Red Hot? Damn right

Hey again.

So, music. Since I'm in a musical mood - as usual. No, but really. Let's talk about music, and real music, not the trash I mentioned a few months ago.

So, know any decent bands? Ooh, I got one. Lostprophets. Hmm, well actually they're pretty average, they don't have a unique sound and they're still pretty new on the scene, as it goes. How about... Led Zeppelin? Oh, they're a bloody brilliant band alright, but... their time's been and gone. Their prime was quite a while ago, and though it's great they're still going with that reunion tour and all, I don't think they'll ever be quite as awesome as they used to be. So, we'll have to keep looking. Hmmmm...

I got it. The perfect band. Not too new, not too old, perfect and unique style and sound, talented members and a brilliant stage presence. Guessed who I've thought up yet?

That's right. Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Of course, the ignorant ones of you out there will say "who?" or maybe "oh, aren't they those types of pepper they sell down at Morrison's now?". But those of you who even vaguely know your stuff will have heard of, and probably respect, this band. Honestly, they're the greatest quartet I've ever seen in the world, they fit together just so perfectly. Chad Smith - absolutely amazingly talented drummer, his hands-in-pockets style letting Flea make more of a groove and some experimentation. Flea - one of the best bassists out there today, if not THE best. Especially during improvisations and in slap n' pop songs, he demostrates a thorough and detailed knowledge of the fretboard of that beautiful signature bass, when he travels up and down it at breakneck speeds. John Frusciante - the best experimental guitarist of all time, in my opinion, maybe second to Hendrix. The way he blends his guitar improvs, gentle or loud, with Flea's bass and Chad's drumming, is something that only true, unadultered talent can produce. One of the only guitarists out there who knows exactly which fret on the guitar will make the best sound at a time. And of course, Anthony Kiedis - a very charismatic frontman whose vocals and lyrics can be haunting one moment, loud and happy the next. Some have said that he's the least talented in his field in the band, but I would say he's way more than competent to hold his own with the outstanding musicians he gets up on stage with.

And, to top it all off, RHCP have been together since 1983 - That's over a quarter of a century that they've been jamming. Not 25 years consistently, okay, what with having the common rockstar problems of drugs and publicity. The Fru had to duck out at one point to sort his heroin addiction out, as well as the original guitarist Hillel Slovak dying early on due to a heroin overdose in 1988. They've been through most shades of music now - from punk to funk to ballad to whatever you want to call them. They've seen it all, and they're still standing. Not something you can say about most bands. And that's why I love them. Here's one of their best songs, in my opinion.