The world is getting a Netflix documentary about the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
News reports surfaced last week about the Netflix doc, which is set to capture the early years of the evergreen alternative rock band, paying particular attention to their original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988 of an accidental heroin overdose.
According to Variety, the Ben Feldman-helmed film, titled The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, features input from RHCP members Anthony Kiedis and Flea, and is scheduled to premiere on March 20th.
“At its heart, this is a deeply relatable story — about the friendships that shape our identities and the lasting power of the bonds forged in adolescence,” Feldman shared in a statement at the time.
“What’s less relatable, of course, is that here those friends went on to create one of the greatest rock bands in history. I’m profoundly grateful to the band and to Hillel’s family for their trust and generosity, and to Netflix for helping bring this story to the world stage.”
Following the doc’s announcement, however, RHCP released their own statement distancing themselves from the film.
“About a year ago, we were asked to be interviewed for a documentary about Hillel Slovak. He was a founding member of the group, a great guitarist, and friend. We agreed to be interviewed out of love and respect for Hillel and his memory,” the band stated in a social media post (as per Rolling Stone).
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“However, this documentary is now being advertised as a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary, which it is not. We had nothing to do with it creatively. We have yet to make a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary. The central subject of this current Netflix special is Hillel Slovak and we hope it sparks interest in his work.”
RHCP originally featured Slovak, Kiedis, Flea, and drummer Jack Irons in the lineup. It has since gone through several iterations following Slovak’s tragic death, with Irons leaving the band soon after.
