The current Red Hot Chili Peppers lineup of Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante is the longest-running iteration and the one fans know best. Over the years, though, the group has had a ton of personnel changes. One of the most notable members from the group’s early era is Hillel Slovak, who joined the band shortly after it was founded.
Save for a brief hiatus, Slovak was with the band from 1982 to 1988. In ’88, he tragically died of a heroin overdose. Now, Slovak’s story and impact is being honored in a new Netflix documentary, The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel.
Ahead of the movie’s release, keep reading for everything you need to know before it hits theaters.
Plot
An official logline reads, “This candid documentary traces the formative years of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the profound influence of original bandmate Hillel Slovak.”
Director Ben Feldman previously said in a statement:
“It’s a true honor to partner with Netflix to bring The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers to a global audience. 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. 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.”
Cast
Netflix lists the cast as including Slovak, Kiedis, and Flea, while Variety notes the film also includes interviews with “others who were close to Slovak.”
In January, the band distanced themselves from the documentary, specifically from how it is being presented, writing in a post shared on social media:
“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. 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 him and his work.”
Release Date
The film is set to premiere on Netflix on March 20.
Trailer
There is not yet a trailer for The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel.