As any sensible Morrissey fan will tell you, “Jack The Ripper” is the second greatest Moz song ever, behind only “Speedway.” The b-side to 1992 single “Certain People I Know” was given a heightened sense of awareness by is inclusion on live album Beethoven Was Deaf the following year, and recently the former Smiths singer has been once again playing on stage, notably at Chicago’s Riot Fest last month.
Two weeks ago in Zurich, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer took a solo shot at it, busting out a snippet of the stalkery song during the band’s stop in Switzerland. Audio has surfaced online, and you can listen to it below. As Consequence of Sound notes, the multi-instrumentalist Klinghoffer is, like most of us, an avid fan of Morrissey and the Smiths.
Performing snippets of Morrissey-penned songs seems to be a blooming trend of late; at Austin City Limits, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke sang an off-the-cuff rendition of “How Soon Is Now”, and just last night at probably any city anywhere, someone on some stage somewhere sang something Smithsian.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, meanwhile, play Boston’s TD Garden on February 7 and 8.