Niandra Lades and Usually Just A T-Shirt - Release, Reception and Aftermath

Release, Reception and Aftermath

Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt was initially previewed by Billboard magazine, who said that "Chili Peppers fans might be daunted by the album's elusive experimentalism." A representative of American Recordings did not foresee the album as being viable in any mainstream music stores, and some retailers went as far as to ban it from being sold. After the album was released, Frusciante played three small performances, and participated in a few magazine interviews to promote the album; explaining in one interview that people would only be able to understand his work if "their heads are capable of tripping out." At one point shortly after release, Frusciante began searching for a string quartet to play the album with him on tour. The idea was eventually discarded when he could not find a band that "understands why Ringo Starr is such a great drummer, can play Stravinsky, and also smokes pot." The concept of a tour was ultimately abandoned as well, due to Frusciante's diminishing health.

Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt was not widely reviewed, but yielded a generally positive response from critics. Steve Huey of Allmusic, who rated the album four out of five stars, said that " an intriguing and unexpected departure from Frusciante's work with the Chili Peppers", and that "the sparse arrangements of the first half help set the stage for the gossamer guitar work later on." He went on to say that Usually Just a T-Shirt—the latter half of the album—contained "pleasant psychedelic instrumentals with plenty of backward-guitar effects." Ned Raggett, also of Allmusic, noted that "there's nothing quite so stunning as magnificent remake of Bad Brains' 'The Big Takeover'." Adam Williams of PopMatters said the album "fall somewhere between madness and brilliance". He went on to compare Frusciante to Syd Barrett, and felt it was a "hint at a deeply cerebral artist looking within for inspiration and creativity." High Times' Tim Kenneally saw the record as "a revelation, both disturbingly intimate and cryptically veiled. Ladeled straight out of the guitarist's stream of consciousness, it's worlds away from the up-front, balls-out funk assault of his former band," with "an ethereal, otherworldly quality." The album received its share of negative criticism as well. Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard felt "Frusciante's eccentricities run seriously amok", and that " sounds like a string of four-track demos. The first part of the album is slightly more tuneful than the more ambient, experimental second section Mostly what you get are Frusciante's acoustic-guitar scratchings and stream-of-conscious ramblings." The first Rolling Stone review of the record, however, was positive: "All in all, a mess - but definitely a fascinating, often lovely mess. As one might expect of an album titled Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-shirt this is twisted, cool stuff." The Boston Herald said that while the album was "a stark display of Frusciante's acoustic guitar virtuosity" and "eerily beautiful", the singing was "terrible; his high notes will drive the neighborhood dogs into a frenzy."

Frusciante's drug addiction worsened as the years progressed. An article published by the New Times LA described him as "a skeleton covered in thin skin". He participated in an interview with Dutch public broadcast station VPRO—the first media appearance he made since leaving the Chili Peppers. In the interview Frusciante speaks of the positive effects drugs have had on his mind and proudly admits to being a "junkie". He went on to confess addictions to heroin and crack cocaine, but ultimately described himself as being in the best health of his life. In 1997, Frusciante released his second solo album Smile From the Streets You Hold, primarily for drug money. Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt was estimated to have sold only 45,000 copies when Frusciante ordered it out of print in 1998—when Frusciante rehabilitated and rejoined the Chili Peppers. Smile From the Streets You Hold was withdrawn from the market a year later. In 1999 Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt was re-released on American Recordings. In the early 2000s, Frusciante has said he plans to re-release Smile From the Streets You Hold sometime in the future, but has not given any indication as to when.