Hear John Frusciante’s Shredding Homage to a Guitar Legend

In 2022, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released two albums, Unlimited Love and Return Of The Dream Canteen. It was a deluge of new material driven by the return of guitarist John Frusciante, his first with the band since Stadium Arcadium in 2006.

The new albums arrived two years after the death of one of Frusciante’s musical heroes, Eddie Van Halen. Let’s see how one guitar legend salutes the other.

Eruption

“Eddie” appears on Return Of The Dream Canteen. Produced by Rick Rubin, the song finds Anthony Kiedis writing abstractly about Van Halen’s early years on the Sunset Strip club circuit.

The lyrics reference Eddie Van Halen’s two-handed tapping technique that became a signature feature of his playing, most notably on the 1978 instrumental, “Eruption”. Few guitarists in rock history have been as transformative. Although Frusciante is certainly one of those few.

Sailing the Sunset Strip, I’m a bit of a king,
Granny would take a trip, I’ve been bending the strings.
Got hammers in both my hands, such a delicate touch,
They say I’m from Amsterdam, does that make me Dutch?

Here, Kiedis waves at David Lee Roth, Van Halen’s first front man. Without stirring the Dave-v-Sammy debates, if Eddie had retired when Roth exited, he’d still be on the Mount Rushmore of shredders.

In the extended guitar solo, Frusciante’s tribute features the kind of gymnastic playing that Eddie perfected.

Please don’t remember me for what I did with David,
You know I’m talkin’ David Lee.
Am I ready?
Please don’t remember me for what I did last night, oh,
I guess I played a Flying V.

Give It Away

When Frusciante returned to the band (the first time) in 1998, he needed help building his touring pedalboard. He’d become fond of a rare and fragile wah pedal made by Ibanez, but had trouble locating one after his had broken.

Dave Lee (not that one) was then working as a guitar tech for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. To assist with Frusciante’s search, he reached out to fellow guitar technician Matt Bruck, who had a knack for finding rare equipment.

Thankfully, Bruck’s boss, who happened to be Eddie Van Halen, had the pedal Frusciante was seeking. But Eddie had one question for Lee when he arrived at the guitarist’s house to pick it up: “Why does John Frusciante want a piece of crap like this?”

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