The Netflix documentary about the early days of the Red Hot Chili Peppers premiered last week and fans may have noticed something, well, odd about it. The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel is part narrated by Antony Kiedis and Flea, but also Slovak himself, who died back in 1988. How so?
Well, even if you haven’t seen it yet, you might have already guessed: yes, the voice of Slovak has been AI-generated. The words that are spoken come directly from the guitarist’s own journals though.
Other voices in the film include the band’s early drummer Jack Irons, Slovak’s brother James and his girlfriend Addie Brik, as well as John Frusciante, who replaced him in the band after he died of a heroin overdose.
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Despite being interviewed for the documentary, the Chili Peppers have semi-distanced themselves from it. In a statement, the band said: “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,” 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 Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel is available to stream on Netflix now.
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