Tag: John Frusciante

Now this my be a gamble, but I think not everybody here knows that John Frusciante, one of the guitar players on The Heart Gently Weeps. was a heroin addict, let alone a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Just as I as searching for something I came across this article on him.

It was only in the last few weeks of 1996 that Frusciante was finally able to kick the three-year habit that contributed to the loss of his Hollywood Hills home and the gradual deterioration of his body; earlier this year, John’s remaining teeth were removed and replaced by dentures in order to avoid a life-threatening infection. His right forearm appears badly burned, and his speech, though filled with interesting insights and word games, is slurred and erratic.

–Till I Reach the Higher Ground, Guitar Player Magazine- November ’97, by James Rotondi

To me this certainly gives a new insight to the song. And he must be the one that told RZA about the all the other heroin addicted guitar players through times. It must have meant a lot to Frusciante to play on this record while the others were talking about the other sides of the heroin business.

Here’s a more complete recap from Wikipedia:

1992–1997: Drug addiction

Frusciante developed serious drug habits as a result of touring with the band during the previous four years. He said that when he “found out that Flea was stoned out of his mind at every show, that inspired me to be a pothead”.[21] Not only was Frusciante smoking large amounts of marijuana, he began using heroin and was on the verge of full-scale addiction. He went back to his home in California and fell into a deep state of depression; feeling that his life was over, and that he could no longer write music or play guitar.[19] For a long period of time, he focused primarily on painting and producing 4-track recordings he had made during the time he spent recording Blood Sugar Sex Magik. To cope with his worsening depression, Frusciante significantly increased his heroin use to a state of abuse; and subsequently spiraled into a life-threatening dependency.[22] According to Frusciante, his use of heroin to medicate his depression was a clear decision: “I was very sad, and I was always happy when I was on drugs; therefore, I should be on drugs all the time. I was never guilty—I was always really proud to be an addict.”[23]
Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt sample:
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