Flea (musician)

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Flea

Flea performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 4, 2012.
Background information
Birth name Michael Peter Balzary
Also known as Flea
Mike B the Flea
Born (1962-10-16) October 16, 1962
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres Funk rock, jazz, bebop, experimental rock, punk rock, alternative rock, hardcore punk, jazz-funk, classical music
Occupations Musician, actor
Instruments Main: Bass guitar
Occasional: Trumpet, Ukulele keyboards, double bass, melodica, guitar, vocals
Years active 1977–present
Labels Warner Bros. Records, EMI
Associated acts Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rocket Juice & the Moon, Atoms for Peace, What Is This?, Fear, Jane's Addiction, John Frusciante, P, The Mars Volta, River Phoenix, Slash, Pigface, Axis of Justice, Nirvana
Notable instruments
Modulus Funk Unlimited (Formerly Flea Bass)
1961 Fender Jazz Bass
Music Man StingRay
Fleabass
Fender Precision Bass
Spector NS Bass
Alembic Basses

Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16, 1962), better known as Flea, is an Australian-born American musician and actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the only constant member of the band (lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis was briefly fired from the band in 1986). Flea is also the co-founder of Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit music education organization founded in 2001 for underprivileged children. Flea also briefly appeared as the bassist for such bands as What Is This?, Fear and Jane's Addiction. More recently he has appeared as member of the rock supergroups Atoms for Peace and Rocket Juice & the Moon.

Originally a jazz trumpet player, Flea learned to play bass in high school from close friend and future Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak, who required a bassist for his band Anthym. Flea soon developed his own style and joined the group, but quit several months later in order to play for the punk rock outfit Fear. He then rejoined Slovak to form an intended one-off band: Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem along with fellow high school alumni Anthony Kiedis and Jack Irons; the impromptu collaboration would ultimately give birth to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Highly regarded as one of the best rock bass players of all time, his work as a bassist incorporates several musical styles, ranging from aggressive slap bass to more subdued and melodic techniques. Drawing influences from funk music and punk rock, Flea centers his playing on simplicity and minimalism while viewing complexity as a device that should be used in moderation. Aside from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he has collaborated with many artists, including The Mars Volta, Alanis Morissette, Johnny Cash, Young MC and P. Flea is ranked #2 on Rolling Stone's "Readers Pick the Top Ten Bassists of All Time."[1] Flea has also made occasional forays into acting, appearing in films that span many genres such as Suburbia (1983), Dudes (1987), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Part III (1990), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Motorama (1991) The Chase (1994), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) and The Big Lebowski (1998), in addition to voicing the character Donnie Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys (1998-2004).

Early life

Flea was born in the Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverley. He is of Hungarian and Irish descent.[2] His father, Mick Balzary, an avid fisherman, often took him fishing.[3] When Flea was five, his family moved to Rye, New York for his father's career.[4] In 1971, his parents divorced and his father returned to Australia. Flea and his siblings stayed with their mother Patricia, who soon remarried to a jazz musician.[4] Patricia died in June 2013.

Flea's stepfather, Walter Abdul Urban (1941–2011), frequently invited musicians to his house, where jam sessions would often take place. The family moved again to Los Angeles, California, where Flea became fascinated with the trumpet.[5][6] He had no interest in rock music at the time; he idolized jazz musicians like Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie.[5] His stepfather was an "aggressive alcoholic", who eventually became involved in shoot-outs with police. "I was raised in a very violent, alcoholic household", Flea later said, "I grew up being terrified of my parents, particularly my father figures. It caused [me] a lot of trouble later in life."[7] To cope, Flea began smoking cannabis at 13, and became a daily user.[8]

Flea, who was then nicknamed Mike B the Flea, attended Fairfax High School, and was somewhat of an outcast due to his taste in music.[8] However, he soon met Anthony Kiedis, and after a brief confrontation, the two became best friends.[9] Kiedis recalled: "We were drawn to each other by the forces of mischief and love and we became virtually inseparable. We were both social outcasts. We found each other and it turned out to be the longest-lasting friendship of my life."[10] Flea was turned on to rock music, particularly punk rock by a friend in high school named Hillel Slovak. Slovak asked him to be a bassist in a punk band he was starting. He met Anthony Kiedis; they became roommates and after a time, they were offered a gig and played under a preliminary name. However, every show after that, they were referred to as the Red Hot Chili Peppers.[11]

Career

First four Red Hot Chili Peppers albums (1984-1990)

The band's concert repertoire grew to nine songs as a result of months of playing at local nightclubs and bars.[12] The Red Hot Chili Peppers entered Bijou Studios to record a demo tape produced by the then-drummer of Fear and subsequently secured a record deal with EMI.[13] Irons and Slovak however, decided to leave the Red Hot Chili Peppers in order to pursue a "more serious" future with rock band What Is This?.[14] Flea ultimately respected the decision, but felt the band would be lost without them. He and Kiedis hired drummer Cliff Martinez and guitarist Jack Sherman to fill Iron's and Slovak's places, respectively.[14] Andy Gill, formerly of Gang of Four, agreed to produce their first album. Gill and Sherman clashed with Flea and Kiedis; they continuously argued over music style, sound, and the album's production.[15] Flea himself felt that the album was stiff and "a big mistake", but also admitted "we [he and Kiedis] were just disrespectful and obnoxious".[16] The band's eponymous debut album, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, was released on August 10, 1984 to largely poor critical and commercial review.[17] After a relatively unfruitful tour, Sherman was fired in early 1985. Slovak, who had been contemplating a return to the Chili Peppers, rejoined the group after being encouraged by Flea.[18]

Funk musician George Clinton was hired to produce the band's second album, Freaky Styley (1985). The strong chemistry between Clinton and the Chili Peppers was felt instantly. Flea later referred to Clinton as "the warmest, kindest man in the world".[19] Freaky Styley was released in August 1985. It received only a bit more attention than The Red Hot Chili Peppers with roughly 75,000 copies sold by year's end.[16] Flea was somewhat indifferent to the poor album sales as he had recently proposed to girlfriend Loesha Zeviar, who was pregnant with their child.[20] The band hired Michael Beinhorn, their last resort among potential producers, to work on their next album.[21] What Is This? had finally disbanded, and drummer Irons returned to the Chili Peppers in mid-1986 after Martinez was fired. Flea, Slovak and Kiedis especially were involved in heavy drug use and their relationships became strained. Flea recalled that "it began to seem ugly to me and not fun; our communication was not healthy".[21] Kiedis became dependent on heroin, leaving Flea and Slovak to work on much of the album's material by themselves. Flea and Zeviar married, and she gave birth to their daughter, Clara Balzary, in 1988.

Kiedis was briefly kicked out of the band, and given a month to rehabilitate. Kiedis completed the rehab and rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles to record their third album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987).[21] Flea has referred to the album as "the 'rockingest' record" the band has ever made.[21] The Uplift Mofo Party Plan proved to be far more successful, commercially and critically, than the Chili Peppers' preceding albums; registering at number 148 on the Billboard 200.[22] Following the Uplift tour, Slovak's drug use dramatically increased. Flea's relationship with Slovak faded, and Slovak became isolated and depressed.[16] On June 28, 1988, Slovak was found dead of a heroin overdose. Flea reflected: "I didn't really know how to deal with that sadness, and I don't think [Kiedis] knew how to deal with it either."[16] Irons, who was taking Slovak's death particularly hard, left the group.[13]

Flea and Kiedis took some time to collect themselves, but decided to keep the band together. Guitarist DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight and drummer D.H. Peligro were added, and the band entered the studio to record a new album. McKnight soon began to create tension within the group, as his style did not mesh with the rest of the band.[23] Peligro, the former drummer of the punk rock band Dead Kennedys, was a friend of John Frusciante, an eighteen-year-old guitarist and avid Red Hot Chili Peppers fan.[24] Peligro introduced Frusciante to Flea, and the three jammed together on several occasions.[25] Flea was impressed with Frusciante's skill, and astonished by his knowledge of the Chili Peppers' repertoire. Flea realized, that Frusciante could provide the spark McKnight was lacking.[26] McKnight was fired, and Frusciante accepted an invitation to join the band.[23] Peligro was fired shortly thereafter; the Chili Peppers brought in drummer Chad Smith as his replacement.[27]

Flea and his wife Loesha started to grow apart, and he began trying to recreate the memories of his adolescence by smoking marijuana on a daily basis.[25] The Chili Peppers entered the studio, and completed recording of their fourth album, Mother's Milk, in early 1989. Upon release, the album was met with mixed reactions from critics, but received far more commercial attention, peaking at number fifty-two on the Billboard 200.[22] After this, Flea made appearances playing the trumpet on Jane's Addiction's 1988 album Nothing's Shocking,[28] and bass on the critically acclaimed 1989 Young MC album Stone Cold Rhymin'. He would also appear in the video for "Bust a Move", the hit single from the same album.[29]

The ensuing Mother's Milk Tour put even further strain on Flea's marriage. In order to make money, he needed to tour, and therefore spent time away from his family.[30] Furthermore, he and Smith were arrested on charges of battery and sexual harassment after a performance on MTV's coverage of spring break;[16] charges were eventually dropped.[30] The band was, however, attracting over three thousand people per show; Mother's Milk had been certified as a gold record in early 1990.[31][32] By the time Red Hot Chili Peppers returned to Los Angeles, Flea and Loesha agreed to a separation.[30] He tried to put the separation out of his mind by smoking marijuana and having sex with random groupies, when the band was on tour for Mother's Milk.[30]

Mainstream success and side projects (1991-1998)

When the successful Mother's Milk tour was over, the Red Hot Chili Peppers severed ties with EMI and signed with Warner Bros. Records.[33] Rick Rubin, who had rejected an opportunity to produce The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, agreed to produce their next album.[34] Flea had largely used the principal slap bass technique on the band's preceding four albums, and decided to downplay this style in favor of more conventional, melodic bass lines.[35] To record the album, Rubin suggested they use a mansion that once belonged to magician Harry Houdini. Flea felt it was "a creatively fertile situation", and decided to bring his daughter Clara with him.[34] He and the rest of the band, excluding Smith, remained inside the house for the entire recording process. When not writing or recording the album, Flea spent a large portion of his time with Frusciante smoking large quantities of marijuana.[34] The emotions Flea felt during the album's recording were like nothing he had ever experienced:[16]

“ When we [the band] made Blood Sugar Sex Magik we spent a lot of time jamming—every day, for hours and hours. I remember during that time Anthony went off and made a movie, and for a long time it was just me, John and Chad, and we'd just go in there and play. Me and John were hitting the bong and we just rocked and grooved forever. It was the first time we went in to make a record where there wasn't this feeling of being sort of intimidated by what was going to happen. ”

When Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released on September 24, 1991, it received an overwhelmingly positive critical response. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 200, and went on to sell over seven million copies in the U.S. alone.[18][22] The album's ensuing tour was critically acclaimed — the Chili Peppers commonly performed shows with over twenty thousand in attendance.[36] Seattle-based grunge band Nirvana also toured with them during the West Coast leg of their United States tour.[36] The massive attention the Chili Peppers started receiving, however, caused Frusciante to feel extremely uncomfortable, and he abruptly quit the band during the Japanese leg of the album's tour.[37] The band hired guitarist Arik Marshall to complete the remaining tour dates.

Following the tour in 1993, Flea was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and was ordered to rest for a year.[38] Flea and Kiedis felt it best to fire Marshall due to lack of chemistry and briefly replaced him with Jesse Tobias although his tenure was very short and he was quickly replaced by Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, who was once recruited in 1992 to replace Frusciante. The band was ready now to record their next album although Kiedis was in the middle of a heroin relapse, which forced Flea to assume the role of lyricist, something he had not yet done. He wrote most of the song "Transcending", and the intro to "Deep Kick". Flea also wrote the lyrics to an entire song; "Pea", in which he both played bass and sang.[39] These three songs appeared on the Chili Peppers' sixth record One Hot Minute, which was released on September 12, 1995. The album received mixed reviews and was significantly less commercially successful than Blood Sugar Sex Magik.[18] The One Hot Minute Tour was ultimately cut short due to various injuries Kiedis and Smith received, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers decided to go on hiatus. Flea was so miserable that at one point during the tour discussed quitting the band.[40] Flea began to practice Transcendental Meditation[41][42] and yoga, and slowly decreased his marijuana consumption.[40] Due to the Chili Peppers' inactivity, Flea joined Navarro in a Jane's Addiction reunion tour in 1997, filling in for ex-Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery. Rumors spread, that the band was breaking up, until Navarro stated otherwise: "I want to clarify that the Chili Peppers are not breaking up ... Flea and I are more than happy to do both projects, time permitting."[40]

Flea also had plans to record a solo album. He asked Chili Peppers manager Lindy Goetz to help him promote the record and his future solo career.[40] Flea eventually abandoned the idea in favor of offering his bass services to other artists. He performed on over forty records from 1995 to 1998, ranging from Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill to former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt's debut solo album Ball-Hog or Tugboat?. He also worked with Tori Amos and Michael Stipe on a track for the soundtrack to the 1995 Johnny Depp film Don Juan DeMarco.[43] Navarro was fired from the Chili Peppers in 1998, and Flea questioned whether or not the Red Hot Chili Peppers would stay together: "... the only way I could imagine carrying on is if we got John [Frusciante] back in the band."[44] Frusciante had completed drug rehabilitation in 1997 after a severe addiction to heroin and crack cocaine left him on the brink of death.[45] Flea visited Frusciante in early 1998, inviting him back to the Chili Peppers; an emotional Frusciante readily accepted.[46]

Californication, By the Way and Stadium Arcadium (1998-2007)

The band, with Frusciante back on guitar, began writing new songs during the summer of 1998 in Flea's garage.[16] He and Kiedis were less confident in writing the album after the disappointing results of One Hot Minute.[16] Flea had also recently broken up with his girlfriend of two years, Marissa Pouw, causing him to enter a state of depression[47] which was only lifted when his daughter, Clara, comforted him after several weeks of crying.[16]

Flea was heavily influenced by electronica during the writing and recording of Californication (1999) and he attempted to emulate this when writing bass lines for the album.[47] Californication took less than two weeks to record; by contrast, One Hot Minute took over a year. When Californication was released on June 8, 1999 it received overwhelmingly positive critical reviews and sold fifteen million copies worldwide — more than Blood Sugar Sex Magik.[16] The Chili Peppers played Woodstock 1999, with Flea playing completely naked — something he would do again at the Reading and Leeds Festivals the same year as well as several other Californication tour concerts.[47]

Flea felt the public school system was seriously lacking in exposing children to music by drastically reducing, and sometimes eliminating, art related programs.[48] He founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a school dedicated to help youth progress in music, because of this.[48][49] "I just wanted to fill the void that public education has cut from their curriculum. They've dropped the ball by cutting out music programs", Flea laments, "I grew up in LA public schools and was in the music department. It was really an important thing for my life, it gave me something to hold onto, and it was an important access for me. Without music I would've gotten into a lot of trouble and there are a lot of kids like me out there. I just wanted to try to provide something like what I got."[48]

Flea performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers at the 2006 Oxegen Festival.

Red Hot Chili Peppers spent most of 2001 writing their eighth studio album, By the Way (2002). The entire band began listening to more melodic, textured music, that would reflect heavily on the album.[16] Frusciante became the driving force behind By the Way, causing initial strife between him and Flea.[47] If he introduced a funk rhythm into his bass lines Frusciante would consequently disapprove to the point where Flea almost quit the band because he felt his role was no longer important.[47] By the Way was released on July 9, 2002 to positive critical reviews. Although not as successful as Californication or Blood Sugar Sex Magik, By the Way would go on to sell over nine million copies worldwide.[50] The ensuing tour, however, was extremely profitable; the Chili Peppers performed three concerts in London's Hyde Park to over 250,000 attendees and a total gross accumulation of $17.1 million.[51] It became the highest grossing concert at a single venue in history.[51]

After another two-year world tour, the Chili Peppers wrote their ninth studio album Stadium Arcadium (2006).[52] Unlike By the Way, both Flea and Frusciante were more musically conjoined, when writing the record. They found inspiration in Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eddie Van Halen among others.[53] The double album was ultimately released on May 9, 2006 to generally positive reviews, selling over seven million copies in less than two years.[54] In November 2007, Flea's $4.8 million Corral Canyon home in Malibu was burnt down by a wildfire.[55] The location was not, however, his primary residence[55] and at the time of its destruction was being rented to musician and producer Butch Walker.[56]

Chili Peppers hiatus, return to school, I'm with You and Helen Burns (2008-2012)

After the band announced a long hiatus due to exhaustion, Flea enrolled in music classes at the University of Southern California. Beginning in the fall of 2008, the bassist studied music theory, composition and jazz trumpet. Flea attributes his interest in attending such courses to a newfound desire to widen his appreciation and understanding of music: "it's so much fun to learn this stuff because I never knew anything. I played trumpet in the school bands. I learned things I liked to play on my trumpet but I didn't learn why this note goes with this note and why it produces that sound. Or how to create tension in the composition [...] Knowing the structure is really fun."[57] Flea also revealed plans to release a mainly instrumental solo record, that was being recorded in his home; guest musicians include Patti Smith and a choir from the Silverlake Conservatory.[57]

Flea is also a part of Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke's live band with Joey Waronker, Mauro Refosco and Nigel Godrich. The band performed two shows in Los Angeles in early October 2009, including the entirety of Yorke's 2006 solo album, The Eraser.[58][59] The ensemble adopted the name Atoms for Peace and said they would perform dates leading up to an appearance at the 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[60]

The Chili Peppers ended their hiatus in October 2009 though were without guitarist John Frusciante, who quit the band in order to pursue other musical interests. Frusciante was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer. The band began rehearsing and writing for their tenth studio album.[61][62]

On March 20, 2011, Flea ran the LA Marathon to raise money for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music through Crowdrise.[63] Flea was also featured in Runner's World magazine discussing his preparation for the race.[64]

In April 2011, Flea finished second in an online poll conducted by Contact Music to name the best bass guitarist in rock music. Flea lost to the late John Entwistle of The Who. Rounding out the top five were Paul McCartney (the Beatles), Geddy Lee (Rush) and Les Claypool (Primus).[65]

On April 21, 2011, Flea appeared on the radio show of The Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, giving an interview and jamming with him.[66]

Flea commented about the Chili Peppers new album on April 30, 2011 through his Twitter page, saying the new album is a beautiful thing, a new thing, a warm thing full of love and violence and deep funky grooves for humans.[67]

On June 9, 2011, Flea announced, that he is giving away a personally customized bass guitar covered with graffiti and a one-on-one bass lesson as a prize in an eBay auction. The auction will benefit Style Wars, a 1983 documentary on early hip hop. The auction will raise money for restoring the film's negatives. Brad Pitt, James Franco and Spike Jonze also took part in the auction, which ended on June 11, 2011.[68]

In a June 23, 2011 interview, Flea discussed the band's return and how he almost quit the Chili Peppers during their hiatus. Flea said, that he just felt like he wanted to take two years away just to really look and see if the band was "something we should still be doing". "Things had gotten dysfunctional and not fun, even though I thought we were making great records, doing great shows and were a really powerful, mighty thing as a band. I was proud of what we did." "For me, the biggest thing during the time off, and what really made me want to continue doing the band, specifically after decided he didn't want to continue in the band anymore, [was] I just realized, Anthony, man, he's my brother, I love him so much, and we started this band when we were kids. I wanted to keep that going, I never want to let that go. Playing with him is something, even though I can do other things that are exciting and beautiful and I always will do those things and I'll always want to grow and do music outside of the band, the thing that we have is special to us and something that is blood." [69]

The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their tenth studio album, I'm with You on August 29, 2011.

Flea played bass on 2 songs on Tom Waits's 2011 album Bad as Me, released on October 21.[70]

On October 27, 2011 it was announced, that Flea's side-project with Damon Albarn and afrobeat legend, Tony Allen would be called Rocket Juice & the Moon. According to Albarn, on where the band's name came from, someone in Lagos did the sleeve design and that's the name he gave it, which he said he is fine with, because trying to find a name for another band is always tricky. The band will make their live debut on October 29, 2011 in London and their debut album will be released in 2012.[71]

On December 7, 2011, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were announced as 2012 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Flea commented on the induction by saying "It's always been easy for me to pooh-pooh these awards — the [Rock] Hall of Fame too. But I inducted Metallica a couple of years ago, and it was really a beautiful thing to see as all these people were being inducted. It made me love it. I love halls of fame anyway — the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Baseball Hall of Fame. So I feel grateful for the recognition of what we have done and for the hope and potential of what we'll continue to do."[72]

The debut album by Rocketjuice and The Moon has been released on March 12, 2012.[73]

On July 19, 2012, Flea released a new solo EP, called Helen Burns, composed mainly of instrumental tracks, except the title track (which Patti Smith sang on) and "Lovelovelove", which features the Silverlake Conservatory of Music's kids and adults choir. This marks the first ever solo release by Flea, who has only released solo songs previously on soundtracks and other projects. Flea said of the EP "I am putting it out to raise money for The Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a community based non profit music school that I am an integral part of." The digital download of the EP is available at "a name your own price" on the Silverlake Conservatory website and will be made available through all major digital outlets August 9, 2012.[74]

On October 16, 2012, his 50th birthday, Flea gave an interview with CNN discussing the Chili Peppers and was asked if he plans on continuing with them for eternity. Flea responded by saying "I love the Chili Peppers, and I would love to. If there's anything I know, it's every time you start making plans, you don't know what's going to come up next. Anything can happen. So I love being in the Chili Peppers and it's my home, and I've been doing it for more than half my life. Of course, during the course of doing it, there's been all kinds of ups and downs, and moments of extreme (positivity), floating on clouds of greatness, and times of just groveling, and misery, and uncertainty, and anger, and love and all those things. Like being in a family. I really can't predict. But I love being in it for now, and right now, about as far as I'm thinking is getting through this tour that we're doing, performing at the highest level possible, then hunkering down and writing another record."[75]

Atoms for Peace, eleventh Chili Peppers album (2013-present)

Flea's side project, Atoms for Peace, released their debut album, Amok in February 2013. Flea along with Chili Peppers touring percussionist, Mauro Refosco are scheduled to tour throughout the world with Atoms for Peace from July to November 2013.[76] According to drummer Chad Smith, the Chili Peppers will take a break following the end of their almost two-year-long world tour in April 2013. The band has a few U.S. festival dates scheduled for June 2013 however they will start writing music for their eleventh studio album in September 2013.

Flea along with Anthony Kiedis executive produced the film, Low Down which is based on the life of jazz pianist, Joe Albany. Flea also co-stars in the film, which is due for release in January 2014.

Personal life

From 1988 to 1990 Flea was married to Loesha Zeviar (Loesha's name still remains tattooed on Flea's chest). Together they had one daughter, Clara Balzary, who was born in 1988. Clara has been featured in many Chili Peppers books and documentaries including the band's Funky Monks documentary. She also has appeared at many shows and as a child even provided artwork for the band's t-shirts and promotional material.[77] She has also documented the band's I'm With You tour through photographs and videos. As an adult, Clara was most recently in the short-lived band, The Tints[78] and is also an aspiring artist and photographer, taking the promotional photographs for the new Red Hot Chili Peppers record.[79][80] Loesha currently works as a Resident Technician at the Pasadena Recovery Center and was featured on the reality series, Celebrity Rehab along with Flea's longtime friend, Bob Forrest.

Flea married for the second time in 2005 to model Frankie Rayder. They had their first child together, Sunny Bebop Balzary, who was born in 2005.[81][82] John Frusciante is the godparent of Clara and Sunny.

In the 2011 documentary, The Other F Word, Flea discussed the joys of being a father by saying "It’s funny how you always hear people saying that classic parent attitude of, ‘I brought you into this world, I gave you life!’ You know, it’s just, I think, completely the opposite. My kids gave me life. They gave me a reason.”[83]

Flea is a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. He can be spotted sitting courtside at the games with some of his bandmates.[84] He is also known to be a fan of English football team Sheffield United.[85]

Musical style

Flea performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers at Rock in Rio Madrid 2012.

Flea has displayed a wide variety of techniques throughout the years, ranging from his initial use of slapping and popping to the more traditional methods he has employed since Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Greg Prato of Allmusic has noted, that "by combining funk-style bass with psychedelic, punk, and hard rock, Flea created an original playing style that has been copied numerous times". Flea stated in an interview, that he was influenced greatly by Louis Armstrong.[6] Flea has been considered one of the greatest bassists of all time, with Greg Tate of Rolling Stone saying "if there were a Most Valuable Bass Player award given out in rock, Flea could have laid claim to that bitch ten years running".[86] The Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan recalls, that when he first saw the Chili Peppers in 1984, "Flea was playing so aggressively that he had worn a hole in his thumb and he was literally screaming in pain in-between songs because it hurt so bad. Someone kept coming out and pouring crazy glue into the hole."[13] Flea's sound is also determined by what type of instrument he plays. Before Californication, he did not believe the actual bass held much significance: "what mattered was how you hit them [basses] and your emotional intent, and I still think that's the bottom line."[87] Flea owns a 1961 Fender Jazz Bass, treasuring it for its "old wood sound".[87] He has contributed to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sound not only with the bass but by playing trumpet, as well; it can be heard on several songs, such as "Subway to Venus" and "Taste The Pain" from their fourth album Mother's Milk or "Torture Me" and "Hump De Bump" from their ninth album Stadium Arcadium.

Technique

Flea in 2012.

"Any instrument is just a vehicle to express who you are and your relationship to the world. No matter what level you're doing it on, playing music is an opportunity to give something to the world."

—Flea, Bass Player, June 2006[87]

Flea's bass playing has changed considerably throughout the years. When he joined Fear, his technique centered largely around traditional punk rock bass lines,[88] however he was to change this style, when the Red Hot Chili Peppers formed. He began to incorporate a "slap" bass style, that drew influence largely from Bootsy Collins.[14] However, this technique caused Flea to receive attention from the music world and was often copied, and he therefore felt it necessary to completely remove slap-bass styles from his repertoire following Mother's Milk (1989).[6] Consequently, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) saw a notable shift in style as it featured none of his signature technique but rather styles that focused more on traditional and melodic roots.[89] His intellectual beliefs on how to play the instrument were also altered: "I was trying to play simply on Blood Sugar Sex Magik because I had been playing too much prior to that, so I thought, 'I've really got to chill out and play half as many notes'. When you play less, it's more exciting—there's more room for everything. If I do play something busy, it stands out, instead of the bass being a constant onslaught of notes. Space is good."[89]

During the writing and recording of One Hot Minute (1995), Flea integrated some use of slap-bass progressions, but continued to center his technique around the philosophy of "less is more" rather than complexity: "I can't even think of anything I played that was complex [on the record]; even the slapping stuff is simple. It's original-sounding, and I'm proud of that — but what I played was more a matter of aesthetic choice."[89] This led Flea to alter the way he wrote music by playing alone, instead of the jam sessions, that would dictate, how the band conceived songs: "[One Hot Minute] is the least jam-oriented record we've made. I mean, we definitely jammed on the ideas, but there's only one groove on the whole album that came from a jam, 'Deep Kick'. The rest of it came from my sitting down with a guitar or bass."[89]

Flea became interested in electronica during the Californication (1999) era and he attempted to emulate the same atmosphere given off by synthesizers into his bass playing: "I feel the most exciting music happening is electronica, without a doubt."[47] He ultimately decided against this, acknowledging that, aside from Frusciante, the band was not moving in the same direction.[47] Californication also saw him incorporate more funk-driven bass lines than he had on One Hot Minute.

In By the Way (2002), much of the bass-lines were entirely stripped of funk. Flea felt the chords Frusciante had written were not supportive of his typical technique; furthermore, he does not feel the musical direction of the record was specifically melodic, but instead "... a result of each one of us being who we are. The way we [the band] compose music is a very communal thing."[90]

Influences

Flea's stepfather was in a bebop band that frequently jammed in his presence, so he soon became fascinated with the trumpet.[6][13][16] Flea credits his continued interest in music to jazz performers like Jaco Pastorius, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie.[5] After Kiedis introduced him to punk and rock, Flea became infatuated with artists such as Black Flag, Styx, David Bowie and Defunkt.[10][16] Flea's early influences before Blood Sugar Sex Magik were mainly funk artists. They would become a notable aspect of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sound up to Mother's Milk. Originally, Flea was given the impression by punk bands, that one should play as hard and fast as they possibly could, but ultimately rejected this philosophy during Blood Sugar Sex Magik: "I was so into being raw [...] it was all bullshit."[87] On Californication and By the Way, Flea drew influence from electronica, gothic rock bands like The Cure, Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees and New Wave music rather than funk.[49] Flea has also spoken highly of Neil Young; he wrote an article for Rolling Stone praising Young for the consistent authenticity in his artistry, among other things[91]

Effects

According to an article in uberproaudio.com, Flea uses these effects units for his trademark sound:[92]

New effects used in the recording and touring of I'm With You:

Film and television appearances

Flea has pursued a minor acting career since the mid-1980s. His first role was as young punk Razzle in the Penelope Spheeris film Suburbia (1984). Shortly thereafter he starred alongside the Chili Peppers, who played themselves, in the skate drama Thrashin' (1986). He played the ill-fated punker Milo in another Penelope Spheeris film, Dudes (1987). He also made an appearance in the Bruce Weber documentary film about the life and career of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker entitled Let's Get Lost (1988). He portrayed the character Needles in Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990), though in an interview he referred to Part II as "a multi-million dollar piece of trash".[93]

Flea played a minor role in the 1991 independent film My Own Private Idaho as the character Budd. He played a number of minor roles in films throughout the 1990s, including Son in Law (1993) as a tattoo artist, The Chase (1994) as a monster truck driver alongside Kiedis, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1997) as a hippie, in The Big Lebowski (1998) as a German nihilist, and the 1998 remake of Psycho. He has also lent his voice to the animated series The Wild Thornberrys as the character Donnie.

In 1991 the Red Hot Chili Peppers released a black and white film documenting the recording of Blood Sugar Sex Magik titled Funky Monks. They have released two video concerts, Off the Map in 2001 and Live at Slane Castle in 2003—the latter of which had over eighty thousand attendees.[94]

Flea has also appeared in television broadcasts with Red Hot Chili Peppers on several occasions. Several months before Frusciante's departure in 1992, the band performed two songs on Saturday Night Live — Kiedis felt the show was an embarrassment due to the guitarist; he believed, that Frusciante purposely played the song out of tune and incorrectly.[40][95] Later that year, the band appeared in the popular animated comedy The Simpsons on the episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled". At Woodstock 1994, Kiedis proposed the band perform the first few songs in metallic suits with giant light bulbs placed on their heads.[96] Flea was initially reluctant but eventually agreed: "... when we got to play, the energy of the whole thing took over."[97]

In 2011, Flea appeared in the documentary, Bob and the Monster. The film details the life of musician and drug counselor Bob Forrest.[98]

Flea appeared in the documentary The Other F Word, which aired on Showtime and was released through Oscilloscope Laboratories (a company founded by Adam Yauch). The documentary, which was directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins, focused on a generation of punk rockers, how they have handled fatherhood, and how they went from public rebel to domestic authority figure. Mark Hoppus, Jim Lindberg, Art Alexakis and Mark Mothersbaugh were also featured.[99]

Flea is also mentioned (alongside Slash and Ozzy Osbourne) in the popular Super Nintendo game Chrono Trigger.[citation needed] He is encountered throughout the game as a henchman to Ozzy, who is one of the game's antagonists.

Flea will make his return to acting in the 2014 film, Low Down which will star Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Elle Fanning and Glenn Close. It will be his first film appearance as an actor in fourteen years. The film will be directed by Jeff Preiss who Flea worked with in 1988 on the documentary, Let's Get Lost.[100]

Filmography

Other appearances (documentaries, music videos)

Discography

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Further information: Red Hot Chili Peppers discography

Solo

  • "I've Been Down", released in the soundtrack for the movie The Basketball Diaries
  • "Helen Burns" (2012 EP)

Collaborations

See also

References

  • Apter, Jeff (2004). Fornication: The Red Hot Chili Peppers Story. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-381-4. 
  • Kiedis, Anthony; Sloman, Larry (2004). Scar Tissue. Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-0101-0. 

References

  1. ↑ "Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Top Ten Bassists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 November 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Flea". Nndb.com. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  3. ↑ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Fan Club Interview, 1989". YouTube. Retrieved 2007-12-30. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Apter, 2004. p. 19
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Apter, 2004. p. 20
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Prato, Greg. "Biography of Flea". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-12-15. 
  7. ↑ Apter, 2004. p. 21
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Apter, 2004. pp. 22–23
  9. ↑ Apter, 2004. p. 34
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Apter, 2004. p. 35
  11. ↑ Croyay, Karl (1999). The Bass Player Book Equipment, Technique & Artists. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 194–199. ISBN 0-87930-573-8. 
  12. ↑ Apter, 2004. p. 62
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Red Hot Chili Peppers". Behind the Music. 1999-05-30. VH1.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Apter, 2004. pp. 70–74
  15. ↑ Apter, 2004. pp. 78–88
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 16.9 16.10 16.11 16.12 Page, Scarlet (July, 2004). "Red Hot Chili Peppers: The LA Punks Who Defied Death, Grunge And A Burning Crack Den". Mojo.
  17. ↑ Kiedis, Sloman, 2004. pp. 234–235
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Prato, Greg. "Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-12-15. 
  19. ↑ Apter, 2004. p. 110
  20. ↑ Apter, 2004. p. 127
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Apter, 2004. pp 130–141
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 "Red Hot Chili Peppers Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-09-12. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Kiedis, Sloman, 2004. p. 234
  24. ↑ Fricke, David (June 15, 2006). "Tattooed Love Boys: After twenty-three years, nine albums, death, love, and addiction, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are at Number One for the very first time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Apter, 2004. pp. 178–190
  26. ↑ Mother's Milk 2003 reissue liner notes
  27. ↑ Kiedis, Sloman, 2004. p. 242
  28. ↑ Nothing's Shocking liner notes
  29. ↑ "Stone Cold Rhymin' credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-05-29. 
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  32. ↑ "Red Hot Chili Peppers Artist Chart History: Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-06-18. 
  33. ↑ Kiedis, Sloman, 2004. pp. 261–262
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Apter, 2004. pp. 220–236
  35. ↑ Funky Monks, 1991. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Kiedis, Sloman, 2004. p. 282
  37. ↑ David Fricke. "The Naked Truth". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-08-10. 
  38. ↑ Fitzpatrick, R (2004). Red Hot Chili Peppers: Give It Away: The Stories Behind Every Song. Da Capo Press. pp. 140. ISBN 1-56025-579-X. 
  39. ↑ Kiedis, Sloman, 2004. pp. 341–344
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 Apter, 2004. pp. 290–302
  41. ↑ SONS OF THE CITY, by John Albert, December 6, 2002, LA Weekly (California)
  42. ↑ "To Live and Die in LA" April 1996, Spin Magazine
  43. ↑ Apter, 2004. p. 281
  44. ↑ Kiedis, Sloman, 2004. pp. 390–395
  45. ↑ Wilonsky, Robert (December 12, 1996). "Blood on the Tracks". Phoenix New Times Music. Retrieved 2007-06-22. 
  46. ↑ Kiedis, Sloman, 2004. p. 408
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 47.4 47.5 47.6 Apter, 2004. pp. 304–311
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 "Flea's Circus: Silverlake Music Conservatory Throws Hullabaloo Fundraiser". LAist. March 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-26. 
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Apter, 2004. pp. 327–338
  50. ↑ "Red Hot Chili Peppers: First Single Preview". Total Guitar. Retrieved 2007-10-09. 
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Waddell, Ray (June 2007). "Chili Peppers Hot in London's Hyde Park". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 
  52. ↑ Red Hot Chili Peppers. iTunes Originals. iTunes. September 8, 2006
  53. ↑ Gallori, Paolo (2006). Intervista a John Frusciante (TV interview). YouTube. Retrieved 2007-12-16. 
  54. ↑ "Red Hot Chili Peppers – Live Earth". BBC. June 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 "Fire wrecks Chili Pepper's home". BBC News. 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2008-01-27. 
  56. ↑ Orzeck, Kurt (2007-11-27). "Avril Lavigne producer Butch Walker was renting Flea's Malibu house; he 'lost everything'". MTV.ca news. Retrieved 2007-11-27. 
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 Wells, Annie (September 23, 2008). "Flea, USC freshman, talks about his upcoming solo record". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2008-09-29. 
  58. ↑ Prince, David J. (September 29, 2009). "Radiohead's Thom Yorke Enlists Flea, Godrich For Solo Live Gigs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2009-10-01. 
  59. ↑ Powers, Ann (October 5, 2009). "Live review: Thom Yorke at the Orpheum Theatre". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-10-05. 
  60. ↑ Vallejos, Tamara (February 25, 2010). "Thom Yorke's Supergroup Touring in April". Spin. Retrieved 2010-02-25. 
  61. ↑ Montgomery, James (31 August 2011). "Red Hot Chili Peppers Say Josh Klinghoffer Was 'The Only Choice'". MTV.com. Retrieved 20 November 2011. 
  62. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "I'm with You – Red Hot Chili Peppers". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 November 2011. 
  63. ↑ "Flea 's Charitable Life on Crowdrise". Crowdrise.com. 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  64. ↑ Savin, Monique (15 March 2011). "Flea Rocks LA Marathon". Runner's World. Retrieved 20 November 2011. 
  65. ↑ "The Who | John Entwistle Named Best Bassist". Contactmusic. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  66. ↑ "Ronnie & Flea". Ronnie Wood Radio. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  67. ↑ http://twitter.com/#!/flea333
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  97. ↑ Apter, 2004. p. 276
  98. ↑ "Trailer for SXSW's Bob and the Monster". Screencrave.com. 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  99. ↑ Fernandez, Jay A. (2011-05-15). "Oscilloscope, Showtime Acquire Rights to 'The Other F Word' Documentary". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  100. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1864405/

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