Green's Party

It's not too often I get to interview someone who intertwines with so many of my favorite bands and is a noted solo artist in his own right. Josh Klinghoffer is like a six-degrees-of in music over the last thirty years. Most notably he was the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019 (that's him on I'm With You and The Getaway!). Before joining RHCP, he did some solo albums with RHCP guitarist John Fusciante, who was the band's guitarist before he joined and who returned to the band in 2019. In 2023, he played with Jane's Addiction filling in for guitarist Dave Navarro, who was in RHCP from 1993 to 1998. Mr. Klinghoffer has also collaborated a ton with RHCP drummer Chad Smith on a number of projects outside of the band. In our chat, Mr. Klinghoffer also mentioned he recorded on Morrissey's upcoming album with guitarist Jesse Tobias, who was RHCP's guitarist in 1993 for (pardon the pun) one hot minute. That's a lot of connections with RHCP!

Klinghoffer

In addition to RHCP, who he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with in 2012, Klinghoffer has been a touring member with Pearl Jam since 2021. Talk about landing on his feet after parting ways with one band! He has also worked with P.J. Harvey, Gnarls Barkley, Iggy Pop, and Elton John and Brandi Carlile. As if that weren't enough, he has done a number of solo albums under the name Pluralone (Mr. Klinghoffer noted that he pronounces it "Plural One"), whose newest album A Drop in the Ocean drops June 12. It is worth checking out - believe me! I recently caught up with Mr. Klinghoffer via phone.

Me: Your new Pluralone album drops on June 12. How did this album come about?

JK: This album came about from a desire to be a little more direct and a little more smaller sounding, more guitar driven after the previous three albums I had done which sounded more like a band even though it was predominantly just me. Occasionally I'll have friends play on a song here and there. But yeah - just wanted to shrink it down and make something smaller sounding. I began recording this in 2022 mostly. I tracked while touring with Pearl Jam and little things here and there, while I was working on an album with Redd Kross and an album I did with Elton John and Brandi Carlile. It just seemed like finishing my recordings became harder and harder as the months went by. So I was finally able to finish in 2025 and wrap these songs up.

album cover

Me: It's funny you mention all of the other artists you have worked with because my next question was going to be: how did you find the time to do this one with all of the albums you had worked on?

JK: Yeah, if I have the song together and it's to my taste or standard and can feel good about it, I can record it pretty quickly. I was using the studio as a way to write an instrumental demo and sort of writing along to those recordings. Every time I felt like a song was finished, I'd lay it down. But it hadn't been feeling right, so I think that was part of the work, so that was part of the reason why finishing it was delayed. And then obviously all of those other amazing projects that I was a part of. So, whenever I can find time I'm in there working.

Me: Could there be a Pluralone tour at some point this year?

JK: I don't know about this year, but there definitely could be. I did a little stint opening for Pearl Jam back in 2022, where I played by myself and that was a lot of fun. But the idea of playing by myself doesn't excite me, so if I can figure out a small group of friends or whoever to play live I'd love to do it. I just haven't put that band together yet.

Klinghoffer (far right) with Red Hot Chili Peppers

Me: You were a member of Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019. I have to say, your departure from the band from what I saw in the press was one of the most graceful and respectful I've seen in recent memory. You were just highly respectful of the band. I did want to ask do you have any contact with them today?

JK: Not so much. But Chad [Smith] though, we have arguably played together more in the last few years since I was in the band. Because we were still touring those last few years and then we were writing a record. He and I have made a couple records together, many of which have involved producer Andrew Watt. We've made an Eddie Vedder solo record together, a Morrissey record, done various other recording things, we've toured with Eddie Vedder. We've done the Elton John record together - so Chad and I have still played together quite a bit. The others, Anthony [Kiedis] and Flea, I haven't spoken to that much recently. I was texting with Flea recently congratulating him on the release of his solo record [Honora]. And John [Fusciante] and I haven't really spoken in years, though we were close at one point.

RHCP's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction plaque featuring Josh Klinghoffer on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland

Me: You mentioned Eddie Vedder's album Earthling. In my review of that album, I actually said it was "his best solo album yet". You played on that, co-wrote the majority of that album and you toured with him with Chad Smith so shortly after your time in the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

JK: Yeah, well my departure from the band [RHCP] was late 2019, so not long after that in 2020 we all kind of took a bit of a break, forced time off. As soon as human beings were sharing space again, Chad and I were working together again. Andrew, Chad and I worked on this yet-to-be-released Morrissey album, starting on January 3, 2021. So we were working together right away.

Klinghoffer and Eddie Vedder in 2021

Me: In addition to Eddie Vedder's solo work, you have been recording and touring with Pearl Jam. I got to review the Dark Matter album and you not only played on it, you co-wrote a song "Something Special" on that album too. I also got to cover the band's Sept. 2024 show at Fenway Park in Boston. What was it like for you getting the chance to jump into this existing band thirty-plus years into their career and you're getting the chance to shine onstage and in recordings with them?

JK: I mean words can't really describe it. There was an aspect of comfort in how close that band was to my heart when I was younger. They were my favorite band when I was eleven or twelve years old up until the age of sixteen I followed them incredibly closely. So there was a part of me that felt like I was there with them from the beginning - obviously I wasn't and didn't have the experience. But once I got over my initial shock and awe of being around them, watching them work and seeing them in their space in Seattle there was something that felt kind of familiar and that's completely to do with how welcoming and gracious, and loving they are as people and as a band. I'm sure you've heard how great their whole organization is, their crew and everyone that sort of orbits the band they all share the same family-oriented mentality. What it was like was shocking but also very comfortable in a strange way.

Me: Outside of your own solo work, do you have a favorite album that you played on?

JK: It would be hard for me to pick a favorite because each one has its own memories, partly because each record I'm doing something slightly different, whether its doing all the keyboard and synthesizers on the Elton John / Brandi Carlile album, or playing the majority guitar on this record or whatever. I don't know if I could pick a favorite but I will say, maybe just because it's a little mysterious, the Morrissey album that we did (Chad, Andrew and I) is a real special one to me. It was sort of out of the blue I didn't know it would be happening until right before it happened. Every day we worked on a new song and we had it completed by the end of the day. And like I said it was right after COVID so it had a real magical energy to it.

Me: So this new Pluralone album is coming out June 12. What's next for you this year and beyond in terms of recordings or collaborations?

JK: I'm sort of maybe half-way through another album. As I said this was started in 2022, when I revisited it in the Summer of 2023, there were a couple songs that I added to the pile and a leftover from the This is a Show album, the last Pluralone album I put out in 2022. So the songs on this new album have their own identity around acoustic guitar and a softer approach. Then I had this other group of songs I always considered to be an album taking shape. Those are what I'm finishing now. At one point I had hoped I'd be able to get it released this year, but I'm not sure it'll be finished in time. If it doesn't come out this year, I'll fight for its release in early 2027. By that point, I'll try to do some live shows. The ones on this new one I'm recording are more band-sounding, more complete recordings. I'm not sure I'm going to get a chance to do too much promotion for this new June release, that's why I appreciate talking to you.

Me: Absolutely! Happy to talk!

JK: And, of course, I'm playing at the Ohana Festival with Pearl Jam [Sept. 25-27 in Dana Point, CA] and anything they do coming up. Where and when - I don't know.

Klinghoffer (wearing hat) onstage with Pearl Jam at Fenway Park in Boston on 9/17/24

Me: The show I saw of Pearl Jam at Fenway Park in 2024 was one of their best shows I've seen and it was extra special that the following year drummer Matt Cameron parted ways with the band and to know I saw one of his last shows with the band made it that much more special. I don't know if you can say anything, but I do want to ask: you have sat in on drums with Pearl Jam and is there any news about who is going to be playing drums with the band in Ohana?

JK: No!

Me: [laughs] Had to ask!

JK: There's not much to say, but Pearl Jam is playing!

For info on A Drop in the Ocean

This month I'm raising a glass to two of the works of Mr. Richard Donner (1930-2021). Here are two that celebrate landmark anniversaries this month.

June 19, 1981: Superman II opens

The follow-up to 1978′s Superman was released in June 1981. My mother took me to see Raiders of the Lost Ark and after getting scared in the beginning, we left and went to see Superman II next door. I was really into Superman as a little kid so it was so cool to see Superman on the big screen. A lot of the story went over my head, but the action was very exciting. The idea of Superman giving up his powers at the worst possible time as three criminals from Krypton are plotting to take over the world was very fresh and original at the time. Even if the production itself was a troubled one (google it), the end result was one of the best Superman movies yet.

Now I know this is a tricky film to celebrate when talking about Richard Donner because Superman II is credited to director Richard Lester. Donner swung it out of the park with the first movie and had been filming the majority of the sequel when tension rose between Donner and the producers, who replaced him with Lester. Some of Donner's filmed footage was used and some of it re-shot by Lester. In 2006, they finally released on DVD Superman II: The Richard Donne Cut, which showed how much he contributed to the 1981 released version. Happy 45th Superman II and Happy 20th Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut! 

June 25, 1976: The Omen opens

Remembering Anthony Guidera 1960-2026

Actor Anthony Guidera has died at 65. He had supporting roles in The Godfather Part III, The Rock, Armgeddon, and a 2000 episode of Angel (sad news for Buffy fans after the passing of Anthony Head this past week).

Guidera and Henstridge in Species

Not his best performance but certainly one of the most memorable was the 1995 sci-fi horror film Species, where Natasha Henstridge kisses and then kills him. The following year they won the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss for that scene.

I did so much in under 48 hours on my recent trip to Cleveland, OH that I'm somehow still writing about it! In Part 1 I visited the Superman monuments. In Part 2 I visited the House from A Christmas Story. In Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Here’s my continuation of my visit to the Rock Hall!

They had a section about musical regions and genres, i.e. Seattle grunge. But The Beatles got their own section beyond being a part of a Liverpool display:

Beatles display

so many Seattle relics of Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and more

There was a new exhibit about Revolutionary Women In Music featuring some of my favorites including The Breeders and Sleater-Kinney:

The Breeders display

S-K display (BTW - When are they going to be inducted into the Rock Hall?!?)

Here are the legendary alt-rock albums celebrating landmark anniversaries this month:

June 5, 2001: Amnesiac released

Radiohead’s fifth album was released in June 2001, only 8 months after Kid A was released. Most arguments about the greatest Radiohead album usually come down to The Bends, OK Computer or Kid A. But I have to say, Amnesiac flies way under the radar of amazing Radiohead albums. Seriously, just listen to “The Pyramid Song” or “Like Spinning Plates”. The album still holds up to this day and I’d easily put it in a Top 5 Radiohead Albums list. Happy 25th Amnesiac!

June 18, 1996: Odelay released

I did so much in under 48 hours on my recent trip to Cleveland, OH that there's still more to write about! In Part 1 I visited the Superman monuments. In Part 2 I visited the House from A Christmas Story. In Part 3 and Part 4 I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Here’s my continuation of my visit to the Rock Hall!

the 1984 exhibit

In the Rock Hall's exhibit Music of 1984, it examined all of the music of that epic year! I have a special place for 1984 as that was the year I began to learn about and get into music. They showcased, new wave, metal, hip hop, pop, music videos and more!

Eddie Van Halen's guitar

Prince's guitar

relics from the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, i.e. the year of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" performance

Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth's outfit and bass

me at the On the Air exhibit

Next was the On The Air: AM to XM exhibit about famous American disc jockeys. For my V66 documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66, we interviewed radio legend Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg. Prior to being the General Manager of V66, he was an important DJ in the early days of rock and roll radio. When we interviewed him circa 2008, he showed us the plaque from when the Rock Hall saluted him among the 25 Greatest American DJs at a ceremony in 1997. This exhibit was about the most important DJs and Arnie was among them. His write-up on the display screen made reference to V66. I was truly proud to have had this living legend be a part of my documentary and even prouder to see V66 among his career highlights!

me with the Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg bio

They also had a listing for Dale Dorman, who was known as Uncle Dale for fans of channel 56 and Kiss 108 in Boston. We did not interview him for our V66 doc, but he did host the Weekend Break show on V66 and there's some archival footage of him in the doc.

Rivkah Reyes "Miss Congeniality"

Sharing the music video for "Miss Congeniality" from NYC indie rocker Rivkah Reyes! If she looks familiar, it's because in 2003 she played Katie in Richard Linklater's excellent School of Rock. Linklater cast actual musicians to play Jack Black's students as opposed to actors who learned to play instruments for the film. Katie was the bassist in the rock band.

Reyes in School of Rock

Reyes today

She's come a long way since then and her music has kind of a cool 90s vibe to it. Check it out!

I did so much in under 48 hours on my recent trip to Cleveland, OH that I'm still writing about it! In Part 1 I visited the Superman monuments. In Part 2 I visited the House from A Christmas Story. In Part 3 I started at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Here's my continuation of my visit to the Rock Hall!

First up was an exhibit on SNL 50 Ladies and Gentleman...Years of Music. Last year there were a ton of 50th anniversary celebrations, events, specials and documentaries to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Among them was Questlove's excellent doc about SNL's music history. This exhibit is an expansion of that doc.

me hosting on the faux SNL stage

Wayne and Garth's costumes are on display as well as a hat signed by Alice Cooper

Foo Fighters guitar and drumhead from their 2017 Xmas appearance

Eddie Vedder's shirt from Pearl Jam's 1994 appearance

Ringo Starr's suit and guitar from his 1984 appearance

Devo suit from their 1978 performance

I definitely picked up on an emphasis on Ohio musicians at the Rock Hall, notably Devo, Nine Inch Nails, and The Pretenders (I think I counted three or four times I heard "My City Was Gone" during my visit).

As a lifelong SNL fanatic I enjoyed this exhibit and they even had screens you could view music performances from too. I could've spent all day just at that exhibit!

Remembering Anthony Head 1954-2026

Actor Anthony Head has died at 72. He was excellent as Rupert Giles the watcher and adult member of the Scooby Gang on TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB / UPN 1997-2003). I was a huge fan of Buffy and Rupert was such a great character and it was always cool when there'd be an episode focused about him. But he was always a father figure of sorts, especially for Buffy who moved to Sunnydale only with her mother. Sadly this news comes a few months after the passing of fellow cast member Nicholas Brendon.

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Head on Buffy

Head was the brother of musician Murray Head, known for "One Night in Bangkok". Who knew!? In addition to the Buffyverse (he was also the voice of Giles in video games, animated shows and more), Anthony also appeared in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd and on Ted Lasso (Apple TV 2020-present).

I did so much in under 48 hours on my recent trip to Cleveland, OH but it is taking me longer to write and share about everything I did!?!

In Part 1 I visited the Superman monuments. In Part 2 I visited the House from A Christmas Story.

Then it was onto the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. I've been wanting to visit since they opened in 1995, but haven't gotten close until now. My documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66 was added in 2022 to their Permanent Collection at their Library and Archives, which is a separate building that was sadly closed on the weekend. 

For those wondering why Cleveland is the location of this museum

me at the cool looking Rock Hall Museum

CBGB's lives on...at the Rock Hall's cafe!

Alan Ginsburg with Paul McCartney, Philip Glass and Lenny Kaye "Ballad of the Skeletons"

In Oct. 2022, I saw WA indie rock veterans Death Cab For Cutie live for the first time at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston. It was one of my Best Concerts of 2022. They were one of the big indie rock bands that were popular on Fuse when I worked there in the mid-00s. I had some friends who were very into DCFC at the time. I always liked them, but never got fanatical about them. Their name was even mentioned in The Beatles’ movie Magical Mystery Tour.  What makes this group unique is singer / guitarist Ben Gibbard’s voice, it is unlike anyone else’s. The band was indie label for a long time, but in the mid 00s they signed to major label Atlantic and had a string of hit albums and 2008′s Narrow Stairs actually went to #1 on the album charts. In 2015, when my documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66 was part of the film series of the Noise Pop festival in San Francisco, one of the headliners was Gibbard solo. But even as a festival participant I couldn’t get in to see him. But I digress. After twenty years on Atlantic, the band is back on an indie label, Anti-, for the first time in twenty years. Their eleventh album I Built You a Tower drops today.

album cover

The current lineup features singer / multi-instrumentalist / band leader Gibbard, bassist Nick Harmer, drummer Jason McGerr, guitarist Dave Depper, and keyboardist Zac Rae. This is the same lineup they have had for ten years now. Grief is a prominent theme throughout this album, which is something they've touched on a bit in the past. In the last few years there's been some anniversary album tours where the band looked back at their 00s magnum opuses while Gibbard has had to navigate this personal life. So this album is like his nexus of both the past and the future meeting. There's the melancholy voice but there's quite a few upbeat bangers too.

DCFC live onstage at Leader Bank Pavilion on 10/1/2022

Bottom line: DCFC have very quietly been one of the most consistently solid indie rock bands of the last twenty years and yet they are still underrated and regarded as a millenial band that peaked in the 00s. I disagree. The last album Asphalt Meadows was one of my Best Albums of 2022. This new one is going to take some more listens much like a lot of their albums, but it is Gibbard showing he and his band still have it after 29 years! Amen!

For info on I Built You a Tower

Remembering Marjane Satrapi 1969-2026

Filmmaker / graphic novelist / author Marjane Satrapi has died at 56. She co-directed the 2007 animated film Persepolis based on her graphic novel of the same name. It was a very unique film and a great example of how animation can be used as a medium to address more adult-oriented themes as it was about an Iranian girl coming of age during the Iranian Revolution. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, with Satrapi becoming the first woman nominated in that category.

Satrapi (center) at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival

She also voiced an appearance as herself on a 2017 episode of The Simpsons.

Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle "A Whole New World"

For my recent trip to Cleveland, I'm doing a multi-part recap. In Part 1 I visited the Superman monuments. Here is what we did next:

We stopped by the House From a Christmas Story and did the tour! This house was the exterior film location (and some interiors) for the 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story. Some fans who were already doing well making and selling novelty leg lamps from the film, bought this house and renovated it to re-create the time period and some scenes from the film.

the house that Ralphie lived in

The tour guide walked us through the house, the backyard, the neighboring Bumpus House and across the street is a museum where they have props and memorabilia.

we opening up the prize lamp leg. Fra-jee-lay it must be Italian!

one of the rooms in the house

in the backyard between Ralphie and Black Bart

Randy's costume on display

Then there was a gift shop as well. This was fun as something in addition to other stuff you're doing in the area, but I don't know that I'd make a trip just for this. But it was a lot of fun.!

the beta and VHS of the movie on display

I learned about this from the documentary The House From... about famous houses from movies and TV shows.

Remembering Owain Rhys Davies 1982-2026

Actor Owain Rhys Davies has died at 44. He played Agent Wilson on David Lynch's 2017 Twin Peaks series. This is sad news for the Twin Peaks fanbase as we lost Lynch last year. The original series was one of the greatest TV shows ever and I named the 2017 revival one of my 10 Best TV Shows of the 2010s.

ORD as Agent Wilson

A few days after my birthday, my family whisked me away for a surprise under-48-hour trip to Cleveland, Ohio! I had been to Ohio, but never to Cleveland. I have been wanting to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum since it opened in 1995. 31 years later I got to visit the Rock Hall and much more! Here is part 1 of some of the cool things I got to do during my visit:

me at the Superman display at the airport

Cleveland was the home of Jerry Siegel (1914-1996) and Joe Shuster (1914-1992), who created Superman. The city celebrates these legendary comic book creators as Cleveland seemed to inspire Metropolis. There was a display at the airport and by my hotel that had statues and plaques.

shots of the Superman Plaza

Last year's Superman movie actually filmed some scenes in Cleveland including The Arcade.

The Arcade IRL

scene from 2025's Superman