Netflix’s new documentary The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel premiered on Friday, March 20th, and it paints a vivid picture of the band’s early days. However, one thing that may seem disconcerting to fans is an AI-generated voiceover replicating the speaking voice of late guitarist Hillel Slovak.
The documentary is mostly told via singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea, who each appear separately in warehouse-type settings as they recount their early friendship with Slovak in high school leading up to and including the formative years of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
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Other prominent speakers in the documentary include original RHCP drummer Jack Irons, as well as Slovak’s brother James, musician Alain Johannes (who was in the band Anthym/What Is This with Slovak), Slovak’s girlfriend Addie Brik, and toward the end of the film, current and longtime Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante.
Also driving the story along are Slovak’s own journals, which are recited by the AI-generated voice of the late guitarist. While the documentary lets viewers know fairly early on that the voiceover has been digitally reconstructed, it still comes across as a bit unsettling.
Overall, however, The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel is a very insightful look into the formation of the Chili Peppers, the incredible bond between Kiedis, Flea, and Slovak, and the drug addiction that plagued Kiedis and Slovak, which ultimately led to the guitarist’s untimely death at the young age of 26.
Prior to its release, the Chili Peppers distanced themselves from the documentary, insisting it wasn’t about the band, but more the story of Slovak. However, Kiedis and Flea are the main drivers of the story, and it is very much about the early days of the band as much as it is about Slovak.
The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel is streaming now on Netflix. Watch the trailer below.
