Flea affirmed that "[The band] mainly did eras, not actual people: rockabilly, British Invasion, psychedelia, funk, glam, punk, goth, hair metal, grunge, and ourselves being the sum of all those parts." While the band's appearance was intentionally generic in each scene, obvious nods were made to certain specific ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were formed in Los Angeles in 1982 by singer Anthony Kiedis, guitarist Hillel Slovak, bassist Flea, and drummer Jack Irons, classmates at Fairfax High School. Their first performance was on December 16, 1982, at the Grandia Room club on Hollywood Boulevard to a crowd of approximately 30.

“Californication” is a song about the underbelly of American society. There's deceit, plasticity, and desperation under the gilded face of the American Dream. The Red Hot Chili Peppers saw that California represented these extremes—both the elaborate gilded nature of it all and the darkness underneath.

The most often referenced geographic location? Hollywood, mentioned 21 separate times in their songs. Next most? California, of course, mentioned nine times. Interestingly, a mention of “California,” did not appear in a RHCP song until their 1999 album “Californication,” their seventh.