And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother Hillel!
This documentary has been doing the rounds lately so I grew curious. Not much is said about the early days of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (ie. pre-Under the Bridge/Blood Sugar Sex Magic) so perhaps this will fill a void....
So what this is a biography on both the Red Hot Chili Peppers and their original guitarist Hillel Slovak. In regards to the latter, a lot is revealed about him: His early life, his childhood bonding with Anthony Kiedis and Flea, his passion for art, his mastery of the guitar and, his influence on the Chili Peppers themselves. Both Kiedis and Flea contribute their own recollections as well as former band mates and friends. And AI is used to replicate Slovak's voice to read his diary entries, thereby giving Slovak a say in the narrative.
While this documentary works as a vital document of the afore-mentioned early days of the Chili Peppers, it's ultimate goal is to paint a portrait of Hillel Slovak: showing everyone who he was as a person. And it's this that the documentary succeeds with flying colours.
It is striking to see Kiedis and Flea speak openly about their former bandmate - particularly with the latter breaking down. Clearly the loss of their bandmate is still being felt decades later and they are still keen on making sure Slovak isn't forgotten. There certainly is some guilt expressed over how Slovak's ultimate fate and both maintain that the Chili Peppers wouldn't turned out the way they did without his involvement.
Also of note is John Frusciante, Hillel's successor, providing his own words of admiration for Slovak.
Like any good documentary it's a compelling mixture of triumph and tragedy. And it does the job of filling in a vital, and indeed overlooked, spot in the Chili Peppers' history.
It's very human and very honest.
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