
“For me it’s important to be in balance. To not let fear get in the way of things, to not worry so much about protecting yourself all the time,” says Frusciante about the way he supposedly tries to approach all matters of life.
And this would naturally include music just as well. Regarding playing guitar, the fact he was regarded as one of the world’s top guitarists, didn’t stop him from stopping releasing guitar music altogether and choosing to focus on an entirely different style of art. Frusciante seems fearless and unwilling to let a little thing like “ego” get in the way of his journey.This seems to include music.
And this would naturally include music just as well. Regarding playing guitar, the fact he was regarded as one of the world’s top guitarists, didn’t stop him from stopping releasing guitar music altogether and choosing to focus on an entirely different style of art. Frusciante seems fearless and unwilling to let a little thing like “ego” get in the way of his journey.This seems to include music.
Whether it was as a result of his past troubles, or out of a desire to take the future into his own hands, Frusciante has refused to become addicted to his own fame or success. The musician famously quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of the biggest rock bands of the time, twice. The second time it looks like meant it.
For a while, Frusciante continued to make solo records in a way that was not dissimilar to his previous endeavors. They included guitars, verse-chorus structure and were altogether something that that festival crowds familiar with the Chili Peppers could support. Fans of the California band were satisfied and those looking for the extreme side of “alternative rock” were also paying notice.
However, the musician continued to question himself and his attempts at self-growth. His self-analysis finally lead him to the decision of retiring from making guitar driven music altogether. He opted to create electronica sound structures instead, telling reporters of how he felt his musical imagination was starting to work more like a computer each day. As it so happens, Frusciante is set to release his second album under the name Trickfinger, an experimental electronica alter-ego, shortly.
Of course, it’s highly unlikely the musician will once again benefit from the warm reception previously given to him by Chili Pepper fans. Of course, this seems to bother Frusciante very little, with the musician seemingly uninterested with mainstream acceptance of any sort.
But the album release is without a doubt a momentous occasion. Frusciante himself had seemed to suggest he had decided to give up releasing music altogether. And that would simply have been a shame. He justified the extreme action as a way to ensure he would not let his imagination be distracted by the public’s expectations of his music.
“I find that the best way to do things is to constantly move forward and to never doubt anything and keep moving forward, if you make a mistake say you made a mistake,” Frusciante says about choosing to move forward.
Frusciante rarely if ever gives interviews nowadays, although he seems to have kept himself busy. The musician has collaborated on different projects, rock and electronica, with fewer efforts released for public consumption in recent years.
There are, of course, a fair share of rumors concerning mr Frusciante and, once ore, there is little concern on his part about trying to deny those. One of the rumors was that the famous guitar player does not actually own a guitar anymore. Word had it that Frusciante had sold his guitar and gear in an attempt to fully engross himself into the making of electronica music, the format he has the biggest interest in. And Frusciante seems to be the kind of person that does not let himself merely be interested in a topic, but rather strives to integrate it fully into his life.
“For me, living and making music, they’re one thing. It’s not like a job that I go to a studio to do, or a chore that I have to get myself in the mood to do, or something. It’s the thing that I need to do every day.”
Indeed it makes little difference. John Frusciante will remain a fascinating artist whether playing guitar in a top band, making his own singer-songwriter or electronica records, banging on a table or drawing on a canvas. Here’s to Frusciante’s creative spirit, in and out of guitar playing.