Dave Navarro: Why Red Hot Chili Peppers Fans Rejected Me

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(Image credit: Mike Windle/Getty Images)

Guitarist Dave Navarro, best known for his longstanding role in Jane's Addiction, recently spoke to Eddie Trunk about his being fired from Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1998.

As you might recall, Navarro was part of the RHCP crew from 1993 to 1998 and appeared on one studio album, 1995's One Hot Minute.

"[I understand] the way that Chili Peppers fans couldn't get into the band when I was in the band," Navarro told Trunk (via the Van Halen News Desk). "It's not the Chili Peppers to them. So I understand that dynamic. I've been on the inside. I've been the [third Van Halen singer] Gary Cherone [of Extreme] of another band.

"I know what that's like! But, they got Gary in the band. He didn't force his way in there. If you have someone to be mad at, be mad at those guys, not Gary. Someone offers you a gig and you take the gig. Why are you the guy that gets all the shit?"

Damian Fanelli
Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.

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