In an archive interview conducted in 2002, Red Hot Chili Peppers members Anthony Kiedis, Flea and John Frusciante reflected on the making of their eighth studio album, By The Way, which became their first ever UK number one and went on to sell around 10 million copies. The piece frames the record as the product of one of the band's most challenging yet rewarding periods, offering an insider account of how the group wrote and recorded the album with producer Rick Rubin at Cello Studios in Hollywood.

The band began serious writing work in February 2001, spending six months arranging material daily before entering the studio, where recording continued into 2002. Flea describes the process as disciplined rather than glamorous, insisting it was "not some champagne and caviar rock star party", while Frusciante explains a new creative freedom, no longer feeling bound by the band's earlier BloodSugarSexMagik-era template. He details a writing method he and Flea called a "face off", in which each would separately compose a part for a song and then compare results, a technique applied to nearly every track, including Cabron and Venice Queen.