Red Hot Chili Peppers

“We were tripping on acid, wandering the streets. We passed an alleyway, and I stumbled on all these clothes that had been discarded by a bum. I immediately had an acidic moment of clarity and stripped naked and donned this oversized, strange, mismatched set of clothes. In a way, they were beautiful and regal; the pants even had some kind of silk iridescent pattern streaking down. Combined with the Spigot Blister haircut, I was quite a sight.” (p.88, Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis)

Once upon a time, four buddies from school got together and formed what would become a rock ‘n’ roll legend. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were formed from a curious mix of punk, funk, and above all, friendship. At the beginning, they had nothing, and any money they had was spent on fast living. What’s more, standing out in a town full of freaks (aka Hollywood) was a tricky business. Their lucky break came thanks to an impromptu costume idea from frontman Anthony Kiedis:

“I’d come up with the idea of using socks, because back when I was living with Donde Bastone, he had a pot customer who developed a serious crush on me. She was cute, but I kept resisting her advances, which included sending me gag greeting cards with foldout rulers to measure the size of your dick... One day she showed up to the house, and I decided to answer the door buck naked except for a sock wrapped round my dick and balls.

When we walked back onstage wearing only the socks, the crowd audibly gasped. We weren’t deterred for one moment by the collective state of shock that the audience was experiencing.” (p120, Scar Tissue)

The minimalist look proved to be a big success, and was trotted out as a treat at many a gig thereafter. But it wasn’t just about the socks – the Red Hot Chili Peppers have donned some interesting items in their time. Giant lightbulbs, flame-throwing hats, trousers fashioned from stuffed toys, dresses and suspenders right down to a simple pair of tighty whities. Nothing was too wild for these guys!

You’d think that sobriety and advancement in years would tame these fashion wildcats, but nooo, they’re still up for wearing the crazy (not to mention the tattoos and war wound which render these gents walking works of art).

Say it out loud: I'm Freaky Styley and I'm proud!