The band said that late guitarist Hillel Slovak was the “central subject” of the Netflix documentary
Earlier on Friday, Jan. 30, news reports announced an upcoming Netflix documentary exploring the early years and success of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the impact of the band’s original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988 of an accidental heroin overdose.
Directed by Ben Feldman, Variety reported that The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers includes input from members Anthony Kiedis and Flea and is set to premiere on March 20. “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 said 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.”
However, following the announcement, the band later released their own statement distancing themselves from the project. “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,” wrote the band in a post shared on social media. “However, this documentary is now being advertised as a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary, which it is not,” they clarified. “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.”
The group originally encompassed Slovak, Kiedis, Flea, and drummer Jack Irons. It has since gone through several iterations following Slovak’s tragic death, with Irons leaving the group soon after.