Hillel Slovak (April 13, 1962 – June 25, 1988) was an American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Prior to his death of a heroin overdose in 1988, Slovak recorded two albums with the band, Freaky Styley (1985) and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987). His guitar work was primarily rooted in funk and hard rock, although he often experimented with other genres including reggae and speed metal. He is considered to have been a major influence on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ early sound. After his death on June 25, 1988 at age 26, he was replaced by guitarist John Frusciante, who was greatly influenced by Slovak’s playing style. Several Red Hot Chili Peppers songs have been written as tributes to Slovak, including “Otherside”, “Knock Me Down”, “My Lovely Man”, “Dosed”, and “Feasting on the Flowers”. In 1999, his brother James Slovak published a book entitled Behind the Sun: The Diary and Art of Hillel Slovak, which features Slovak’s diaries and paintings. (More from Wikipedia)
Jack Irons and Alain Johannes were part of the coterie where the band Red Hot Chili Peppers was born. RHCP founding members Hillel Slovak (guitar) and Jack Irons (drums) were in a high school band in Los Angeles that was eventually called What Is This?, along with Alain Johannes (vocals) and Todd Strassman (bass). (The name is taken from the reaction they noticed by many people when they heard the band). A third founding member of RHCP, Michael Balzary, better known as Flea was the bassist in What Is This? for a time, but he later joined the punk rock band Fear (and began making numerous appearances as an actor); also, Anthony Kiedis was serving as a roadie and “hype-man” for What Is This?.
In 1983, Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons, Flea and Anthony Kiedis came together for what was intended to be a one-time, loose performance at the Rhythm Lounge, billed as Tony Flow and the Majestic Masters of Mayhem. Although only about 30 people were in attendance, the show was so well received that they returned the following week and eventually put together a six-song demo tape under their new name Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Over a period of time, and following multiple changes in personnel, Red Hot Chili Peppers became a very big deal; and they have sold 80 million albums worldwide, with their fifth album Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) being their commercial breakthrough. However, neither Hillel Slovak nor Jack Irons played on their debut album, The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984). I am used to going to concerts where most of the people there are a lot younger than I am, but I have never felt so out of place as the night we went to see Red Hot Chili Peppers in New York.
Meanwhile, Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons were still members of What Is This?; Slovak in particular was not initially ready to cast his lot with Red Hot Chili Peppers. What Is This? was signed with MCA Records at about the same time that Red Hot Chili Peppers was jointly signed by EMI America Records and Enigma Records. The debut EP by What Is This?, Squeezed was released in 1984, with Chris Hutchinson playing bass; after that, Hillel Slovak went back to Red Hot Chili Peppers and played on their next two albums.
In the following year (1985), What Is This? released their only full-length album, What Is This? plus a live EP, 3 out of 5 Live. After that, What Is This? broke up, and Jack Irons returned to Red Hot Chili Peppers also. According to Wikipedia, the band’s third album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987) is the only Red Hot Chili Peppers album to feature all four original members – Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons, Flea and Anthony Kiedis – on each track.
(April 2015/1)
