John Frusciante Quits RHCP

December 17th, 2009

Chris

Courtesy: Pitchfork

For many of us, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante has long been the most likable thing about the group. A few years back, I watched him cover Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” in front of a festival crowd for no apparent reason, and it made for the best moment of the Chili Peppers’ set. But now Frusciante has left the group once again.

Earlier this week, MusicRadar reported that Frusciante was out of the band, and now MTV reports that via a post on his MySpace page, Frusciante confirmed that he has actually been out of the band since last year: “When I quit the band, over a year ago, we were on an indefinite hiatus. There was no drama or anger involved, and the other guys were very understanding. They are supportive of my doing whatever makes me happy and that goes both ways.”

Frusciante has released a number of solo albums over the years, and in his MySpace post, he reports that he’s recently felt a burst of creativity and energy about his solo stuff. This marks the second time Frusciante has left the band. After joining following the 1988 death of original guitarist Hillel Slovak, Frusciante first quit in 1992. He returned to the group in time to play on their 1999 album Californication. No permanent replacement has been announced, though MusicRadar reports that the band has been working with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.