Posted by A new Netflix documentary about the Red Hot Chili Peppers was announced today. It will feature interviews with band members Anthony Kiedis and Flea. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, however, have now released a statement clarifying the film is not a “Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary.”
Directed by Ben Feldman (Rich & Shameless), The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers is said to focus on the band’s early years with Hillel Slovak. While in high school in the late ’70s, the Israeli-American guitarist founded Chain Reaction, which was later renamed Anthym and then What Is This?. That group evolved to include Flea, who vocalist Alain Johannes taught to play bass, and eventually future RHCP frontman Anthony Kiedis as a hype man. At the end of 1982, Slovak, Kiedis, Flea, and drummer Jack Irons played a show billed as Tony Flow And The Miraculously Majestic Masters Of Mayhem and within a year they signed a record contract as Red Hot Chili Peppers. Slovak left before RHCP recorded their self-titled Andy Gill-produced debut album, but rejoined in time for 1985’s Freaky Styley and 1987’s The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. He died of an accidental heroin overdose the following year.
Announcing the documentary on Friday, director Feldman called his project “a deeply relatable story — about the friendships that shape our identities and the lasting power of the bonds forged in adolescence.” Slovak’s older brother James is an executive producer.
The current iteration of Red Hot Chili Peppers — Kiedis, Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante — want it known that they “have yet to make a Red Hot Chili Peppers” documentary. They shared this statement on social media:
Dear people of the universe,
About a year ago, we were asked to be interviewed for a documentary about Hillel Slovak. He was a founding member of the group, a great guitarist, and friend. We agreed to be interviewed out of love and respect for Hillel and his memory. However, this documentary is now being advertised as a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary, which it is not. We had nothing to do with it creatively. We have yet to make a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary. The central subject of this current Netflix special is Hillel Slovak and we hope it sparks interest in him and his work.
Coincidentally, The Uplift Mojo Party Plan producer Michael Beinhorn just did a Reddit AMA a couple of weeks ago and went viral for writing that “Anthony was/is tone-deaf (ie- he can’t hear pitch)” in one of his responses.
However you wanna describe it, The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers won’t be the first Netflix project featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Last year the band starred as puppets in a David Fincher-directed episode of the animated anthology series Love Death + Robots. Their most recent album was Return Of The Dream Canteen in 2022.
Flea has been busy promoting his debut solo album Honora (on which he returns to his original instrument, trumpet) and that arrives in March, followed by his first-ever solo tour. The LP will feature former Chili Peppers adversary Nick Cave. And tomorrow night Smith will take part in the Grammys’ Ozzy Osbourne tribute alongside Post Malone, Slash, Duff McKagan, and Andrew Watt.
The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, which apparently screened for buyers at Cannes Film Festival last year, premieres on Netflix 3/20.
Netflix