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Hollywood Walk of Fame
“To be a modern rock band and not be innovative is to suck. And to suck is to be lame. And to be lame is to be weak. And to be weak is to be a jerk.”
Flea, bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
It is in 1997 that John Frusciante, then at the worst, ruined, addicted to drugs and homeless, is called back by Anthony Kiedis and Flea, respectively singer and bass player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. After the departure of Dave Navarro, lead guitarist on the album One Hot Minute, the combo finds
so the multi-instrumentalist, with whom he had recorded Mother’s Milk and Blood Sugar Sex Magik. In Flea’s garage where he rehearses, the group continues its way in a positive dynamic. Still accompanied by legendary producer Rick Rubin, the Red Hot Chili Peppers pack the majority of Californication ‘s tracks without major problems. However, when it comes to setting Kiedis’ lyrics to music for the title track, the machine seizes up. The singer is convinced that this is one of his best texts and wants the result to be impeccable. Finally, John Frusciante manages to find the perfect arrangement.
For the clip, the Red Hot Chili Peppers approached Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the future directors of Little Miss Sunshine. Known for having worked with Jane’s Addiction, Ringo Starr and the Ramones, the duo decided to illustrate the song using computer graphics, in a dynamic close to that of video games. Here, each member slaloms between many traps on his way. Chad Smith snowboards on the Golden Gate Bridge, Anthony Kiedis swims among sharks in San Francisco Bay, Flea walks in the forest and John Frusciante struggles in the middle of the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame. It crosses in particular several shootings of films, of which one classified X, making reference to the words of the piece and its title, Californication being the contraction of “California” and “fornication”.
If he alludes here to Kurt Cobain, to the album Station to Station by David Bowie, to the Apollo 11 mission, to Star Trek or Star Wars, Anthony Kiedis also deals with pornography. Californication later inspired the eponymous series, in which David Duchovny plays the role of a sort of modern alter ego of Charles Bukowski, severely inclined to the bottle and the finer parts.
Fourth single from the album of the same name, Californication takes the form of a virulent charge against consumer society and globalization. Produced by Rick Rubin, the song also stands out for its length of 5 minutes and 29 seconds, unusual for a song intended to be played on the radio.
With more than 800 million views online, the Californication video is the most watched Red Hot Chili Peppers video.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Emblematic avenue of Hollywood, the Walk of Fame gathers more than 2 600 stars and celebrates since 1958 the stars of the show-business.
When it was created, the Walk of Fame had 2500 empty spaces. During the first sixteen months, 1558 stars were placed on the ground. To be entitled to this honor, celebrities must pay the sum of 50 000 dollars and the amount has increased over the years. Since its creation, the Walk of Fame has seen several thefts. The stars of James Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Gene Autry and Gregory Peck have been stolen while that of Donald Trump has been vandalized several times. Many fictional characters fictional characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck or Kermit from the Muppet Show.
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Cult! music: 100 mythical music places [French Edition]
Embark immediately on an exhilarating world tour with some of music’s most iconic bands and artists!
Head to Melbourne, Australia for a stroll along AC/DC Lane before crossing the iconic Abbey Road pedestrian crossing in the company of The Beatles. Visit Janis Joplin‘s home in San Francisco and find out how Johnny Cash ended up playing his greatest hits to a crowd of prisoners in San Quentin. Travel the winding roads of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and stop in Japan to catch up with Deep Purple, Phil Collins and Daft Punk. Drive down the Tina Turner Highway before entering some of the most legendary studios in music history. Go back to the troubled origins of Billie Holiday and make a pact with Robert Johnson at the famous crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Embark immediately on an exhilarating world tour with some of music’s most iconic bands and artists! Relive the Jimi Hendrix concert on the Isle of Wight before paying tribute to Bob Marley in Jamaica.
Produced by a team of pop-culture specialists and enhanced by numerous anecdotes, Cult! musictells the secrets of the places that made the history of music.
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Discover all the places Californication on our map
By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.