John Frusciante To Release Six (Yes, Six!) New Solo Albums

05/18/04 4:00pm

by David Missio (CHARTattack)

Once there was this guy named Elvis. He played some rock 'n' roll, became larger than life, couldn't deal with the success, turned to drugs and died. Then there was this other guy, Jim Morrison. Same idea. Kurt Cobain also had a taste for the drugs and his inability to deal with success led to a particularly violent death.

Founding Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak never really experienced great success, but he couldn't deal without the heroin. Current Pepper John Frusciante almost joined the list. After Slovak's death in '88, a star-struck teenaged Frusciante began a friendship with Flea before joining his favourite band for the recording of 1989's Mother's Milk.

Frusciante, who grew up listening to an odd combination of Frank Zappa and Black Flag, had just the sound the Peppers needed to propel them off of college radio and into the mainstream with the follow up album, 1991's multi-platinum Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

Frusciante, like so many before him, couldn't deal with the fame. He left the Peppers in the middle of a tour of Japan turning towards darker obsessions and a path to destruction. Unlike many before him, Frusciante sought help, and returned to the Peppers fold just as Dave Navarro was moving on and they recorded 1999s Californication.

Frusciante, back on track, released a solo album two years later. Now he's releasing six more. The first of these, entitled The Will To Death, will be in stores on June 22 with another released every month and all six to be out by year's end.

Most of the releases will be under Frusciante's own name as he and friend Josh Klinghoffer will be playing all of the instruments themselves. The August release, due out on the 10th, will be under the name Ataxia, Frusciante's collaboration with both Klinghoffer and Fugazi's Joe Lally. Frusciante may be wildly eccentric and weird, but he's alive, well and recording.