Josh Klinghoffer on Being Fired from Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers made headlines last month when they announced guitarist John Frusciante was back in the band and Josh Klinghoffer, who’s been the band’s lead guitarist for the past ten years, was let go. While a situation like that could be rife with awkwardness, it seems as though the transition was rather seamless.
Klinghoffer spoke about his exit from the Chili Peppers on Marc Maron‘s WTF podcast and said, “I rode my bike over [to Flea’s house]. 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.’”
Klinghoffer also mentioned, “It’s absolutely John’s place to be in that band. 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.”
Despite no longer being in the Chili Peppers, Klinghoffer has not wasted any time in moving on. His sideband Pluralone will be opening up for Pearl Jam on their upcoming North American tour.
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