Red Hot Chili Peppers are an interesting band. They have cycled through multiple band members over the years, and yet, there are generally considered to be four core members: Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad White and John Frusciante. These four are responsible for the most iconic songs in the Peppers catalog, but other musicians contributed to the band's legacy.
Dave Navarro is one of these musicians. The guitarist was already a hot commodity when he joined the band in 1993, thanks to his stint in Jane's Addiction. He was brought in to replace Frusciante, a guitarist who decided he didn't want the fame that came with being part of the Peppers-post 1991. Navarro toured with the band, and played on their 1995 album One Hot Minute.
Dave Navarro was fired from the band in 1998
This would prove to be the Chili Peppers only album that Navarro was involved with, though. He left the band in 1998, and Frusciante eventually rejoined. Navarro was officially fired from the band, and the reason given was "creative differences." It's a vague term used to smooth over a lot of personal turmoil. Fortunately, the guitarist provided additional info years later.
During a 2019 radio interview, Navarro claimed that the reason he was fired from the Chili Peppers was twofold. One, he felt he was not affored the same leeway with regard to drug use as the other members, particularly lead singer Kiedis. He also claimed that his musical sensibility never really clicked within the band.
Jane's Addiction is a beloved grunge band, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were known for their ability to fuse funk, rock, and pop into a seamless, commercially appealing strain. In that sense, Navarro was always going to feel like an outsider.
Navarro remains cool with the band members
Kiedis recalls having to fire Navarro in his autobiography Scar Tissue. "It went horribly because he was totally loaded," the frontman wrote. "And even though he knew there was no way this band could work, the verbalization of the reality pissed him off to no end." Despite the initial animosity, Navarro has maintained a good relationship with the rest of the band.
He claimed he enjoyed his time with the band, and Kiedis claimed that he still "love[d] the guy" despite parting ways three decades ago. Navarro has continued to record and perform with Jane's Addiction, and has been a host on the show Ink Master, so he's doing just fine.