I'll still talk about it haha holy yap warning and some bad grammar maybe? I usually prefer the guitarist as John while the drummer is Josh
John referred to their relationship as Death and Rebirth (through the Empyrean). John met Josh in 1997 when the guitarist was about to record his guitar solo in the studio. From there, he met with Bob Forrest and Josh Klinghoffer. They talked and became friends. I interpret John leaving the band in 1992 as a metaphorical death. He quit because of a drug problem and tried to kill himself slowly by using drugs. He was having withdrawal, cravings and all those sorts of feelings associated with addiction and life being the affect the drug gives you. Then, he met Josh just 1 year before he rejoined RHCP. It's a sign of rebirth for him, and Josh is supposed to be 'the next Frusciante' too.
The second album I want to talk about is A Sphere in the Heart of Silence. It's the album where they contribute equally. That's why it's credited to John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer rather than Josh's name being hidden in the credits. This whole album is literally what shaped John and Josh's relationship. The second song of the album, The Afterglow, is about the drug addiction he had. 'Death before life,' just like what I said about him referring to him and the drummer as 'death and rebirth.' He realizes that death is rather close, but it brings you to a new, better life. It then goes into a metaphorical thing where it moves back to you when you're through the new life warp hole.
A lot of the songs on the album are about someone replacing their place. The Afterglow and Surrogate People have these lines;
'You're in my place again
Echoes deprive us enough
You're in my wailing
Decide what it means to work in fire'
'Surrogate people they walk on by, they walk on by
When they replace you
They live your life, they live your life'
The one for Surrogate People is the guitarist singing when the song is Josh and John being the lead vocalist. This might be a foreshadowing that Josh is replacing John later on in the future. John knew Josh would take his place anytime soon, just like the concept of rebirth. And he is going to continue being dead.
Next and last album I'm going to talk about is The Empryean. This album is about John's belief and very close to religious stuff. However, I want to point out the album cover instead of the meaning of the song. The album cover is where I get John and Josh's relationship. It's where I get the death and rebirth concept of them. The album cover is inspired by a painting named 'Pity' by William Blake.
From Chloe's perspective, 'This is not merely a religious depiction of an angel peering down at a sleeping woman, but a scene that Blake took to be real, to some degree. Blake saw a very thin barrier between the living and the death, the divine and the human; a barrier that could easily be penetrated. The title of the work, “Pity” suggests that the angel above the sleeping woman is taking pity on her for some reason or another. Perhaps the figure dangling from his fingers is a man he is sending down to earth to be with the lonely woman. Or perhaps the figure has just died, and the angel is taking him up to heaven, away from the grieving woman.'
On the cover, Josh is the person lying on the ground, while John is the angel with weird editing idk what that is... but that's def John. The album and the painting have a lot of meaning, but from what I get, it's John telling him he would continue on living without being by Josh's side. Why do I get to that conclusion? It is because, just after this album was released, Josh replaced John as the guitarist of RHCP. It's also when their relationship breaks up. This might be a coincidence, but so far, from what I get, this is the meaning I managed to grasp. John has been saying he's going to replace him, and it finally happened.
RHCP means a lot for John. He started as a fan, and he idolized Hillel and Anthony. It's always been like that, and he let Josh take his place for the guitarist. Josh mentioned in the interview that John was a bit shocked that they still want to continue without him when he's planning on leaving the band, but I feel like John already knew this was coming based on the fact that most of his songs with Josh are about replacement. The final album they worked on, The Empryean, made total sense too. It's a separation album and a very bitter one.
That's it. Discussion are open and I would love to hear other thought on them
