Red Hot Chili Peppers, along with U2 and REM are one of the few bands that defined Rock for my generation. I mean obviously there were bands before them, but those three bands really created the sound of Rock for me.
But I've listened to the latest RHCP offering, I'm With You, and I think I'm sort of done with them.
The first time I got into RHCP was in 1992. I'd heard of them before that, but I wasn't really feeling them until then. I was volunteering at the Tucson Children's Museum and a fellow volunteer had Blood Sugar Sex Magik on tape. She swore they were the greatest, so I figured I'd give it a shot.
I listened to her walkman and got acquainted with the band. Everyone else was fawning over "Give It Away" and "Under The Bridge" but neither song was really my speed.
I will say that "Breaking The Girl" totally slayed me. That song was totally my joint. And then I heard "Soul To Squeeze" and I was like "I think I sort of like these dudes."
The Dave Navarro era with One Hot Minute really didn't do too much for me. I don't really know why that is, but I just couldn't connect with them during that time.
Then, when Californication came out, I was back in. Not only was I digging songs like "Scar Tissue" "Otherside" and "Californication" but they had great videos too. Plus I actually went to see them at Merriweather on their tour supporting the album.
And By The Way was equally dope. Though in fairness it had basically the same feel as Californication, which was one of the biggest knocks on the album. But since I liked Californication, I didn't mind a rehash one bit. I was never a bigger RHCP fan than I was at this era.
Then came Stadium Arcadium. Now, I'm biased against double albums. I haven't met a double album that I haven't ripped to shreds, nor have I met one that wouldn't have been a stellar single album with some judicious culling. Stadium Arcadium was a chore to listen to.
But it should also be noted that when Stadium Arcadium came out, I wasn't really associating with any RHCP fans who could have shared their love for the album with me. Nor was I watching videos and they've usually got solid videos. So, I don't know if my falling out of love with the band is a coincidence, justified or just a proper conflagration of circumstances.
The end result is that I wasn't down any longer.
A few months ago I put Californication, By The Way and Stadium Arcadium in my stereo and put them on repeat. I still loved what I always loved and Stadium Arcadium was still as trying as ever.
I tried to go into I'm With You with an open mind, but nothing really grabbed me. Granted, I've only been listening to it for two days, so things can still change, but if something doesn't change, I can't see myself giving it spins beyond this next week. I'd much rather listen to something I actually enjoy than trying to make myself enjoy something I really don't.
Maybe I've outgrown Red Hot Chili Peppers. Maybe they've outlived their usefulness. I can't call it. But I do know that Red Hot Chili Peppers no longer do it for me like they once used to. And that sort of makes me sad.
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