Red Hot Chili Peppers Think Chad Smith Was a ‘Prick’ During His Audition — Here’s Why

Chad Smith has been a part of Red Hot Chili Peppers for decades now and he is already considered to be a legend in the rock music industry, but there was a time back when he auditioned that his future bandmates weren't so fond of him; what happened?

According to Loudwire, the group had a big problem back in 1988 because guitarist Hillel Slovak had passed away due to heroin overdose.

Later on, John Fruscunte stepped in to replace him then D.H. Peligro was fired, which opened the slot for a new drummer.

Initially, producer Michael Beinhorn, who worked with RHCP at the time, thought the band will not have a problem getting a new member because they already established a name at the time.

However, he told Rick Beato in an interview that he had "never seen a more lackluster group of drummers under one roof in my entire life."

Red Hot Chili Peppers Think Chad Smith Was a Prick

After going through a lot of hopeful drummers, Chad Smith entered the room and he was the last one to audition for the day.

Beinhorn recalled the moment when the drummer entered as if he "own[ed] the place."

"And we all hate him immediately... Everyone just looks at him and goes like, 'This fu***guy. What a prick!'" he added.

At first, the group already judged him based on the attitude he exuded and the way he dressed, to which they thought that he belonged in "a metal band."

Smith wore a bandana and all then Beinhorn asked him to start playing.

Chad Smith Shocked Red Hot Chili Peppers Upon Playing the Drums

The moment Smith hit the drums, Beinhorn and members of the group were immediately amazed on how good he was.

"Something happened in that room that I've only experienced a few times in my life, like it literally felt like some energy portal had opened... It literally felt like a whole bunch of doors had opened," he said.

The producer added, "like a magic incantation had been recited and everything just [fell into a place] like that in a movie... Everything shifted. It was incredible."

Since then, Smith had been a part of the group and the first record he worked on with the band was "Mother's Milk," which was released a year after his audition.

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