Mullen - The Red Hot Chili Peppers

I FIRST ENCOUNTERED FLEA AND ANTHONY ONE AFTERNOON IN EARLY SUMMER 83 WHEN THEY WHIRLED UNANNOUNCED INTO MY OFFICE AT CLUB LINGERIE IN HOLLYWOOD, WAVING AN AUDIO CASSETTE TAPE IN MY FACE AND INSISTING I LISTEN TO IT ON THE SPOT.

C UTE . V ERY TOUCHING . I TOLD THEM THERES NO TAPE PLAYER HERE, AND I ONLY LISTENED TO UNSOLICITED CASSETTES AT HOME SINCE ID AVERAGE TWENTY TO THIRTY OF THOSE DAMNED THINGS A WEEK FROM ALL OVER THE U.S. FREQUENTLY OVERSEAS, TOO .

I HAD A LOT OF CALLS TO TAKE AND MAKE BETWEEN NOON AND SIX . I WAS THE L INGERIES BOOKER AND RESIDENT S ATURDAY NIGHT DEEJAY AT THE TIME . B EFORE ME THESE TWO HIGH-ENERGY YOUNG PUPS WHO FINISHED EACH OTHERS SENTENCES JUST WERENT HAVING IT . T HEY WERENT GOING TILL ID HEARD THIS TAPE . N O LEAVING IT IN AN ENVELOPE, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. IT WAS THE ONLY COPY . W HAT FOOL-ASS CLUB PROMOTER LISTENS TO UNSOLICITED TAPES IN FRONT OF SOME SORRY BAND ? W HAT IF THEY TOTALLY SUCK ? Y OURE STUCK LYING OR TELLING EM SO TO THEIR FACES, WHEREUPON THEY EITHER DECK YOU OR HATE YOU FOR LIFE .

CMON, MAN TWO SONGS

THATS ALL YOU GOT TIME FOR THAT

W E HAD NO SECURITY SETUP LIKE THE W HISKY A Go-Go ON THE S TRIP . D URING THE DAY ANY OLD BUGGER OFF THE STREET COULD GLIDE FREELY THROUGH THE CLUBS FRONT ENTRANCE AND ON UP TO THE OFFICE . S UDDENLY ONE OF MY TWO INVADERS NOTICED J IMMY, THE JANITOR DOWNSTAIRS CLEANING UP THE BAR AREA AND THE DANCE FLOOR A CHEERY, WHISTLE-WHILE-YOU-WORK KIND OF GUY WHO TOILED TO THE CRACKLED SOUNDS OF A BEAT-UP, PAINT-SPLATTERED FM-AM/ CASSETTE PLAYER .

W HAT ABOUT THAT TAPE PLAYER DOWN THERE? SAID ONE OF THE DYNAMIC DUO POINTING DOWN OVER THE BALCONY .

D AMN . C ORNERED . W HAT COULD I DO ? F ORBID J IMMY TO LEND THEM THE TAPE PLAYER AND DEMAND THEY LEAVE THE PREMISES AT ONCE ? C ALL THE COPS ? A BSURD . T RAPPED . THEY LOOKED BARELY OLD ENOUGH TO GET IN THE JOINT AT NIGHT THE TWO PRANCING AROUND ME, AS IF THEY WERE ALREADY ONSTAGE MUGGING FOR A ROCK VID. O KAY, OKAY , I SUBMITTED . BUT TWO SONGS, THATS IT . T HEN I HAFTA GET BACK ON THE PHONES HERE .

O NE OF THE PAIR SCAMPERED DOWNSTAIRS TO BORROW THE PLAYER WHILE THE OTHER TOLD ME THE TAPE WAS A FOUR-TRACK PRODUCED AND ENGINEERED IN A GARAGE THAT SAME AFTERNOON BY F EAR DRUMMER EXTRAORDINAIRE S PIT S TIX , WHOM THEY SEEMED TO KNOW I HELD IN HIGH REGARD . I HAD BEEN BOOKING F EAR INTO NUMEROUS PUNK ROCK SHOWS AT VARIOUS VENUES AROUND L OS A NGELES SINCE THE LATE 1970s .

M Y INITIAL TESTINESS WAS GIVING WAY TO CURIOSITY, ESPECIALLY AFTER THEY SAID THEY ALSO IDOLIZED G EORGE C LINTON AND THE M ETERS HUGE PLUSES IN MY MUSICAL OMNIVERSE SINCE I D BEEN SPINNING ALL THE USUAL SUSPECTS FROM C LINTONS P-F UNK EMPIRE, AS WELL AS T HE M ETERS , J AMES B ROWN , O HIO P LAYERS , F ATBACK , D EFUNKT , B LOOD U LMER , K ONK , F ELA , M ATERIAL , S UGARHILL G ANG , T OMMY B OY , AND A FEW 99 RECORDS TRACKS DURING MY S ATURDAY NIGHT SETS FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS .

T HATS WHY WERE HERE, SAID ONE . A HA .

I WAS SKEPTICAL ABOUT SKINNY WHITE RUG RATS PLAYING FUNK (INWARDLY I WAS WINCING , Y EAH, RIGHT, SURE YOU DO, KIDDO) .

B UT IT DIDNT HURT THEIR CASE THAT THE BAND HAD ALREADY PLAYED DOWN THE STREET A WEEK OR SO AGO AT THE R HYTHM L OUNGE, A T HURSDAY NIGHT PROMOTION BY S ALOMON E MQUIES AND DEEJAY M ATT D IKE , WHO LATER COFOUNDED D ELICIOUS V INYL .

T HE MUSIC RAW, SPED-UP FUNK-ROCK WAS IMMEDIATELY CAPTIVATING .

I ASKED F LEA AND A NTHONY IF THEY KNEW OF THIS HARD-CORE TRASH-GOES-RASTA BAND FROM W ASHINGTON , D.C., NOW GETTING BACK TOGETHER AFTER A FEW YEARS LAYOFF HOW ABOUT OPENING FOR B AD B RAINS ? T HEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND ME LIKE I WAS CRAZY .

T HEY DANCED OUT OF THE CLUB ALL THE WAY UP THE STREET, AS IF I D JUST TOLD THEM THEYD WON THE LOTTERY .

T HE C HILI P EPPERS s OUNDED EVEN BETTER LIVE THAN I COULD EVER HAVE HOPED FOR SCARILY TIGHT. SPEED FUNK WITH CRANKED GUITAR AND SPEED RAPS . W HY NOT ? JACK IRONS AND FLEA TOGETHER FRIGHTENED THE BEJESUS OUT OF ME. HILLEL SLOVAK WAS SPINNING HIS GUITAR AROUND WHILE HE WAS PLAYING IT LIKE A NDY G ILL FROM G ANG OF F OUR GOES H ENDRIX GOES C ATFISH C OLLINS . A NTHONY K IEDIS WAS A CANT-TAKE-YOUR-EYES-OFF RAPPING, BOUNCING BALL OF ENERGY . B OTH BANDS CRUSHED IT THAT NIGHT .

I NEEDNT HAVE WORRIED ABOUT COVERING THE GUARANTEES . A STEADY BEAT OF EXPECTATION HAD BEEN BUILDING ON THE R ED H OT C HILI P EPPERS . F LEA AND A NTHONY PROMISED TO HELP ME DRUM UP SOME SUPPORT AND THEY TURNED IN A HUGE GUEST LIST OF THE MOVERS N GROOVERS . I N THE END EVERYONE GOT PAID AND LAID .

M UCH LIKE THE R OLLING S TONES, WHO BEGAN IN THE EARLY 1960s AS SERIOUS-MINDED BLUES MISSIONARIES, SO THE C HILI P EPPERS ORIGINALLY TOOK IT TO THE STAGE AS EXUBERANT FUNK EVANGELICALS . T HE P EPS ALSO CAME FROM A MUSICAL LINEAGE THAT TRACED BACK TO THE G ERMS , X AND, OF COURSE , F EAR, IN WHICH F LEA PLAYED FOR A SHORT WHILE . T HE P EPPERS FUSED IT ALL INTO A CHEEKY VAUDEVILLE OF PUNK AND FUNK AND RAP .

RHCP ( AND B AD B RAINS AND F ISHBONE , TOO ) TOTALLY RESET THE BAR FOR STOP-ON-A-DIME, METAL-PUNK-DUB-WHATEVER MUSICIANSHIP . E VEN IN THRASH PUNK OR METAL YOU NOW HAD TO BE ABLE TO REALLY PLAY . E NDLESS TOURING OPENED THE DOOR FOR EVERYTHING . T HE C HILI P EPPERS ARE RELENTLESS INTERNATIONAL ROAD DAWGS, MUST-GO-ON MUSICIAN-SHOWDUDES . T HE MADCAP JUMP-AROUND INTENSITY OF THE P EPPERS LIVE SHOWS GOT THEM THROUGH THE LEAN TIMES UNTIL H IGHER G ROUND , A S TEVIE W ONDER COVER FROM THEIR M OTHERS M ILK ALBUM, BROKE OUT ON MTV IN 1989.

T HE C HILI P EPPERS ANTICIPATED AND HELPED PAVE THE SUPERHIGHWAY FOR THE EVENTUAL CROSSOVER OF THE NEW-REALITY HIP HOP EMANATING FROM THE S OUTH B RONX TO TRADITIONALLY SUBURBAN HARD ROCK/METAL AUDIENCES A MIXED CROWD OF FRAT BOYS, PUNKERS, SURFERS, AND ALTERNA-KIDS, MANY OF WHOM WERE FIRST LED AT LEAST TO THE IDEA OF URBAN MUSIC DURING THE EARLY 1980s . T HE P EPPERS INTRODUCED RAP MUSIC TO THE CHAIN-WALLET, SKATE-BRO CROWD, AND TAPPED INTO THE NATIONAL NERVE OF TEENS ESTRANGED FROM CORPORATE HAIR BAND ROCK AS DISSEMINATED BY FM RADIO AND MTV. T HEY MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE B EASTIES TO GET AIRPLAY WHEN L ICENSED TO I LL CAME OUT AND FOR F AITH N O M ORE TO HAVE THEIR FIFTEEN MINS AND THEY HELPED INTRODUCE G EORGE C LINTON TO A GENERATION OF WHITE KIDS . T HE P EPPERS WERE ONE OF THE FIRST BANDS TO BE FEATURED ON 120 M INUTES , WHICH HELPED TO PRIME THE PUMP FOR ROCK-CRIT DARLINGS N IRVANA AND THE SUBSEQUENT ALTERNATIVE BOOM .

IN SHORT, THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HELPED SHAPE THE DIRECTION FUTURE MODERN ROCK WOULD TAKE WORLDWIDE.

A LTHOUGH IT MIGHT NOT HAVE SEEMED LIKE IT WOULD TURN OUT THAT WAY . D ESPITE GRUELING ODDS AT THE BEGINNING CHANGING PERSONNEL, DRUG PROBLEMS, DISAPPOINTING SALES, LACK OF WIDESPREAD FM RADIO AIRPLAY THE P EPS PREVAILED .

B UT THATS THEIR TALE TO TELL . S O JUMP ON IN .

B RENDAN M ULLEN , L OS A NGELES , S EPTEMBER 2009

(B RENDAN M ULLEN PASSED AWAY IN O CTOBER 2009; WRITER K ATERI B UTLER, HIS LONGTIME COMPANION, HELPED FINISH THIS BOOK .)

LOOKING THROUGH ALL THESE PICTURES TRIGGERS A MULTITUDE OF EMOTIONS FOR ME.

T HE FIRST AND MOST SHALLOW ONE IS VANITY, WONDERING IF I LOOK GOOD . H AHAHAHAHA . B UT t HAT PASSES PRETTY QUICKLY AND I AM STRUCK BY THE MOMENT OF THE PHOTO, THE FEELING OF THE TIME IT WAS TAKEN, AND WHERE WE WERE AT ON OUR BEAUTIFUL AND HAPPYSAD JOURNEY . I TS PRETTY FUCKING HEAVY ACTUALLY, LIKE THINKING HOW MUCH WE HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS, AND ALL THE DIFFERENT DYNAMICS OF OUR LIVES THAT SHAPED US, AND ALSO REALIZING SO CLEARLY THAT NOTHING HAS CHANGED AT ALL WERE ALL STILL JUST TRYING TO GET IT ON, MAKE SOMETHING GREAT .