Welcome to "mine-D's SPICE!." i'm mine-D, the auther. This site is originally opened in Japanese language in June 1st 2000. Almost of all contents in this site are the translation of original work, but some parts are different from the original, and the composition is a little bit different from Japanese version. Before i opened this English version of my site, i asked some of my friends to check my articles because i'm not quite sure about my English skill. i thank these people who helpled me such as... Shaolyn, Baby Julia(Jazz) and her husband, and especially an amazing high-school girl "Sacchin." Love to you all. So...are you ready? Now, go get into the annoying world of mine-D!

Rock music is dead. Yes, it's dead. i think the period from the end of 60's to the early 70's was the only happy era for rock. It began to lose its power to the end of 70's, and before 80's woke up, new-born punk has completely took its life. That's my opinion. i don't mean to discard all of rock music after punk saying "No, it's not rock!" of course but, i think all people involved in rock music should be conscious of the fact "rock-music-is-dead."

At least for the people who thought of starting of a rock band in the 80's, the consciousness of the fact was truly needed. The Red Hot Chili Peppers(from now on i abbreviate them RHCP in this site) was the one of the bands with consciousness, i believe. Standing on the base of the fact "rock-music-is-dead," rock musicians still must express in the form of rock music. That's the most difficult point. When they unquestioningly accept the image, the attitude of rock'n' roll that has become mere shell, they easily fall into a trap of rock music. They're just clowns already, but in fact, this can be said to almost of all "rock" bands in the hit charts. Creating rock music is/was truly a difficult fight for those with consciousness.

RHCP dared to challenge this difficult fight by taking another way to do. Yes, by slapping up the funk beats instead of eight-beat. By getting naked instead of wearing black clothes. By making odd faces instead of staring the camera's finder.

Dead rock music. But they still love it in its happy days and admire it. So, "We wanna get the original power of rock by ourselves," that's the consistent theme of their "fights," i believe. That also is my story and all contents in this site are written along with this story. Normally i should have written about each member or band's history or... hot news of this band as a owner of fan site. But such things have been already done, and i don't think i can write them better than that. So, i feel sorry about the omission of that kind of data in this site. No photo, no MP3, no lylic, no tab. All contents in this site are nothing but mine-D's personal story being told through the band called RHCP. i've been their fan quite a long time. i just thought i wanna write down the things i had been thinking in some way... Anyway, this site is that kind of place.

The story goes back to 1987. i was a university student living in Japan. i was a subscriber of the magazine called 'Takarajima' which means "Treasure Island" in English. That was, so called "sub-culture" magazine. i eagerly learned from that because i lived in the suburbs. Once Takarajima printed a feature article of West Coast. The article was like this, "West Coast couldn't raise any movement from 80's and it has been thought as dead, but now that place is HOT." It taught me about raising West Coast culture such as skateboard, hardcore tasted bands like Suicidal Tendencies, and i firstly met the name and the figure of RHCP. There was a show report that had a pretty big space. It seemed be quite a shock to the reporter. The picture of the show...Anthony Kiedis(of course i didn't know his name at that time) drawing fluorescent dye covering all his body and singing with a glare...it shocked me too, but i never dreamed about finding their records because i didn't usually listen to Western rock music. Plus, they were mere obscure rock band(at that time, of course). i just felt "There is such an unique band in this world. Great!"

In Februaly of 1988, i travelled around the United States with two friends of mine. Though we went around some cities, New York city where we stayed a week, was so stimulus among other cities. i remember its coldness to death. We talked about going to see rock show and checked the magazine, but there was no band which we knew, playing in that city within a week we stayed...except for ONE band. Yes, i came to hear the name of RHCP for the second time there in N.Y.C.

"The Ritz" was the name of the place they played. Discotheque. Considering the situation of the band at that time, that must be the tour following the album "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan." Hillel Slovak who was going to meet his end later because of his narcotic problem, was playing the guitar. Of course, i didn't watch him like "Oh, he's Hillel!" because i didn't know well about him at that time.

i and my friends were surrounded by American audience who were bigger than us. Some of them were making joints. We were completely cowered by the circumstances around us before the show started. It was near midnight when the opening band ended their show. No sooner RHCP appeared than the audience crowded to the stage and began to mosh and dive. The sound RHCP played was so exciting, to be sure, but i was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the show including the reaction of the audience. Yes, i was just vacantly watching the event being taken place there.

So, i don't quite remember which songs they played. Perhaps it can be said that i truly met their music when we bought the "The Uplift..." tape at the record shop in New Orleans, the next place we stayed. However, my friend bought the tape (not me) and i just borrowed it. i might not had strong intention of being RHCP's fan at that time. But as i listened to that several times, the sound began to penetrate my mind. Hardcore-taste guitar sound, but rythm was complicated which was so interesting, and rap above all...whole sound was gatherd as mixture. Hmm...it's interesting. The songs were rich in variety, on the one hand there's a delicate song like "Behind The Sun," on the other hand there's a song minutely composed like "Love Trilogy." Anyway, in a moment i understood they ain't mere a dashing, vacant, sucking band. The picture of members inside the tape was also cool, i feel. The taste of music, fashion, culture...all things struck me as fresh. Then, i found myself listening to the tape again and again and again...as far as the friends were amazed.

i went back to Japan and started to buy records of RHCP. At the same time, also learned "classical" rock...such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendlix...etc, which i had never listened. i made some of my friends known RHCP saying "i found a great band!," but the reaction was nearly nothing. i had to repeat the year in the University, came to rarely meet friends, just kept on listening to rock either when i stay in my room or when i went out. i listened to 'UMPP' almost everyday. Also got "'The Abey Road E.P." and came to be blown out by "Fire."

One day in that time, when i was flipping through the Japanese rock magazine in my friend's room, i found a small article in the margin of a page, saying "Hillel Slovak of RHCP died by overdoze of heroin." To be honest with you, it was not that i especially had intensive feeling to Hillel because the information of each member of the band scarcely came to Japan, but considering the fact he played greatefully at "The Uplift...,"it was really pitty. Plus, because of the shock of Hillel's death, Jack Irons also left the band. i was anxious about the future of RHCP. Anyway, the obituary notice was very small. Very small for the great guitarist's death.

Overcoming Hillel's death, RHCP took new members and released a vigorous album "Mother's Milk." From then, bootleg videos of RHCP began to be floating in Japan, i collected them all one after another, of course. Official video clips collection which name was "Positive Mental Octopus," was also released, i was really enthusiastic about "moving" RHCP because we couldn't see their moving pictures at that time.

In January 1990, RCHP firstly visited Japan. i've been truly anxious for their visiting. i thought this way below. If gathering all people in Japan who were anxious about the band's coming and line them up in order of how anxious, i had a strict confidence about charting in within 10 from the top. i don't know now what i'm trying to be proud of...anyway, it means i was really really waiting for them coming to Japan. In Osaka where i live, they played in the small hall. In the show, dive or mosh were strictly prohibited. It was heavily "policed" because the accident to death was caused in another show in Osaka about 10 days before RHCP came. RHCP's show was once interrpted for about 30 minutes because the audience were so excited. In spite of that situation, the show itself was extremely great.

In 1991, they released "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" which was really a masterpiece, and in May of '92 they secondary visited Japan. Because i couldn't get the ticket for the Osaka show(which was essential for me), went to Yokohama and Nagoya to see their shows. And went in front of the hall of Kyoto's show which John Frusciante decided his leaving from the band the minute before the show started.

After i got married and had children, i couldn't keep my life deeply indulged in rock. i don't know that's the cause...or the fact i couldn't adapt myself to the change of the environment, was the cause...i don't know. Anyway, i got into the depression. i knocked the door of a shrinker and was prescribed some medicine but i was in the state that hardly do my work even when i came to the office. Visiting India before as a start, i got to be "obsessed" by Buddhism. i quited smoking and alcohol and just kept on reading Buddhism book everyday. It was before the time the problems of "Aum Shinrikyo" came to the surface. Now, i can calmly see the thinking of mine at that time, but i couldn't help thinking in extreme way and i thought like "i'm addicted to rock too much! i have to do something with this." i sold all of my CDs(about 300 at that time) out to a used record shop. Various kind of videos including official, bootleg i had, by putting a notice on the magazine, i sold them to an applicant at a low price.

Thinking about my act, i feel "i shouldn't have done that much" now. i now understand that human being is not so strong, we are weak existence who have to depend on something. But i, at that time, couldn't stop managing everything as "straight..." After that, i still cared about bands, artists i once loved. Purchased "One Hot Minute" CD. This album was released when i was under the serious condition i described before, therefore, i seemed to accept its "heaviness" too much. RHCP came to Japan to appear on the stage of "Fuji Rock Festival," but not only never went to see them but couldn't even checked them on TV program. In the middle of child raising and work, my life was far from rock.

In the early summer of 1999 RHCP released "Californication" and in the beggining of next year they came to Japan after a long interval to play for indivisual act. In Osaka, the place was Castle Hall(10,000 class). Thinking of the scale of the hall, it let us recognize that RHCP was the "major" band now. Of course i saw the show, and felt like they became a "normal" rock band remembering their first coming to Japan. i don't know whether it's right or wrong that they are like now. Maybe it's a right thing. i became to know the existance of Japanese fan site of RHCP, and got into the cyber community of RHCP's fans slowly. Founding and starting to use the rental CD shop dealing with Western rock CDs. i'm getting back the relationship with rock now. i'm also re-buying the CDs that i once sold.

Now...i'm trying to build up this site. i'd like to make myself clear, yes, this site is made for, not another one, myself. i think RHCP did a kind of "declaration of defeat" through the album "Californication." i think this way. "Where are they headed for now?" And when i turn my eyes to myself, my work is not going well, my relationship with my wife is on the verge of ruin. The story of myself is, as it were, "collapsed." Yes, i was DEFEATED. i don't know what to do from now on. Holding all of my negative feelings on, i open this site anyway. With a slight expectation of a beggining of the new story.

As a closing of this article, i'd like to introduce you the message which Flea wrote for the pamphlet of the shows in Japan in January 2000. As a Japanese, i was really impressed by this message. Check this out.

Dear Japan peoples
I hope you love yourself. You are the land of the rising sons and daughters of great tradition even if sometimes you think that if you swallowed every drop of the pacific ocean it would not begin to fill the empty hole in your soul.
And I love your country your writers and artists and great Warriors but despite that i will still pee in your streets when i walk down them and laugh at your politician and imagine them wearing ladies underwear and shitting their pants. But i will see quietly with respect and think of KUROSAWA.
Do you know that a part of me is so terrified and full of pain that I torture myself and I am selfish with my heart and that another part of me is infinitely full of joy and love and trust and faith and givingness and I bring it all to you. Bring it all in my eyes. We play for you and for all your spirits and ghosts and for ours too.
If I meet your small children I will tell them that there is a family of ants that live in my ear and they tell me what to do everyday and I will tell them I am from Mars and I am really a dog.
We come to you with all of our heart.
Love Flea

i felt deeply "healed" when i read this message and thought i wasn't any wrong being their fan for a long time at all. i'm really proud of being Red Hot Chili Peppers' fan now. Enjoy this site! Thank you.