Why Rick Rubin and Beastie Boys Ran From Chili Peppers Rehearsal
Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis recalled the moment in 1985 when producer Rick Rubin attended a rehearsal and became convinced “somebody was going to get murdered” in the room.
In a new episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Kiedis said his band was in a dark place at the time, and the negative energy was on display when Rubin brought his proteges Beastie Boys to the jam.
“I was basically a junkie, but still showing up to work from time to time, which was the basement of the EMI studios on Sunset Boulevard,” the singer explained to Rogan. “They gave us a little basement to rehearse in. They had signed us, but we were going nowhere very slowly – couldn’t get out of our own way. But we were still making a buzz; there was still something exciting about us that caught people’s attention, and it caught Rick Rubin’s attention.”
You can listen to the interview below.
Kiedis noted, "Rick brought the Beastie Boys to our dingy little rehearsal spot, and he sat there, and we rehearsed while they watched. They’re on these little dirty couches, watching us, and we went through our songs. And Rick stood up and said, ‘We’re gonna go now.’ I was like, ‘OK, do we talk again? What’s going on?’
"He was like, 'I thought somebody was gonna get murdered in that rehearsal space. I thought somebody was gonna die. I had to leave.' That's how dark we had become. That's how dark I had become, he was afraid someone was gonna die and it was time to leave. That's what he said. He's like, 'You guys were terrifying, you were scary and it felt like somebody was gonna die. We had to go.'"
Kiedis added, “I didn’t see him for years.” It wasn’t until the singer cleaned up and the Chili Peppers were preparing to work on 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magick that Rubin finally came aboard. He’s produced every Red Hot Chili Peppers album except one since then, including the new Return of the Dream Canteen.