Can't Stop (Frusciante fan fic)

Part 1-Out in L.A.

Disclaimer: 100% of events with John Frusciante are fictional, with the majority of names changed (including mine), some imaginary characters. There are so many stories by young writers about young Frusciante in the Mother's Milk/BSSM era, so in honor of John's return to the band, I will up the ante and write a story set in the not too distant future. Hopefully not too distant anyway. I haven't written anything in awhile and am older than most of you who are discovering this amazing musician, whose work flipped my musical tastes and opened up my imagination as a teen. Which was a long time ago lol. 

July 2020

My name is Ellie, and I was born in Los Angeles. I'm not that much younger than John Frusciante to be honest. He wasn't even on my radar back in the 90's because I was more focused on the beauty of the music and couldn't care less about any of the Red Hot Chili Peppers personal lives. Many years later, I rediscovered the Peppers, and when I listened to their music again, I was drawn to John's brilliant and soulful performances. It didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes. And he still is. 

I didn't grow up in L.A. or have much occasion to visit until my parents passed away of cancer 5 years ago and I wanted to reconnect with family in the area. Even so, I have never visited Hollywood and just moved way down to San Diego with my 8 year-old daughter Sophia to start over again. That's a whole different story in itself. The COVID-19 quarantine was rough on us during the spring and early summer, but then things slowly started to reopen. And Sophie is begging me to take her to all her favorite places like Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, Legoland, and now, Universal Studios. So it's late July 2020, and I am caving and making the drive north, ready to drive north and take pictures with minions and go on socially distanced theme park rides. I just can't wait (hint of sarcasm in case you didn't detect it). 

Why, you might ask, am I bringing a kid into a story about John Frusciante? Well, she's the catalyst for meeting JF, as well as a pretty damn cool kid. She loves soccer and is a beast on the field, has been reading for years, and loves animals to the point she wants to be a vet when she grows up. But I'll get to the point. 

Sophia loves music. I have introduced her to all kinds of music since she was a toddler, like Queen, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Hendrix, The Doors (my late father's favorite) Prince, etc, and plenty of the music of the 90's that I grew up with and still listen to all the time. But like me, she LOVES, LOVES the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The number of long drives we've taken from Northern to Southern California and across the state where we rocked out to and sang most of the Chilis catalogue all the way through are too many to count. She and I went to see them together at Dana Point in September 2019 when she was 6 years old. Hey, no judging, it was an all ages show! Except for Go Robot, which I don't fancy, they did not play a single song we didn't love. Sophie brags often that it was the best day of her life. It was her first rock concert, and she got to see Eddie Vedder and Incubus too. Good times.

Did I mention that she adores John Frusciante too? She thinks Josh and their newer music was cool, but we love the 5 albums with John the best. She was thrilled when I told her on her birthday that he's back. We've listened to his solo work on You Tube and it's brilliant, especially Shadows Collide With People. At her insistence, I bought her an acoustic guitar for her 6th birthday and guitar lessons. She's pretty good for her age! She has tried to imitate John, but without much success. Honestly, I don't think her guitar teacher was up for it either. With the lockdown and the move, she's been trying to practice, but it's hard without any direction or anyone to jam with. 

So, I have the week off, and I pile the two of us into the car and drive the 2 hours north to L.A. and Universal Studios. There was much less traffic than I expected. Things aren't back to normal yet, but we're getting there. Now that John is back, I have tickets to Bottlerock Napa in October, and can't wait to fly back north to see RHCP. I will be going alone, since with all the wine, it is most definitely not an all ages show. 

We carry on to Minion Land (or whatever it's called), where we ride the Minion Mayhem (I think) ride, having to wait in line because fewer people are allowed on the rides and they have to constantly disinfect the rides in between passengers. Sophie's a restless kid by nature, but we both have a soft spot for Despicable Me, so she isn't too antsy today. The water park is partially open too, and it is hot as usual in LA, so that brings us both relief. We dry off and move on to Secret Life of Pets, which she is also excited about because she loves animals. The day flies by, though we haven't been to Hogwarts or seen anything Harry Potter related. Although Soph has read all the books, she states she doesn't like Harry Potter anymore. Nonetheless, she will return tomorrow with my cousin Kerri, her husband, and their sons, who are Sophia's second cousins, and I'm sure she will have fun. 

I'll find something to do with myself for the day tomorrow while she enjoys dressing in robes, having a million pictures taken with our extended family. We are already going to Disneyland on our way back with my/her cousins and my theme park tolerance is low, much like my late mother's was. 

After eating at Krustyburger, I call it a day, and Sophie wraps up her Minion presents and we head out. I find a cheap hotel further down Sunset Blvd in what is known as Silver Lake and start to drive. Then, "Mama (pronounced like Downton Abbey "Ma-Ma")", can we get some ice cream? 

I groan audibly and sigh. "Really, Sophia? You just ate an enormous cheeseburger and had all day to get ice cream! No way!." She gives me this pitying look, "but I'm hungry, and I'm growing, so my body metabolizes food fast." She sees Ferrel's Donuts, with which we are familiar with from when we lived in NorCal and her face lights up. "See, if you turn there we can get some ice cream. Please, Mom, it's still so warm outside!" The big brown puppy dog eyes turn on and I concede. 

We park and head inside. We stop at the counter and decide on mint chocolate chip for Sophia and pistachio almond for me. There is no one in the store but a gentleman in line ahead of us placing his order and I am not paying much attention being tired after a long day.

Then, "Oh My God, Mom, it's HIM, it's HIM. JOHN FRUSCIANTE!." My head snaps up as she speaks at the top of her lungs, starting to jump up and down. I don't believe her. Yes, the guy in front of us is wearing a plaid shirt and baggy jeans which is not atypical of JF, but I don't have my glasses on and can't see his face. Plus, we are still doing the six feet apart social distancing. "Sophia Marie, that is NOT John Frusciante, and you need to control yourself NOW!," I hiss, at the end of my rope with her.  

She persists. "I'm telling you, Mom, it's HIS haircut, I know it's him. John Anthony Motherf.. I cover her mouth before anything else comes out and tell her to knock it off NOW or no ice cream. The man in front of us, who has soft medium brown hair, turns around and looks me straight in the eyes, and I see a kind smile start to form. I grab onto the counter for a second as his countenance becomes clear to me. 

My silly child is 100% correct. I am staring at THE John Anthony Motherfucking Frusciante.