As Red Hot Chili Peppers prepare to release their second new album of 2022, former guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is continuing to talk shit about his time with the group. Having previously called producer Rick Rubin "way more a hindrance than a help," he has now described his decade in the band as "enormously stifling, creatively."
Speaking with Guitar World, Klinghoffer asserted that he "loved" being in the Chili Peppers, but said that the rest of his bandmates weren't willing to take creative risks.
"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," he said. "They're an established band with an established sound, and I learned over time how little deviating from that was possible."
According to Klinghoffer, he avoided writing guitar parts that sounded like "something John [Frusciante] would play," but that the other band members stuck to their usual style.
"As much as I thought they were up for experimentation, they generally stayed in their own lane," he said. "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."
It's a slightly ironic statement given that 2016 album with the band, The Getaway, has a glossy, synth-laden sound that's significantly different from anything else the band have released.
RHCP's new album with John Frusciante, Return of the Dream Canteen, is out Friday (October 14). Unlimited Love came out this spring.
Speaking with Guitar World, Klinghoffer asserted that he "loved" being in the Chili Peppers, but said that the rest of his bandmates weren't willing to take creative risks.
"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," he said. "They're an established band with an established sound, and I learned over time how little deviating from that was possible."
According to Klinghoffer, he avoided writing guitar parts that sounded like "something John [Frusciante] would play," but that the other band members stuck to their usual style.
"As much as I thought they were up for experimentation, they generally stayed in their own lane," he said. "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."
It's a slightly ironic statement given that 2016 album with the band, The Getaway, has a glossy, synth-laden sound that's significantly different from anything else the band have released.
RHCP's new album with John Frusciante, Return of the Dream Canteen, is out Friday (October 14). Unlimited Love came out this spring.
