Flea explains how Keith Morris fronted the Red Hot Chili Peppers for one hot minute
Unfortunately for Pepper Heads in attendance, Mr. Morris didn’t know a single lyric
Aux News Red Hot Chili Peppers
When it comes to lore, few bands are a richer text than the Chi Peps. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have existed at the nexus of the original ‘80s Los Angeles hardcore scene and their mainstream radio-friendly rock for over forty years, regaling youngsters with stories from punk days of yore. These are the guys who, while recording their debut album with Gang Of Four co-founder Andy Gill, caught a glimpse of Gill’s notes on the band’s biggest favorite at the time, “Police Helicopter.” Next to the song title, Gill critiqued the song, scribbing, “Shit.”
The Peps were constantly rubbing elbows with punk royalty back in the day, and in his long-awaited Hot Ones interview, Flea finally confirmed an old legend regarding the band. At one show in 1984, Circle Jerks’ frontman Keith Morris took over for Anthony Kiedis, who was running late. Unfortunately for the Pepper Heads in attendance, he didn’t know any lyrics.
Though Flea doesn’t remember if Morris did the whole set, he improvised a Chili Peppers set with the boys.
“I remember he came out, and we played some funk grooves,” Flea said. “Because we were going to get paid, and it was like 50 bucks a piece, I was like, ‘No way, are we not going to play this show.”
Flea’s description of the gig is a bit hazy, with Morris improvising lyrics. Flea, doing his best Morris impression, recalled him singing, “You put your left hand in your underwear and your right hand in the air and scream.” For his part, Flea praised Morris for doing the whole set with “great enthusiasm.” However, after the show ended, Keidis appeared in the dressing room ready to rock. However, the rocking, he learned, had commenced without him.
Flea has certainly lived a life. In the rest of his Hot Ones, he discusses how he learned to stop worrying and love math and how Coco, the sign-language gorilla, learned to stop worrying and love Flea’s nipples.
8 Comments
Of all the dudes who should just shave their heads . . . Keith Morris.
He could so easily start being a bald beanie guy and people wouldn’t even make a big deal about it.
My first thought when I read Keith Morris was this guy (on the right).
And now I want to hear Keith Morrison (or Hader) recite RHCP lyrics.
Beat me to it, dammit. Keith Morrison was on the Today show a couple of weeks ago and they had him reading some headlines in his distinctive Dateline tone. Best thing I’ve seen on that show…well, maybe ever.
and how Coco, the sign-language gorillaand by that you mean Koko. But sure, go ahead and hear the word and don’t bother to check what the actual spelling is. It’s good journalism to just assume.
I like to imagine a world where Anthony gets kicked out of the band after Mother’s Milk and they hire Mike Patton as their new lead singer.
OR DID HE??Wait, wrong guy. Carry on.
So much “success” at that level is just showing up.I watched a band that had a modest hit likely destroy their chances by blowing a huge opening gig in LA. I knew the band from videos, recognized the lead singer in the parking lot swearing loudly at someone to “get the fuck here now”, and said member emerged triumphantly onto the stage one song from ending a Titanic-Going-Down level set tanked by their late arrival.Obviously I can’t know if that was the cause or not, but given the high profile nature of the gig and the few mentions of the show going out of their way to run the openers down it’s not outside of being likely.