Who were/are the Red Hot Chili Peppers? They were/are a Southern California based rap-rock alternative band. With their heavily tattooed members who seemed to have a tendency of vigorous jumping about in nothing but their capris as seen on their brilliant role-playing video-game based (then recent) music video "Californification". They were as far apart from me in every way possible.
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Who was I? I was a geeky teenager growing up in a small town in southern Gujarat, (on the West Coast of India, for the record) absorbed in a world of reading and terrace cricket. My only exposure upto this point to any kind of rock music were a couple of songs of Queen, Aerosmith's "Hole in my soul" video which I did like for many reasons, some non-musical and then watching the video of "Smells like teen spirit" on MTV Select. The last mentioned caused in me a distinct head-spinning sensation, not one of appreciation, but one of overpowering nausea. Who'd really want to listen to anything like that? If rock music was an acquired taste, I just wasn't there yet.
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Then came along "Roadtrippin' ", a simple and stark video corresponding to its song, as far removed from the preceding "Californification" one as I was from RHCP.
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Haunted. That was how I felt. Haunted by the strange melody of the guitar, the wandering spirit vocals and the complete absence of any drums/percussion. The lyrics which did not make any sense and yet made a lot of sense at the same time. I saw potential. If a quartet of guys who had seemed so totally beyond redemption only a video ago as far as normal human behaviour was concerned, could sit around and make such beautiful music, maybe the choices that this genre of music offered were worth investigating. My geek meter was pinged by curiosity. I was drawn inside a world which I would have never thought of stepping into otherwise. It is a choice I am eternally grateful for having made.
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Watching them live on a Monday evening, the 7th of May, 2012 at the TD Garden in Boston was an appropriately monumental occasion for me. Anthony Kiedis was there with his magically deep voice sporting a Freddie Mercury-ish moustache, in a blazer at first before chucking it all off to end up in the trademark RHCP capri only look. 'The Flea' plugging away on the bass guitar, with an on-hands-only entry on stage and the insanely fit stage antics that earned him his nickname.
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Both Kiedis and the Flea are 50 years old, super hyper-active on stage and a real example of how all rockstars don't have to look like dried Inca mummies (cue Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) despite having lived the rockstar life. Longtime drummer Chad Smith was beating away at his set. John Frusciante, their genius grade lead guitarist was missing, having quit the band last year, for the second time in his life, causing hopeful speculation that he would return after a few years' break like the last time. In Josh Klinghoffer, the band had an able replacement but John made his presence felt through the tunes that he had left behind.
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"Under the bridge" was played, 20 years on, their break-out song and still as mesmerizing. So were some other favourites like "Can't stop", "Give it away", "Dani California" and "Californification". "Snow", "The zephyr song", "Desecration smile", "Tell me baby" and some other spectacular tunes though couldn't find their way onto the stage playlist. Also as significant as the song is to me, "Roadtrippin' " is probably not concert material. Looking back, this particular song may have had an even bigger impact on my life, more than just inducing me to explore rock. It is hard to miss the connection between my primary passion of wandering, the locations, countries and names immaterial as long it requires being on the move and the words I first heard then...
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"Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It's time to leave this town
It's time to steal away
Let's go get lost
Anywhere in the U.S.A.
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Let's go get lost
Let's go get lost"
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