It's been several years since Josh Klinghoffer was fired from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the split is getting spicy. Last year, he said the band's producer Rick Rubin was "way more a hindrance than a help." Now, the guitarist has shared more harsh words, this time insulting the band's two recent albums and saying that the material they released with him was better.
Speaking with the Brazilian podcast 5 Notas, Klinghoffer said that he had listened to the band's 2022 albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, and wasn't impressed.
"It's tough, only because I honestly think we were doing cooler music," he said, alluding to the unreleased new material that he had reportedly been working on with the Chili Peppers before he was fired. He added, "I never want to sound negative about anyone doing music, but I was shocked when I heard their new record."
He admitted that he didn't even finish the 17-song Return of the Dream Canteen. "I don't think I finished the second one," he said. "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." Incidentally, the ninth song of Dream Canteen, "Afterlife," is one of the best songs the Chili Peppers released in 2022. The eighth song, "My Cigarette," is admittedly one of the worst.
Despite Klinghoffer's negativity about RHCP's recent music, he said that he would be interested in playing with Frusciante again in the future — perhaps to revisit some of the material they made together in the '00s. "I feel like it would be fun to play some of those songs again, or play them live — we never played them live," he reflected. "We don't talk much these days. But I've always maintained that I still have an enormous love for him. He's one of my favourite musicians; one of my favourite writers. I'm not against the idea."
Watch Klinghoffer make the comments in the interview below. His discussion of Frusciante begins at the 32-minute mark, and the comments about RHCP's new albums follow immediately after.
Speaking with the Brazilian podcast 5 Notas, Klinghoffer said that he had listened to the band's 2022 albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, and wasn't impressed.
"It's tough, only because I honestly think we were doing cooler music," he said, alluding to the unreleased new material that he had reportedly been working on with the Chili Peppers before he was fired. He added, "I never want to sound negative about anyone doing music, but I was shocked when I heard their new record."
He admitted that he didn't even finish the 17-song Return of the Dream Canteen. "I don't think I finished the second one," he said. "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." Incidentally, the ninth song of Dream Canteen, "Afterlife," is one of the best songs the Chili Peppers released in 2022. The eighth song, "My Cigarette," is admittedly one of the worst.
Despite Klinghoffer's negativity about RHCP's recent music, he said that he would be interested in playing with Frusciante again in the future — perhaps to revisit some of the material they made together in the '00s. "I feel like it would be fun to play some of those songs again, or play them live — we never played them live," he reflected. "We don't talk much these days. But I've always maintained that I still have an enormous love for him. He's one of my favourite musicians; one of my favourite writers. I'm not against the idea."
Watch Klinghoffer make the comments in the interview below. His discussion of Frusciante begins at the 32-minute mark, and the comments about RHCP's new albums follow immediately after.
