Watch a 17-Year-Old John Frusciante Absolutely Shred in a Newly Unearthed Video

This performance with IKE may have been his first-ever show

BY Alex HudsonPublished Feb 9, 2023

John Frusciante joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the age of 18, meaning that he has basically no material that pre-dates the band. This week, however, some very early footage of the guitarist has been unearthed, showing him shredding with the hard rock band IKE.

The footage was shared in a series of Instagram videos by IKE bassist Matty Goodman. The videos were recorded at the Los Angeles-area studio Missing Persons, in the San Fernando Valley.

The almost-unrecognizable Frusciante is just 17 in the clip, but his technical abilities are very much fully formed, as he shreds some Van Halen-sounding solos full of two-hand tapping. Adding to the technical wizardry, Goodman even does some fret tapping on his bass. This session was two years before Frusciante's debut album with RHCP, 1989's Mother's Milk.

On Instagram, Goodman wrote that it was Frusciante's "first gig," although that can't be confirmed. Goodman also wrote that the full video would be released on YouTube; judging by the time visible at the bottom of the screen, it appears that the full video is 53 minutes long.

Watch a compilation of Goodman's Frusciante videos below.

Frusciante recently released a new solo album, although its lengthy synth drones couldn't sound more different from the guitar heroics heard here.

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