Hillel Slovak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hillel Slovak
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Slovak performing in 1985
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| Native name |
הלל סלובק
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| Also known as | Slim, Pick Handle Slim, The Israeli Cowboy, Mr. Huckleberry |
| Born | April 13, 1962 Haifa, Israel |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 25, 1988 (aged 26) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1976–1988 |
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Hillel Slovak (Hebrew: הלל סלובק; April 13, 1962 – June 25, 1988) was an Israeli-American musician. He is best known as the first guitarist for the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. He recorded two albums with them. His guitar playing mixed funk and hard rock styles. He also tried out other types of music, like reggae and speed metal. Many people think he greatly shaped the early sound of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Hillel was born in Israel and later moved to the United States. He met his future bandmates, Anthony Kiedis, Flea, and Jack Irons, at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. There, he formed a band called What Is This? with Irons, Alain Johannes, and Todd Strassman. Flea later joined them, replacing Strassman.
In 1983, Slovak, Flea, Kiedis, and Irons started the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They became very popular in Los Angeles because of their exciting live shows. Slovak left the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a short time to focus on What Is This?, which had signed a record deal. During this time, the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded their first album in 1984 without him. However, five songs on that album were co-written by Hillel. Slovak rejoined the Chili Peppers in 1985. He then recorded two more albums with them: Freaky Styley (1985) and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987).
Hillel Slovak passed away on June 25, 1988, when he was 26 years old. Several Red Hot Chili Peppers songs were written to honor him. These include "Knock Me Down", "Otherside", "My Lovely Man", and "Feasting on the Flowers". In 1999, his brother James published a book called Behind the Sun: The Diary and Art of Hillel Slovak. This book shares Hillel's personal diaries and paintings. On April 14, 2012, Slovak was honored by being added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and his brother accepted the award for him.
Contents
Hillel Slovak's Early Life and Music Journey
Growing Up and First Bands
Hillel Slovak was born in Haifa, Israel. His parents were Jewish and had survived the Holocaust. His mother was from Poland, and his father grew up in Yugoslavia. The family first lived in Queens, New York City. In 1967, they moved to Southern California. As a child, Hillel loved art and often painted with his mother, Esther.
He went to Laurel Elementary School in West Hollywood and Bancroft Jr. High School in Hollywood. There, he met future bandmates Jack Irons and Michael "Flea" Balzary. Hillel got his first guitar at age 13 as a bar mitzvah present. He would play it late into the night. During this time, he was greatly inspired by hard rock bands like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Kiss.
As a freshman at Fairfax High School, Slovak started a band. It included Irons on drums and two other friends, Alain Johannes and Todd Strassman. They first called themselves Chain Reaction, then changed to Anthem after their first show. After one of their concerts, Slovak met Anthony Kiedis in the audience. He invited Kiedis to his house. Kiedis later wrote about this meeting in his book Scar Tissue. He said Hillel was "absolutely different" and understood a lot about music and art. Slovak, Kiedis, and Flea quickly became very close friends.
The first bass player for Anthem (which later became Anthym) wasn't working out. So, Slovak began teaching Flea how to play bass. After a few months, Flea became very good and had a strong musical connection with Hillel. When Todd Strassman saw Flea playing Anthym songs, he left the band. Flea quickly took his place. Soon after, Anthym entered a local "Battle of the Bands" contest and won second place. Anthym started playing at local nightclubs, even though the band members were underage. After high school, the band changed its name to What Is This?. Around the same time, Flea left the band to play bass for a well-known L.A. punk band called Fear. What Is This? continued to perform many shows along the California coast.
Forming the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Slovak, Kiedis, and Flea started making their own music. They were inspired by a punk-funk band called Defunkt. The three of them, along with former Anthym drummer Jack Irons, formed a new band. They called it Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. The band had only one song, "Out in L.A." They formed just to play this song once. The song came from a guitar riff Slovak wrote while "jamming" with Irons. It wasn't meant to be a real song until Kiedis decided to rap over the music.
After their first show at The Rhythm Lounge, the bar owner asked them to come back. But this time, he wanted two songs instead of one. After several more shows and adding more songs, the band's name changed to Red Hot Chili Peppers.
As the band became popular in the L.A. club scene, Kiedis started writing more lyrics. These lyrics became songs like "Green Heaven" and "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes". The band's list of songs for concerts quickly grew to nine. This happened after months of playing local clubs and bars. Over the next six months, the Red Hot Chili Peppers played many shows in L.A. clubs. They became a popular underground band. Slovak, Kiedis, and Flea moved into a small house in Hollywood. There, they worked on music together. The three traveled to New York City to play more shows and "spread Chili Pepperdom." Soon after this trip, Slovak moved out of the shared house to live with his girlfriend.
Joining and Rejoining the Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers went to Bijou Studios to record a demo tape. They then got a record deal with EMI. Flea left Fear to focus on the Red Hot Chili Peppers. At the same time, What Is This? also got a record deal. Slovak thought the Chili Peppers were just a side project, not a serious band. So, he left them to focus on What Is This?. Flea understood his decision. However, he felt the band would struggle without Hillel and Irons.
Flea and Kiedis hired drummer Cliff Martinez and guitarist Jack Sherman to replace Irons and Slovak. While recording the second What Is This? album, Slovak became unhappy with the band. He contacted Flea about rejoining the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This was good timing, as the group was not happy with Jack Sherman, who had replaced Slovak. Kiedis felt that Sherman's guitar playing "didn't have the same spirit" that Slovak brought to the band. When Flea asked Kiedis how he felt about Slovak coming back, Kiedis said, "I'd give my firstborn son to get him back in the band." After their first album's tour ended, Sherman was let go, and Slovak rejoined the band.
Slovak returned to the Chili Peppers for their second album, Freaky Styley. This album was released on August 16, 1985. What Is This? had finally broken up. Irons also returned to the Chili Peppers in mid-1986 after Martinez was let go. The bond between Flea, Slovak, and Kiedis grew stronger. Kiedis rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles to record their third album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. Slovak felt a strong connection to this album. He wrote in his diary, "It was so fun. I'm so extremely proud of everybody's work—it is at times genius."
Slovak was the inspiration for songs like "Skinny Sweaty Man", "Me and My Friends", and "No Chump Love Sucker". He was nicknamed "Slim Bob Billy", "Slim", or "Huckleberry". On the albums, Kiedis would often call him by these nicknames before Hillel started a guitar solo. On The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, Slovak tried out different musical styles. He even played the sitar on the song "Behind the Sun".
Hillel Slovak's Passing
After returning home from a tour, Slovak spent time by himself. He stopped painting and writing in his diary during this period. Not much is known about his life in the weeks after the tour. A few weeks after the band came back, the members tried to reach Slovak but couldn't for several days. Hillel Slovak passed away in his Hollywood apartment on June 25, 1988. He is buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.
Jack Irons was deeply affected by Hillel's death. However, this did not end Irons' music career. He later worked with Alain Johannes on several projects, including the band Eleven. He also joined Pearl Jam for a while in the 1990s. Kiedis and Flea decided to keep making music. They wanted to continue what Slovak "helped build." They hired DeWayne McKnight and D.H. Peligro as replacements. These two were later replaced by Chad Smith and John Frusciante.
Hillel Slovak's Music Style and Impact
His Unique Guitar Sound
Hillel Slovak was mainly inspired by hard rock artists like Jimi Hendrix, Santana, and Led Zeppelin. His way of playing was often based on making things up as he went, which is common in funk music. People also noted that he would often play with such force that his fingers would "come apart." Kiedis noticed that Hillel's playing changed when he was away from the group in What Is This?. Slovak started using a smoother style with "sultry" (meaning charming or attractive) elements, instead of just his original hard rock techniques.
On the album Uplift, Slovak experimented with music styles beyond traditional funk. These included reggae and speed metal. His guitar riffs often formed the basis of the band's songs. The other members would then create their parts to fit his guitar work. His melodic riff in the song "Behind the Sun" inspired the group to make "pretty" songs that focused on melody. Kiedis describes the song as "pure Hillel inspiration." Slovak also used a talk box on songs like "Green Heaven" and "Funky Crime." This device made his amplified guitar sounds go through a tube into his mouth. Then, the sounds went back into a microphone, creating voice-like effects. Slovak helped bring new sounds into the group's music, including adding occasional drum machines. Even though the group called itself "The Organic Anti-Beat Box Band," Kiedis says Slovak showed them that drum machines could be used as artistic tools.
His Lasting Influence
Slovak's work was a major reason for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' early sound. When Kiedis and Flea were looking for a new guitarist after Slovak, Kiedis compared it to "shopping for a new Mom and Dad." This shows how much influence Hillel had on the band. Flea, who used to listen only to jazz, said that Slovak introduced him to a new type of music. He stated, "it was Hillel who first got me into hard rockin'."
Hillel was also a huge influence on a young John Frusciante. Frusciante later took over as the band's guitarist. Frusciante based much of his playing style on Slovak's work. He explained, "I learned everything I needed to know about how to sound good with Flea by studying Hillel's playing and I just took it sideways from there."
Several songs were written about or as tributes to Slovak. These include "Knock Me Down" (from Mother's Milk), "My Lovely Man", "This is the Place" (from By the Way), and "Feasting on the Flowers" (from The Getaway). The title of the song "Otherside" (from Californication) is also a tribute to Hillel.
The band's 1987 cover of Jimi Hendrix's song "Fire" was recorded with Slovak. It was first released on the "Fight Like a Brave" single and The Abbey Road EP. This song was later included on the 1989 album Mother's Milk. The album booklet also featured one of Slovak's paintings. In 1999, a book called Behind the Sun: The Diary and Art of Hillel Slovak was published. Hillel's brother, James Slovak, wrote the book. It includes writings from Hillel's diaries, his paintings, photos, and handwritten notes from Kiedis and Flea.
On December 7, 2011, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were announced as new members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2012. Slovak's brother James accepted the award for him and gave a speech honoring his brother. Kiedis told Rolling Stone how excited he was about Slovak's induction. He said, "He's a beautiful person that picked up a guitar in the 1970s and didn't make it out of the 1980s, and he is getting honored for his beauty." Flea shared similar thoughts that day: "Hillel grew up loving rock and roll so much, he hasn't been here for some time, but I know how much it would mean to him. It's a powerful thing."
Hillel Slovak's Music Albums
With Addie Brik
- Wattsland – EP – (1984)
With What Is This?
- Squeezed – EP – (1984)
- What Is This? – (1985)
- 3 Out Of 5 Live – EP – (1985)
With Red Hot Chili Peppers
- The Red Hot Chili Peppers – (1984)
- He helped write "Get Up and Jump", "Green Heaven", "Out in L.A.", and "Police Helicopter"
- Freaky Styley – (1985)
- The Uplift Mofo Party Plan – (1987)
- The Abbey Road E.P. – (1988)
- Mother's Milk – (1989)
- He plays on only one song, "Fire"
- What Hits!? – (1992)
- Out in L.A. – (1994)
- Under the Covers: Essential Red Hot Chili Peppers – (1998)
- The Best of Red Hot Chili Peppers – (1994)
Images for kids
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A robot for kids
See also
In Spanish: Hillel Slovak para niños
