all time, holding an incredibly special space in my heart (´ ω `♡) havanna affair is a song the chili peppers have covered live a handful of times as well, and is an incredible example of their artistry. with heavy influence from john, the band managed to create their own version of the classic ramones song,,the band's history with the ramones adding even more to the cover. anthony describes in this interview that the chili peppers were performing a show with the ramones when flea, anthony and jack irons ( the band's drummer at the time ) decided to run across the stage naked while the ramones were playing in order to respect and honour them. however, the ramones did not take this gesture well, particularly johnny ramone, who scolded the band after the show for their crude act. years later, john frusciante became close friends with johnny, eventually leading anthony to become close to him too. to honour them, this time clothed, they played at their tribute concert as well as recording havanna affair for their rock & roll hall of fame covers EP.

scar tissue + acid for the children

the iceberg put these on tier 2 but i'm moving it up to tier 1 just because if two of my english teachers have read scar tissue, surely it can't be under the water. but anyway, these two books are written by the band members and discuss their personal history as well as work with the band. scar tissue, by anthony kiedis and larry sloman, was released in 2004. i'm only 1/4 way through the book, but i can say it discusses some pretty heavy themes of sexual assualt as well as drug addiction. the discussion of SA is particularly interesting as it discusses him being a perpetrator and victim of this abuse. it gives an insight into his mind and trauma, though it does not excuse his actions. the less popular of the two, acid for the children, was written by flea and released in 2019. i have finished this book and wether or not you like the band, it's a fucking incredible memoir. it's beautifully written, with descriptions of the joys of his childhood as well as the dangers that came with drug misuse.

tier 2

stadium-arcadium.com

i believe the website is down now but stadium-arcadium was once a popular fansite for the band. it had a chatroom, news and a forum, the first snapshots of the website from 2006. you can see the website through the internet archive here if you're interested !

general philosophy

the band are very open about their place as a band and in the universe as a whole. they believe you can only be in a good band if you're all friends. you must trust each other, and love and respect one another. they have also expressed that they will not put a song on a record unless they all agree it should be there, valuing individual opions over the majority.

john explains that he does not see himself as having any real credit for the music he writes, beliving he's merely a vessel for the spirits that surround him. he's very open about his belief in the " 4th dimension ", a plane of existence that influences us as artists and people. his views have changed a lot over the years, especially due to his drug addiction. when addicted to heroin, especially seen in this interview he explains that he didn't see a problem with being on drugs and didn't find a reason to quit, as it made him feel good and helped him write better music. later, he'd express that everything he made while on drugs could've been made without them.

flea is an incredibly free spirit and is honestly such a beautiful guy. he values nature as well being his natural crazy self. he had been supressed by societal boundaries, and descibes being on stage as a completely different plane. you can read an extract from acid for the children here, which perfectly describes his view on music.

“ being a red hot chili pepper is about being free, and not being tied down to anything; not trying to fit into any mould, or any style, or any category. as far as a lifestyle which extends to the way you look, and the way you talk, and the way you act — anyone that would consciously apply any sort of rock & roll cliches to their life obviously would not fit into being a red hot chili pepper. someone that just had a natural passion and love for music, and particularly a love for funk music, would be someone that could be in the red hot chili peppers.” — flea

anthony kiedis is also an incredibly peaceful person. during the californication era, he would encourage the band to drink ginseng tea, meditate and practise yoga before shows ( except chad who had that bottle of wine before dinner ) which he found to be a great way to get into the right headspace for music. he also says, in the fucking joe rogan podcast, " don't be a bitch ", as a regard to just being kind, which i feel means so much.

i don't know much about chad and i'll probably refrain on speaking on him too much in this post, just because he hasn't done a lot of interviews and he doesn't seem to value spirituality as much as the other members. in an interview i did find, he says, “there’s no shortcuts in that musical telepathy that you have with someone, flea and i have played a lot of notes and a lot of rhythms together. we know each other so well, and the chili peppers are so rhythm-oriented that it’s important we have an understanding of what’s the best thing for the song.”

songs about hillel slovak

hillel slovak was the first guitarist of rhcp and died in 1988, aged 26, due to an overdose. this death left a massive impact on the band, especially on anthony kiedis. during this time, he was addicted to drugs, spending all his money from shows to buy heroin. after hillel's death, the consequences of drugs truly hit him, especially after flea made the desicion to leave the band unless anthony got clean. flea and anthony both suffered immensly from this death, but so did john frusicante. hillel was his hero, and learned the guitar part for every chili pepper song. this is why when the band were looking for a new member, john was the perfect fit. as hillel had such an effect on them all, it lead him to be mentioned and referenced across multiple songs. some of these include open / close ( which features a story about hillel ), this is the place, skinny sweaty man, me and my friends, feasting on the flowers, otherside, knock me down and my lovely man.

applause at the end of if you have to ask

the second track on blood sugar sex magik, if you have to ask, ends with applause over the instrumental. i've looked on google, reddit, even my uncensored " deep web " search engines and i still cannot find any insight on where the sample comes from. i believe the " ha how " ( listen to the track you'll see what i mean ) may be anthony but there's no real way of knowing as of now.

super bowl xlviii halftime show

taking place on the 2nd of february 2014, the show was headlined by bruno mars and his band the hooligans, featuring the chili peppers as a special guest. the band played give it away alongside bruno mars and it was an incredible fusion of music i'd never had really expected. bruno mars is just as impressive in this performance, and i'd recommend watching it here !!

the plasma shaft

the plasma shaft is a compilation box set released in australia and japan as a bonus to blood sugar sex magik in a separate jewel case in 1994. it contains two discs : the normal bssm disc with all 17 tracks and a bonus disc with 8 tracks recorded during the sessions for the album, three of them being studio tracks that were left out of the album in 1991, a live performance of nobody weird like me, the radio edits of if you have to ask and breaking the girl, a remix version of if you have to ask and an unfinished version of give it away taken from the funky monks documentary.