Josh Klinghoffer says Red Hot Chili Peppers were "doing cooler music" with him

6 April 2023, 11:05

Red Hot Chili Peppers with former guitarist Josh Klinghoffer inset. Picture: 1. Clara Balzary/ Press 2. Mat Hayward/WireImage/Getty

By Jenny Mensah

The former RHCP guitarist has talked about the release of the band's material since the return of their classic guitarist John Frusciante.

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Josh Klinghoffer thinks he was making "cooler" music with Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The California funk rockers announced the return of their beloved classic guitarist John Frusciante in 2019 and went on to release two albums in 2022, Unlimited Love and Return Of The Dream Canteen.

However, Klinghoffer - who served as the band's guitarist from 2009 until Frusciante's return - wasn't too impressed with the band's last effort when listening to it.

Speaking on Brazilian podcast, he said: "I don’t think I finished the second [2022 album, Return Of The Dream Canteen]".

He explained: “I was trying to cram it in once before leaving on a plane, and I got as far as maybe the ninth song, and I don’t think I listened to the rest.”

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Alluding to unreleased music he was working on with Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Chad Smith, he said: "It's tough, only because I honestly think we were doing cooler music."

“I never want to sound negative about anyone doing music," added the I'm With You rocker. "But I was shocked when I heard their new record.”

It's not the first time Klinghoffer has reflected on his time with the Chilis, previously suggesting the creative process with the band was somewhat stifling.

"Obviously, it's sad when something is taken from you," he told Guitar World magazine.

"I did a perfect 10 years with them, but for as much as I love those guys and loved playing with them, it was also enormously stifling creatively.

"They're an established band with an established sound, and I learned over time how little deviating from that was possible."

Klinghoffer also explained how he tried to find his own voice within the band and avoid certain chords that Frusciante would have gravitated towards, but in the end he couldn't stray to far from the band's formula.

I thought I was doing a good job writing with them, but it wound up not kind of becoming part of my story, or if it is part of my story with them, it's a small part," he mused.

"As much as I thought they were up for experimentation, they generally stayed in their own lane."

Shortly after Frusciante's return to the band Klinghoffer revealed how the news was broken to him that he'd be replaced.

Speaking on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, he revealed: "They just said, 'We'll get right to it. We've decided to ask John to come back to the band.'

"And I just sat there quiet for a second and I said, 'I'm not surprised.'

"And the only thing I could think to say was, 'I wish I could have done something with you guys, musically or creatively, that would have made this an absolute impossibility.'"

However, Klinghoffer has expressed how happy he is for Frusciante and explained why he thinks he would have found it harder to take the news five years before.

"It's absolutely John's place to be in that band," he insisted. "So that's why I'm happy for him, I'm happy that he's back with them."

"If John coming back had happened five years ago, it would have been hard for me, temporally, to weigh [my work] against what they had.

"Now, after 10 years, two tours, and almost three albums of writing, I'm really proud of what I did with them. I feel like we did create something."