Guitarist John Frusciante Quits Red Hot Chili Peppers

Guitarist John Frusciante announced this past week he has left the Red Hot Chili Peppers to pursue his own musical interests. Frusciante quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers once before over a decade ago, but eventually reunited with the band. “To put it simply, my musical interests have led me in a different direction,” John Frusciante said in a post to his MySpace page.

John Frusciante

“I really love the band and what we did,” Frusciante continued. ”Over the last 12 years, I have changed, as a person and artists, to such a degree that to do further work along the lines I did with the band would be to go against my own nature.”

Frusciante wrapped up his announcement by saying there “was no choice involved in this decision. I simply have to be what I am, and have to do what I must do.” Frusciante said he actually left the band “over a year ago” but has not officially discussed his departure from the band until now.

John Frusciante left the Red Hot Chili Peppers back in 1992. Following his departure from the band, Frusciante battled heroin addiction for an extended period before successfully undergoing drug rehab. He later rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers for their last three albums: Californication, By The Way and Stadium. Frusciante has also released ten albums under his own name and several with Josh Klinghoffer and Joe Lally under the moniker Ataxia.

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