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Flea (musician)

February 15, 2024

Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16, 1962), known professionally as Flea, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He is a founding member and bassist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and, along with vocalist Anthony Kiedis, the only member to appear on every one of the band's albums.

Flea
Flea performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2016
Background information
Birth nameMichael Peter Balzary
Also known as
  • Mikey B the Flea
Born (1962-10-16) October 16, 1962 (age 61)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • actor
Instrument(s)
  • Bass
  • trumpet
  • keyboards
  • vocals
Years active1982–present
Labels
Member ofRed Hot Chili Peppers
Formerly of

Flea was born in Melbourne, Australia; his family moved to Rye, New York when he was four. After his parents divorced, Flea spent his childhood in the United States and Australia, before settling in California. In high school, he befriended singer Anthony Kiedis with whom he formed the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1983. Flea is also a member of the supergroups Atoms for Peace, Antemasque, Pigface, and Rocket Juice & the Moon, and has played with acts including The Mars Volta, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Alanis Morissette, Young MC, Nirvana, What Is This?, Fear, and Jane's Addiction.

Flea incorporates elements of funk (including prominent slap bass), psychedelia, punk, and hard rock in his playing. In 2009, Rolling Stone readers ranked Flea the second-best bassist of all time, behind John Entwistle.[1] In 2012, he and the other members of Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[2] Since 1984, Flea has acted in films and television series such as Suburbia, Back to the Future Part II and Part III, My Own Private Idaho, The Chase, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Dudes, Son in Law, The Big Lebowski, Low Down, Baby Driver, Boy Erased, The Wild Thornberrys, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Babylon.

Flea is the co-founder of Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit organization founded in 2001 for underprivileged children. In 2019, he published a memoir of his early life, Acid for the Children.

Early life edit

Michael Peter Balzary was born on October 16, 1962, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is of partial Hungarian and Irish descent. His father, Mick Balzary, an avid fisherman, often took him fishing.[3] When Flea was four, his family moved to Rye, New York, for his father's career. In 1971, his parents divorced, and his father returned to Australia. Flea returned to Australia to spend time with his father, completing three years of school in the national capital Canberra. Flea and his sister Karyn stayed with their mother Patricia, who subsequently married jazz musician Walter Urban (1941–2011).[4]

Flea's stepfather frequently invited musicians to his house for jam sessions. The family moved to Los Angeles, California, where Flea became fascinated by the trumpet.[5][6] He had no interest in rock music at the time, instead idolizing jazz musicians like Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie.[5] Flea described his childhood home as violent; his stepfather was an aggressive alcoholic who eventually became involved in shootouts with police. Flea 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]

He was first called "Flea" as a teenager for his seeming inability to sit still, and the nickname stuck.[9] Nicknamed Mike B. the Flea, he attended Fairfax High School, and was something 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.[10] 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."[11]

Flea was introduced to rock music by Hillel Slovak, and particularly punk rock by Kiedis. Flea learned to play bass from Slovak, who shortly after asked him to be a bassist in his band, Anthym. Flea soon developed his own style and joined the group, but quit several months later 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 Kiedis and Jack Irons, all of them at the time inspired by the free funk band Defunkt and the hip hop act Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.[12]

Career edit

Early Red Hot Chili Peppers albums (1984–1987) edit

The band changed its name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, playing several shows at L.A. venues.[13] Their repertoire grew to nine songs as a result of months of playing at local nightclubs and bars.[14] 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.[15] Irons and Slovak, however, decided to leave the Red Hot Chili Peppers in order to pursue a "more serious" future with the rock band What Is This?.[16] 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 Irons' and Slovak's place, respectively.[16] 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.[17] Flea himself felt that the album was stiff and "a big mistake", but also admitted, "we [he and Kiedis] were just disrespectful and obnoxious".[18] The band's debut album, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, was released on August 10, 1984, to largely poor critical and commercial review.[19] 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.[20]

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".[21] 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.[18] Flea was somewhat indifferent to the poor album sales as he had recently proposed to girlfriend Loesha Zeviar, who was pregnant with their child.[22] The band hired Michael Beinhorn, their last resort among potential producers, to work on their next album.[23] 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".[23] Kiedis became dependent on heroin, leaving Flea and Slovak to work on much of the album's material by themselves.

Kiedis was briefly kicked out of the band and given a month to rehabilitate. Kiedis completed the rehab and returned with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles to record their third album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987).[23] Flea has referred to the album as "the 'rockingest' record" the band has ever made.[23] 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.[24] Following the Uplift tour, Slovak's drug use dramatically increased. Flea's relationship with Slovak faded, and Slovak became isolated and depressed.[18] 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."[18] Irons, who was taking Slovak's death particularly hard, left the group.[15]

Flea and Kiedis took some time to collect themselves, but they kept 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.[25] Peligro, the former drummer of the punk rock band Dead Kennedys, was a friend of John Frusciante, an 18-year-old guitarist and avid Red Hot Chili Peppers fan.[26] Peligro introduced Frusciante to Flea, and the trio jammed together on several occasions.[27] 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.[28] McKnight was fired, and Frusciante accepted an invitation to join the band.[25] Peligro was fired shortly thereafter; the Chili Peppers brought in drummer Chad Smith as his replacement.[29]

Mainstream success and side projects (1989–1998) edit

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.[27] 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 52 on the Billboard 200.[24] After this, Flea made appearances playing the trumpet on Jane's Addiction's 1988 album Nothing's Shocking,[30] 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.[31]

 
Flea (right) and Anthony Kiedis in Amsterdam, 1989

The Mother's Milk Tour put further strain on Flea's marriage. In order to make money, he needed to tour, and therefore spent time away from his family.[32] Furthermore, he and Smith were arrested on charges of battery and sexual harassment after a performance on MTV's coverage of spring break;[18] charges were eventually dropped.[32] The band was, however, attracting over three thousand people per show; Mother's Milk had been certified as a gold record in early 1990.[33][34] By the time Red Hot Chili Peppers returned to Los Angeles, Flea and Loesha agreed to a separation.[32] 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.[32]

When the successful Mother's Milk tour was over, the Red Hot Chili Peppers severed ties with EMI and signed instead with Warner Bros. Records.[35] Rick Rubin, who had rejected an opportunity to produce The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, agreed to produce their next album.[36] 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.[37] 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.[36] 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.[36] The emotions Flea felt during the album's recording were like nothing he had ever experienced:[18]

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 extremely positive critical response. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 200, and went on to sell over 7,000,000 copies in the U.S. alone.[20][24] The album's ensuing tour was critically acclaimed—the Chili Peppers commonly performed shows with over 20,000 in attendance.[38] Seattle-based grunge band Nirvana also toured with them during the West Coast leg of their United States tour.[38] 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,[39] replaced temporarily by Arik Marshall.

Following the tour in 1993, Flea was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and was ordered to rest for a year.[40] 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 and outro to "Deep Kick". Flea also wrote the entire lyric to a song, "Pea", in which he both played bass and sang.[41] 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.[20] 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 he discussed quitting the band.[42] Flea began to practice Transcendental Meditation[43][44] and yoga, and slowly decreased his marijuana consumption.[42] 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."[42]

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.[42] 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 (with Navarro) 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.[45] 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."[46] Frusciante had completed drug rehabilitation in 1997 after a severe addiction to heroin and crack cocaine left him on the brink of death.[47] Flea visited Frusciante in early 1998, inviting him back to the Chili Peppers; an emotional Frusciante readily accepted.[48]

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

With Frusciante back on guitar, the band began writing new songs during the summer of 1998 in Flea's garage.[18] He and Kiedis were less confident in writing the album after the disappointing results of One Hot Minute.[18] Flea had also recently broken up with his girlfriend of two years, Marissa Pouw, causing him to enter a state of depression[49] which was only lifted when his daughter, Clara who was 10 years old, comforted him after several weeks of crying.[18]

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.[49] 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.[18] 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.[49]

Red Hot Chili Peppers spent most of 2001 writing their eighth studio album, By the Way (2002). The band began listening to more melodic, textured music, that would reflect heavily on the album.[18] Frusciante became the driving force behind By the Way, causing initial strife between him and Flea.[49] 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.[49] By the Way was released on July 9, 2002, to positive reviews, and went on to sell over nine million copies worldwide.[50] The ensuing tour 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 US$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]

Return to school, Atoms for Peace, and Rocket Juice & the Moon (2008–2011) edit

 
Flea performing with Atoms for Peace in 2013

After the Chili Peppers announced a long hiatus due to exhaustion, Flea enrolled in music classes at the University of Southern California, where he studied music theory, composition and jazz trumpet. Flea attributed his interest 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 said he planned to release a mainly instrumental solo record, recorded in his home; guest musicians would include Patti Smith and a choir from the Silverlake Conservatory.[57]

In 2009, Flea joined Atoms for Peace, a supergroup formed by the Radiohead singer Thom Yorke to perform songs from Yorke's debut solo album, The Eraser (2006).[58] Flea and the band recreated Yorke's electronic music with live instrumentation.[59] They toured the United States in 2010,[60][61] and released an album, Amok, in 2013.[59] Amok was followed that year by a tour of Europe, the US and Japan.[62]

The Chili Peppers ended their hiatus in October 2009 without Frusciante, who quit the band to pursue other musical interests. He was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer.[63][64] The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their tenth studio album, I'm with You, on August 29, 2011. Also that year, Flea played bass on two songs on Tom Waits' album Bad as Me, released on October 21.[65] On October 27, 2011, it was announced that Flea's project with Damon Albarn and afrobeat drummer Tony Allen would be called Rocket Juice & the Moon.[66] The band made their live debut on October 29, 2011, in London,[66] and released an album on March 12, 2012.[67]

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Helen Burns, and The Getaway (2012–2017) edit

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2012. 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."[68]

 
Flea performing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012

On July 19, 2012, Flea released a solo EP, 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. It is Flea's first solo release, 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 download of the EP is available at "a name your own price" on the Silverlake Conservatory website and was made available through all major digital outlets on August 9, 2012.[69]

On October 16, 2012, his 50th birthday, Flea gave an interview with CNN discussing the Chili Peppers and was asked if he plans to continue with them. 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."[70]

On April 9, 2014, it was revealed that Flea was working on a new musical project, the band Antemasque, with former Mars Volta members Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodríguez-López, and Dave Elitch. Two songs were released in early April though Flea has confirmed that he is not a member of the band and just recorded a few songs with them.[71][72] Antemasque released their self-titled debut album on July 15, 2014.

Flea occasionally performs a bass rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner before games of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly called Staples Center), in a similar manner as Jimi Hendrix. His most famous rendition was before NBA superstar Kobe Bryant's final game against the Utah Jazz, on April 13, 2016.[73]

The Chili Peppers released their eleventh studio album, The Getaway, on June 17, 2016. The band embarked on a 151-date world tour which concluded in October 2017.

Gang of Four tribute, Unlimited Love, Return of the Dream Canteen, and Bonfire of Teenagers (2019-present) edit

 
Flea performing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2022

In December 2019, the Red Hot Chili Peppers announced that guitarist John Frusciante would be returning to replace Josh Klinghoffer. The band will focus on making a new album, which they hope to have released in 2020, along with performing on a few festival dates.[74]

Since the summer of 2020, the Chili Peppers have been working on their twelfth studio album however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been delays in the writing and recording along with their 2020 tour dates being postponed until 2021.

In January 2021 it was announced that Flea and John Frusciante contributed a cover of "Not Great Men" to the upcoming tribute album to Gang of Four titled The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four. The double album was released on June 4, 2021.[75]

In October 2021, the Chili Peppers announced the dates for their 2022 world tour that began in June 2022 and will conclude in July 2023. The tour includes the band's first-ever headlining stadium shows in the United States[76] in support of their twelfth and thirteenth studio albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, which were respectively released on April 1 and October 14, 2022.

Flea along with Josh Klinghoffer and Chad Smith collaborated with Morrissey on his upcoming album Bonfire of Teenagers, which was supposed to be released in February 2023, but in December 2022 it was announced that its future is in limbo, as Capitol Records has decided not to release it.[77][78]

Film and television edit

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 Douglas J. 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", saying that he was happy neither with the film nor his performance in it.[79]

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 (1998) as a "Hippie", in The Big Lebowski (1998) as a German nihilist,[80] and the 1998 remake of Psycho. He has also lent his voice to the Nickelodeon animated series The Wild Thornberrys as the character Donnie.[81] In 1992, Flea and the other Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared as themselves in the animated comedy The Simpsons on the episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled".[citation needed]

In 2011, Flea appeared in the documentary, Bob and the Monster. The film details the life of musician and drug counselor Bob Forrest.[82]

Flea appears 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.[83]

Flea made his return to acting and co-starred in the 2014 film Low Down, which is based on the life of jazz pianist Joe Albany. Flea along with Anthony Kiedis executive-produced the film, which stars John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, and Peter Dinklage. The film had a successful debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014 and opened in limited release in October 2014. It was released in March 2015 on DVD.[84] This marked his first acting role in 14 years. The film was directed by Jeff Preiss, who previously worked with Flea on the 1988 documentary Let's Get Lost.[85] In 2015, he provided the voice of the "mind cop" Jake in the Pixar film Inside Out.

In 2015, Flea appeared as himself in the Amazon Prime series Highston.[86] It was announced in 2017 that Amazon Prime had cancelled plans for a full series of the show.[87]

Flea plays Eddie No-Nose in Edgar Wright's action feature film Baby Driver (2017).[88] That same year he had a cameo appearance during the fifteenth season of the FOX animated television series Family Guy in an episode titled "Peter's Def Jam". In a scene where Stewie Griffin said to his dog Brian Griffin that thanks to him, there's a recurring flea problem in Stewie's room, Flea enters and plays a bass line. He asks Brian if he wants to hang out, but Stewie kicks Flea out of the room.[89]

Flea co-stars with Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe in the 2018 film Boy Erased.[90]

On February 16, 2018, Flea took part in the 2018 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on a team led by Canadian musician Justin Bieber.[91]

In August 2020, Flea was featured playing bass on multiple tracks on the new Bright Eyes studio album Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was.[92]

On June 2, 2021, it was announced that Flea will star alongside Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Samara Weaving in the 2022 film, Babylon, which was directed by Damien Chazelle. This film is set in the late 1920s during the movie industry's transition from silent films to talkies and explores the rise and fall of multiple characters. The movie has been described as "The Great Gatsby on steroids." The movie was released on December 23, 2022.[93]

Flea appears in the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series, aired on May 27, 2022. The series is directed by Deborah Chow who directed the 2022 music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers single, "Black Summer".[94]

Personal life edit

Flea has been married two times and has three children. From 1988 to 1990, Flea was married to Canadian Loesha Zeviar (Loesha's name remains tattooed on Flea's chest). Their daughter, Clara Louise Zeviar Balzary, was born in 1988. Clara was featured in the band's Funky Monks documentary. She also has appeared at many shows and, as a child, provided artwork for the band's T-shirts and promotional material.[95] 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[96] and is also an aspiring artist and photographer, taking the promotional photographs for The Getaway.[97][98] In 2005, Flea was engaged to model Frankie Rayder, who was once named GQ magazine's sexiest woman in the world. The couple never married, however they had a child together, Sunny Bebop Balzary, who was born on October 26, 2005.[99][100] The song "Hard to Concentrate" on the Chili Peppers' 2006 album, Stadium Arcadium, was written by Kiedis as a wedding proposal to Flea and Rayder.[101][102] Flea and Rayder since split up. In 2019, Flea got married for a second time when he married fashion designer Melody Ehsani. Flea said of Ehsani, "My life has changed forever and I am eternally humble and grateful. The person who sees all of me and knows who I am. My wife @melodyehsani."[103] On July 31, 2022, Ehsani announced on her Instagram page that she was pregnant.[104] On December 12, 2022, Ehsani gave birth to their first child together, a son, Darius Booker Balzary.[105]

On October 30, 1993, Flea was playing at The Viper Room with the band P when his close friend River Phoenix was outside the venue having seizures as the result of an overdose. When this news filtered through the club, Flea rushed outside and accompanied Phoenix in the ambulance that took him to Cedars-Sinai Hospital.[106] In August 2020, Flea appeared on two unreleased songs from Phoenix's band Aleka's Attic to mark what would have been his 50th birthday.[107]

As an adult, Flea became a U.S. citizen. In a 2000 interview, he stated his intention to eventually retire to his native Australia.[108] Flea appeared in the 2011 documentary The Other F Word, where he discussed the joys of being a father. "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."[109]

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 wanted to take two years away to 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 [he] 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."[110]

In February 2015, Flea posted photos to his Instagram page showing that he had broken his arm during a skiing trip. His injury delayed the recording of the Chili Peppers' eleventh studio album for six months with production expected to resume in mid-August according to Flea, who said on August 3 that he was healed enough to play bass again and continue recording.[111]

In February 2018, Flea released an op-ed through Time magazine about the opioid crisis as well as his own personal history of drug addiction about which for most of his career he had been very private. Flea hoped that by exposing his past issues with substance abuse that his stories could possibly help others battling their own addictions and raise more awareness on the need for those in the medical community and the government to help those in need. "I've been around substance abuse since the day I was born. All the adults in my life regularly numbed themselves to ease their troubles, and alcohol or drugs were everywhere, always. I started smoking weed when I was eleven, and then proceeded to snort, shoot, pop, smoke, drop and dragon chase my way through my teens and twenties," Flea said. Flea finally kicked his addictions in 1993; however, he revealed that in 2014 when he broke his arm in a snowboard accident he nearly had setbacks due to oxycontin that his doctor prescribed for him: "My doctor put me back together perfectly, and thanks to him I can still play bass with all my heart. But he also gave me two-month supply of Oxycontin. The bottle said to take four each day. I was high as hell when I took those things. It not only quelled my physical pain, but all my emotions as well. I only took one a day, but I was not present for my kids, my creative spirit went into decline and I became depressed. I stopped taking them after a month, but I could have easily gotten another refill. Addiction is a cruel disease, and the medical community, together with the government, should offer help to all of those who need it."[112]

In a June 2023 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Flea discussed his views on religion saying "Yeah, I'm a praying guy. I pray in the morning when I get up, when I go to bed, when I eat. And when I do an interview, I'll just stop for a second — like, let me get out of the way and let go of everything." When asked who he was praying to Flea replied that he was praying "To God. I'm not religious in any way, but I kind of believe in God. And I try to live a life that honors my idea of what God is — like a divine energy." Flea said when he turned 30 he was living a crazy life and got really sick with chronic fatigue due to non-stop partying and drugs and it was through the discovery of a self-help book by Jon Kabat-Zinn that led him down this path.[113]

Sports edit

Flea is a devout fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Rams, and most notably the Los Angeles Lakers. Flea has held Lakers season tickets since 1988 and can often be spotted sitting courtside at Lakers games with some of his bandmates.[114] Two songs recorded for the 1989 album Mother's Milk were tribute songs to Hall-of-Fame Lakers players Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[115] Flea performed the national anthem on April 13, 2016, in honor of Kobe Bryant's final game with the team before his retirement.[116][117] Following the Rams' return to Los Angeles in 2016, Flea and the Chili Peppers performed an impromptu pregame show for fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[118][119][120] Upon the team's return to Los Angeles, Flea and Chad Smith have both owned season tickets since 2016.[121]

He is also known to be a fan of English football team Sheffield United.[122]

Sexual assault edit

In 1990, Flea was arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida and charged with battery, disorderly conduct, and solicitation to commit an unnatural and lascivious act, and Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith was charged with battery, after the two were accused of "attacking a woman" in the audience of one of their performances;[needs update][123] as reported by a ranger from Volusia County,

Balzary and Smith jumped into the crowd. / Balzary picked up the woman and began to spin her around on his shoulders, while Smith pulled her bathing suit to one side and began to slap her bottom... / [Unnamed officials also] said Balzary got on top of the woman, asked her to perform a sex act, then began to simulate the act.[123]

The woman "apparently was picked from the audience at random", and "[a]fter [she] cried for help, the band was escorted away."[123] According to the same ranger, the victim "signed a complaint against the band members" (which resulted in the charges filed).[123][needs update]

Activism and philanthropy edit

Flea and the Chili Peppers appeared in 1992 PSA ads for Rock the Vote, a non-profit organization created to encourage 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

The Chili Peppers were invited by the Beastie Boys and the Milarepa Fund to perform at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in June 1996 in San Francisco. They also performed at the June 1998 Washington, D.C. concert. The concerts, which were held worldwide, were to support the cause of Tibetan independence.[124]

In 2001, Flea co-founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music with his childhood friend Tree.[125] The school is dedicated to help youth progress in music.[126] Flea said he wanted to "fill the void" created by the lack of public funding for school music departments: "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."[126]

In September 2005, the Chili Peppers performed "Under the Bridge" at the ReAct Now: Music & Relief benefit which was held to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. $30 million was raised during the live event which was broadcast across the world on various television networks and online.

In October 2008, Flea (along with his daughter Sunny Bebop) appeared in a Vote for Change ad voicing his support for Barack Obama for president of the United States in the upcoming election.[127]

On March 20, 2011, Flea ran the Los Angeles Marathon to raise money for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music through Crowdrise.[128] Flea was also featured in Runner's World magazine discussing his preparation for the race.[129]

The Chili Peppers performed a free concert in downtown Cleveland on April 15, 2012, in support of President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

On May 11, 2013, the Chili Peppers performed a special concert in Portland, Oregon, for the Dalai Lama as part of the Dalai Lama Environmental Summit. According to the press release, "The musical element of this event is intended to be a display of joyful celebration and an inspiration to future generations to care for our planet. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been great supporters of the Tibetan cause, of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and of the need to work to protect and preserve our environment."

On August 19, 2014, Flea took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge.[130]

In May 2015, Flea reached out to fans to help donate to the Special Olympics. Two fans will be selected to be flown out to meet Flea for private bass lessons. Other prizes such an exclusive T-shirts, personalized video from Flea, tickets to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert and various autographed items by Flea are available.[131]

Flea took to his Facebook page in anger speaking out about the May 19, 2015, Santa Barbara oil spill that pumped 100,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean. Flea was at the beach with his young daughter when she stepped in a tar ball. Flea wrote "Dear plains all American pipeline, my daughter just dared step on the beach for a few minutes where we live about 75 miles from the Santa Barbara oil spill you caused. She got your oil shit product all over her feet." Flea stated he can no longer surf there or take his daughter to the beach further saying "Some kid in the hood who made a mistake selling drugs will go to jail and have his life ruined but you, you evil lying scumbags will get away with a paltry fine that means nothing to you. You could have had a shut off valve but you saved cash there too. You are the worst kind of human beings, I am infuriated you disgust me."[132]

Flea has been outspoken towards guns and gun violence, sometimes speaking about it during Chili Peppers shows. He often expresses his anger on Twitter. In 2013, he said, "Why anyone would ever want to own an automatic weapon I will never ever understand. It's a pathetic, useless concept for sick people. Automatic, semi automatic, I don't care. I'm against em........ Melt em all down, turn em into sculptures; there is no need for them on earth. In many countries, the cops have no guns and they do perfectly fine. No civilians should be allowed to have guns. none. And I don't think the cops should have guns either. Change the constitution".[133] Following the racially motivated Charleston church shooting in June 2015, Flea again voiced his anger towards gun violence, saying: "You are kidding me. This is too much. Humans are an over rated species. Sick. God help us." and "The USA land where any sick madman can easily get a gun. disgusting, deplorable, unbelievable."[134]

In August 2015, Flea added an apiary in his backyard which includes three beehives with approximately 60,000 bees each—over 200,000 bees total—in his backyard in efforts to restore the honeybee population.[135] Flea commented on his new obsession with beekeeping by saying: "Deep to the hive super organism. I love my bees. Flea's bees."[136]

On September 18, 2015, Flea and his Chili Peppers bandmates were among over 120 entertainers and celebrities to announce that they would be voting for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 election for President of the United States.[137]

The Chili Peppers performed at a fundraiser on behalf the non-profit organisation San Diego Foundation on September 27, 2015. All money was donated to ARTS — A Reason To Survive, Heartbeat Music Academy, San Diego Young Artists Music Academy, and Flea's Silverlake Conservatory of Music. Flea and bandmate Anthony Kiedis host an annual benefit for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. In October 2015, the event was limited to 300 tickets at $2,500 each. The Chili Peppers performed an acoustic set, and John Legend headlined.

Flea performed in the Pathway to Paris concert in December 2015. The all-star event aimed to raise awareness about the urgency of climate action and coincided with the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.[138]

In February 2016, the Chili Peppers performed at a "Feel the Bern" fundraiser in support of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Flea said, "Bernie Sanders is the only remotely reasonable candidate for President of the United States."[139]

In August 2016, Flea paid a visit to see Koko the gorilla and to also raise awareness for The Gorilla Foundation. The foundation said of Flea's visit "One of Koko's favorite musicians, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers came to visit. Koko was thrilled by the mellow sounds and a jamming session followed with Koko strumming on Flea's bass!"[140][141]

Flea has been vocal about climate change. He stated in January 2019, "the destructive effects of climate change are ongoing and will be difficult for us human beings to deal with." Days later the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at a benefit concert for victims of recent deadly Woolsey Fire in California which killed four people and destroyed over 1,500 homes. The fires even halted the recording for the Chili Peppers' twelfth album.[142]

On April 26, 2020, Flea performed during "The Pathway to Paris Earth Day 50: A Virtual Festival", a livestream event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The festival streamed on an Instagram page.[143]

Flea joined Brad Pitt during the COVID-19 pandemic to help contribute to a community food giveaway for the people of Watts, Los Angeles on July 31, 2020. "The community gives back to me. I like being a part of it, I like building bridges, I like making friends. When corona hit and I was sitting around and going to the beach and stuff, I did a lot of thinking about people who really might be struggling because they're not getting enough to eat and not making money during COVID times," Flea said.[144]

Acid for the Children edit

In April 2014, Flea began writing his memoir. The original scope of the book was to chronicle Flea's unconventional childhood (including his move from a "normal" life in the New York suburbs to a "bohemian" lifestyle in Los Angeles with his jazz-playing stepfather), his adventures in the L.A. streets, his "sometimes complex friendship and collaboration" with Chili Peppers co-founder Anthony Kiedis and the overall "tumultuous creative journey" of the band, which formed in 1983.[145]

In February 2018, it was announced that Flea's long-awaited memoir, Acid for the Children, would be released on September 25, 2018; however, a few months later the release date was pushed back to November 27, 2018.[146] On September 27, 2018, Flea announced on Twitter that his book has been postponed until 2019 saying "Dear everybody, Due to some scheduling conflicts, the release of my memoir has been delayed until next year. Will have a date as soon as possible. Sorry about any inconveniences.sincerely, flea.[147]

Flea also confirmed that unlike previously mentioned four years earlier, the book would focus exclusively on his life before the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "It's my great hope that it could be a book that could live beyond being a celebrity book or a rock star book and just stand on its own as a piece of literature," Flea says of Acid for the Children, which he describes not as a memoir, but as an origin story: "It ends where the Red Hot Chili Peppers begins."[148]

Instruments and sound edit

Basses edit

  •  
    1961 Jazz
  •  
    Precision
  •  
    Spector NS-2

Flea has employed a wide variety of basses over his career with some varying exclusivity, such as Music Man, Modulus, his own brand Fleabass, and Fender Jazz and Precisions.[149]

Currently, his main stage bass is a Custom Shop Fender Jazz Bass, modified with a Modulus Lane Poor pickup and Aguilar OBP-1 preamp, identical to the Modulus basses he previously used.[150] Fender has released this bass for sale as the Flea Signature Active Jazz Bass (no longer in production as of 2020),[151] in addition to a signature instrument modeled after his 1961 Fender Jazz Bass (which has been his primary studio bass since 2006);[152] Flea treasures his 1961 Jazz Bass for its "old wood sound".[153]

According to the Flea Bass Rig (Part 1)[154] video he used the following over the years in order of appearance.

  • Music Man Cutlass 1 (No longer in production)
  • Fender Precision Bass (In black seen live in 1989)
  • Spector NS-2 with 2 jazz pickups (Seen in "Fight Like A Brave")
  • Spector NS-2 (Seen in "Taste The Pain")
  • Teisco Del Ray NB-4 (Used in the video for "Higher Ground", not used to record)
  • Wal Mk 2 (Seen in "Suck My Kiss")
  • Music Man Stingray 4 (Seen in "Aeroplane")
  • Music Man Stingray 5 string (Seen in "Under The Bridge")
  • Alembic Epic 4 (Seen in "My Friends")
  • Modulus signature basses (see below)
  • 1961 Fender Jazz Bass (Pre CBS)
  • Fleabass (Flea's own brand of bass from his business that was active from 2009 to 2011)

Signature Modulus Flea Bass edit

  •  
    Red, White, and Blue
  •  
    Sunburst
  •  
    Black
  •  
    Aboriginal pattern

Flea toured the Californication, 2001, By The Way, Roll on the Red, Stadium Arcadium, I'm With You, and 2013–2014 tours with his signature Modulus Flea basses (later renamed Modulus Funk Unlimited after the endorsement). Available in 4- and 5-string versions, Flea was seen with several designs over this time.

Fleabass (Multi-Coloured Deluxe Spin Basses) edit

  •  
    Black and White
  •  
    Orange and Yellow

In 2009, Flea founded the Fleabass company with the goal to create quality budget basses for beginners. Whilst Flea did not perform with his own Fleabass production model he did however use a custom model created by UK artist Damien Hirst.

Damien actually made me a bass, a butterfly bass, it's a beautiful thing. It's not just a piece of art to hang on a wall. The whole new album I play on it. This bass is kind of heavy for live—I don't play Fenders that much live—but it's beautiful.[157]

The custom Fleabass was built with Lane Poor active pickups, Graphite neck, and 18-volt Aguliar OBP-1 preamp. It can be seen in the music videos for The Getaway album.

Fifty of these basses were created. They were auctioned for Flea's Silverlake Conservatory of Music, with a list price of £50,000.

Fender Custom Shop edit

  •  
    Silver
  •  
    Road-worn Pink
  •  
    Purple
  •  
    Brown

In The Getaway and 2022-2023 Global Stadium tours, Flea uses four Custom Shop Fender Jazz basses.

  • Silver (Sticker of the Helmets on the body)
  • Road-worn Pink (in E♭ tuning for Black Summer)[158]
  • Purple (with Lakers decal on the body; in Drop D tuning for By the Way)[159]
  • Brown (with a "SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FREAK" sticker on the body)[160]

These basses have a Jazz Bass style body, Lane Poor Legacy pickup, 18-volt Aguilar OBP-1 preamp, and a 22-fret graphite-reinforced neck created by Fender Custom Shop master builder Jason Smith. The Silver Jazz is Fleas' current main tour bass, replacing his Modulus basses in the process.

Atoms for Peace Basses edit

According to thekingofgear.com, Flea uses the following basses in the Atoms for Peace concerts aside from his 1961 Jazz.:[161]

Effects edit

Throughout his career, Flea uses these effects units:

Amplifiers and cabinets edit

  •  
    2019
  •  
    2023

According to the Flea Bass Rig (Part 2)[165] video he used the following amps and cabs over the years in order of appearance.

1983-1989 edit

1989-1995 edit

1995-2011, 2012-2021 edit

  • Gallien-Krueger 2001RB
  • Gallien-Krueger 410 RBH
  • Gallien-Krueger 115 RBH

2011 (I'm with You World Tour) edit

2021-present edit

In the recording of Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen (both released in 2022), he used the following amps:[166]

In the 2022-2023 Global Stadium Tour, he used Ampeg SVTs.[167]

Musical style edit

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 wrote 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".[168] 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."[15] 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."[153]

Technique edit

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

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[153]

Flea's bass playing has changed considerably throughout the years. When he joined Fear, his technique centered largely on punk rock bass lines;[169] 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.[16] However, this technique caused Flea to receive attention from the music world and was often copied, and he, therefore, felt it necessary to almost 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 less of his signature technique and more styles that focused on traditional and melodic roots.[170] 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."[170]

During the writing and recording of One Hot Minute (1995), Flea integrated some use of slap-bass progressions, but continued to apply the philosophy of "less is more" to his technique rather than courting 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."[170] 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."[170]

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."[49] He ultimately decided against this, acknowledging that, aside from Frusciante, the band was not moving in the same direction.[49]

In By the Way (2002), many 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."[171]

Influences edit

Flea's stepfather was in a bebop jazz band that frequently jammed in his presence, so he soon became fascinated with the trumpet.[6][15][18] 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, David Bowie, and Defunkt.[11][18] 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."[153] 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.[124] 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.[172]

Recognition and legacy edit

Regarded as one of the best rock bass players of all time, in 2009, Rolling Stone's readers ranked Flea the second-best bassist in their top-ten poll, ranked behind only John Entwistle of the Who and ahead of Paul McCartney of the Beatles.[1] In a 2010 poll conducted on the BBC Two series I'm in a Rock 'n' Roll Band!, Flea was named the bassist in the ultimate fantasy band alongside Freddie Mercury on vocals, Jimi Hendrix on guitar and John Bonham on drums.[173]

In April 2011, Flea finished second in an online poll conducted by Contact Music to name the best bass guitarist in rock music. He came second to the late John Entwistle. Rounding out the top five were Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee of Rush and Les Claypool of Primus.[174]

Filmography edit

Film edit

Year Title Role Notes
1983 The Outsiders Soc #3 Uncredited
1983 Suburbia Razzle Credited as Mike B. The Flea
1983 Nightmares Singer Credited as The Flea
1986 Thrashin' Flea Uncredited
1986 Tough Guys Red Hot Chili Peppers Member
1987 Dudes Milo
1987 Less than Zero Musician #1
1987 Stranded Jester The Alien
1988 Let's Get Lost Self Documentary
1988 The Blue Iguana Floyd
1989 Back to the Future Part II Douglas J. Needles
1990 Back to the Future Part III Douglas J. Needles
1991 My Own Private Idaho Budd
1991 Motorama Busboy
1992 Roadside Prophets Too Free Stooges
1993 Son in Law Tattoo Artist Uncredited
1994 The Chase Dale
1995 Woodstock '94 Self Documentary; credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers
1998 The Big Lebowski Nihilist #2
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Musician
1998 Psycho Bob Summerfield
1998 The Decline of Western Civilization III Self Documentary
1998 Free Tibet Self Documentary; credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers
1999 Liar's Poker Freddie
1999 Three Days Self Documentary
2000 Goodbye Casanova Silent
2002 The Wild Thornberrys Movie Donnie Thornberry (voice)
2002 Rising Low Self Documentary
2003 Rugrats Go Wild Donnie Thornberry (voice)
2005 We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen Self Documentary
2006 American Hardcore Self Documentary; credited as Richard 'Flea' Balzari
2006 Too Tough to Die: A Tribute to Johnny Ramone Self Documentary
2007 Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten Self Documentary
2008 Patti Smith: Dream of Life Self Documentary
2009 Life on the Road with Mr. and Mrs. Brown Self Documentary
2010 Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone Self Documentary
2010 The Making of Olympia Self Documentary
2011 The Other F Word Self Documentary
2011 Bob and the Monster Self - Red Hot Chili Peppers Documentary
2012 Lexicon Devil Self Documentary
2014 Low Down Hobbs
2014 Roman Holiday Chadney and Sunny Holiday Short Film
2014 Timebomb: Anti-Propaganda of the Artists at Elysian Self Short Documentary
2014 Boardwalk Hempire: The Rise and Fall of the Medical Kush Beach Club Self (voice) Documentary
2015 Inside Out Mind Worker Cop Jake (voice)
2015 Riley's First Date? Jordan's Fear (voice) Short Film
2015 Jaco Self Documentary
2017 Song to Song Flea Credited as Michael Peter Balzary
2017 Baby Driver Eddie
2017 The Public Image is Rotten Self Documentary
2018 Boy Erased Brandon
2018 Queen & Slim Mr. Shepherd
2018 Horses: Patti Smith and Her Band Self Documentary
2019 Toy Story 4 Caboom TV Announcer (voice)
2021 Arlo the Alligator Boy Ruff (voice) Netflix Original Movie
2021 The Sparks Brothers Self Documentary
2021 What Drives Us Self Documentary
2022 Babylon Bob Levine

Television edit

Year Title Role Notes
1991 The Idiot Box Mugger Episode: "Episode #1.2"
1992 The Ben Stiller Show Self Episode: "With Flea"
1993 The Simpsons Self (voice) Episode: "Krusty Gets Kancelled"
1993 Rhythm & Jam Self Television Mini Series
1994 24 Hours in Rock and Roll Self Direct-to-TV documentary
1994 Hi Octane Self Episode: "Episode #1.3"
1994 Freaks, Nerds & Weirdos Self Direct-to-TV documentary
1995 The Big Breakfast Self Episode: "October 2, 1995"; credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers
1996 Just Your Luck Johnny Direct-to-TV film
1997 Duckman Self (voice) Episode: "A Star Is Abhorred"
1998 Gen¹³ Grunge/Edward Chang (voice) Direct-to-TV film
1998 Late Night with Conan O'Brien Self - Guest Episode: "Scott Wolf/Flea/Kevin Brennan"
1998 The Lionhearts (voice) Episode: "Singin' in the Mane"
1998 South Park (Chef: Behind the Menu) Self Direct-to-TV movie
1998–2004 The Wild Thornberrys Donnie Thornberry / Tom / Additional Voices (voice) Main cast; 89 episodes
1999 Behind the Music Self 2 episodes
1999 Making the Video Self Direct-to-TV documentary
2000 MADtv Self 2 episodes
2001 The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie Donnie Thornberry (voice) Direct-to-TV film
2002 Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Self - Red Hot Chili Peppers Episode: "Episode #2.11"
2002 The Saturday Show Self Episode: "Episode: #1.57"; credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers
2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live! Self Episode: "Episode #2.69"
2005 Independent Lens Self Episode: "Parliament Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove"
2005 All We Are Saying Self Direct-to-TV documentary
2006 Dancing with the Stars Self - Red Hot Chili Peppers Episode: "Episode #4.2"
2006 Popworld Self Episode: "April 22, 2006"
2006 House Band Self Episode: "Red Hot Chili Peppers"
2006 Saturday Night Live Self Episode: "Tom Hanks/Red Hot Chili Peppers"; credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers
2006 My Shot With Self Episode: "The Virgin Music Festival"
2006 Musikprogrammet - programmet om musik Self - Red Hot Chili Peppers Direct-to-TV documentary
2007 4Real Self Episode: "4Real Haiti"
2009 P.O.V. Self Episode: "Patti Smith: Dream of Life"
2011 The Jonathan Ross Show Self Episode: "Benedict Cumberbatch, The Saturdays, Alan Carr and Red Hot Chili Peppers"; credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers
2013 The Gorburger Show Self Episode: "Flea"
2013 The Art of Punk Self Episode: "Black Flag"
2013 The Daily Show Self Episode: "Atoms for Peace"
2014 Stan Lee's Mighty 7 Roller Man (voice) Direct-to-TV film
2014 Access Sportsnet: Los Angeles Self Episode: "April 13, 2014"
2014 Larry King Now Self - Guest Episode: "Flea"
2014–2016 Sheriff Callie's Wild West The Milk Bandit (voice) 4 episodes
2015 Highston Self Episode: "Pilot"
2015 American Dad! Orderly (voice) Episode: "Stan-Dan Deliver"
2015 Feedback Kitchen with Mario Batali Self Episode: "Flea"
2015 Le grand journal de Canal+ Self Episode: "December 3, 2015"
2016 La Viola Self Episode: "July 2, 2016"
2016 Kulturjournal Self Episode: "November 14, 2016"
2016 The Late Late Show with James Corden Self - Carpool Karaoke 2 episodes
2017 All or Nothing: A Season with the Los Angeles Rams Self Amazon Prime Original Documentary
2017 Family Guy Self (voice) Episode: "Peter's Def Jam"
2019 Punk Self 3 episodes
2019 Shangri-La Self 2 episodes
2019 CBS Saturday Morning Self - Guest Episode: "November 2, 2019"
2021 I Heart Arlo Ruff (voice) 3 episodes
2022 Obi-Wan Kenobi Vect Nokru Miniseries, 2 episodes
2023 Painting with John Self TBD[175]

Video games edit

Year Title Role Notes
2000 The Wild Thornberrys: Animal Adventures Donnie Thornberry
2000 The Wild Thornberrys: Rambler Donnie Thornberry
2002 The Wild Thornberrys Movie Donnie Thornberry Based on the film of the same name

Non-Red Hot Chili Peppers music videos edit

Year Title Role Artist Notes
1985 "Sex Machine" Self James Brown
1986 "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)" Self Beastie Boys
1989 "Bust a Move" Self Young MC Uncredited
1991 "Give Peace A Chance" Self The Peace Choir
1993 "Who Was in My Room Last Night?" Bartender Butthole Surfers
1997 "Jane Says" Self Jane's Addiction
2000 "Break Stuff" Self Limp Bizkit
2006 "God's Gonna Cut You Down" Self Johnny Cash Uncredited
2014 "Ugly Boy" Self Die Antwoord

Discography edit

Red Hot Chili Peppers edit

Further information: Red Hot Chili Peppers discography

Atoms for Peace edit

Solo edit

Collaborations edit

Producer edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ It is called the "Punk Bass".[155]
  2. ^ It has "FLEA" (in a Lakers-style font) on the fingerboard.
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  13. ^ Kiedis & Sloman 2004, p. 115
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References edit

External links edit

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Flea (musician).
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flea (musician).

February 15, 2024
flea, musician, michael, peter, balzary, born, october, 1962, known, professionally, flea, australian, american, musician, actor, founding, member, bassist, rock, band, chili, peppers, along, with, vocalist, anthony, kiedis, only, member, appear, every, band, . Michael Peter Balzary born October 16 1962 known professionally as Flea is an Australian American musician and actor He is a founding member and bassist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and along with vocalist Anthony Kiedis the only member to appear on every one of the band s albums FleaFlea performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2016Background informationBirth nameMichael Peter BalzaryAlso known asMikey B the FleaBorn 1962 10 16 October 16 1962 age 61 Melbourne Victoria AustraliaGenresRock funk jazz electronicaOccupation s Musician actorInstrument s BasstrumpetkeyboardsvocalsYears active1982 presentLabelsWarner Bros EMIMember ofRed Hot Chili PeppersFormerly ofAtoms for Peace Antemasque Rocket Juice amp the Moon What Is This Fear Flea was born in Melbourne Australia his family moved to Rye New York when he was four After his parents divorced Flea spent his childhood in the United States and Australia before settling in California In high school he befriended singer Anthony Kiedis with whom he formed the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1983 Flea is also a member of the supergroups Atoms for Peace Antemasque Pigface and Rocket Juice amp the Moon and has played with acts including The Mars Volta Johnny Cash Tom Waits Alanis Morissette Young MC Nirvana What Is This Fear and Jane s Addiction Flea incorporates elements of funk including prominent slap bass psychedelia punk and hard rock in his playing In 2009 Rolling Stone readers ranked Flea the second best bassist of all time behind John Entwistle 1 In 2012 he and the other members of Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2 Since 1984 Flea has acted in films and television series such as Suburbia Back to the Future Part II and Part III My Own Private Idaho The Chase Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Dudes Son in Law The Big Lebowski Low Down Baby Driver Boy Erased The Wild Thornberrys Obi Wan Kenobi and Babylon Flea is the co founder of Silverlake Conservatory of Music a non profit organization founded in 2001 for underprivileged children In 2019 he published a memoir of his early life Acid for the Children Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Early Red Hot Chili Peppers albums 1984 1987 2 2 Mainstream success and side projects 1989 1998 2 3 Californication By the Way and Stadium Arcadium 1998 2007 2 4 Return to school Atoms for Peace and Rocket Juice amp the Moon 2008 2011 2 5 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction Helen Burns and The Getaway 2012 2017 2 6 Gang of Four tribute Unlimited Love Return of the Dream Canteen and Bonfire of Teenagers 2019 present 2 7 Film and television 3 Personal life 3 1 Sports 3 2 Sexual assault 3 3 Activism and philanthropy 3 4 Acid for the Children 4 Instruments and sound 4 1 Basses 4 1 1 Signature Modulus Flea Bass 4 1 2 Fleabass Multi Coloured Deluxe Spin Basses 4 1 3 Fender Custom Shop 4 1 4 Atoms for Peace Basses 4 2 Effects 4 3 Amplifiers and cabinets 4 3 1 1983 1989 4 3 2 1989 1995 4 3 3 1995 2011 2012 2021 4 3 4 2011 I m with You World Tour 4 3 5 2021 present 5 Musical style 5 1 Technique 5 2 Influences 6 Recognition and legacy 7 Filmography 7 1 Film 7 2 Television 7 3 Video games 7 4 Non Red Hot Chili Peppers music videos 8 Discography 8 1 Red Hot Chili Peppers 8 2 Atoms for Peace 8 3 Solo 8 4 Collaborations 8 5 Producer 9 Notes 10 References 11 External linksEarly life editMichael Peter Balzary was born on October 16 1962 in Melbourne Victoria Australia He is of partial Hungarian and Irish descent His father Mick Balzary an avid fisherman often took him fishing 3 When Flea was four his family moved to Rye New York for his father s career In 1971 his parents divorced and his father returned to Australia Flea returned to Australia to spend time with his father completing three years of school in the national capital Canberra Flea and his sister Karyn stayed with their mother Patricia who subsequently married jazz musician Walter Urban 1941 2011 4 Flea s stepfather frequently invited musicians to his house for jam sessions The family moved to Los Angeles California where Flea became fascinated by the trumpet 5 6 He had no interest in rock music at the time instead idolizing jazz musicians like Miles Davis Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie 5 Flea described his childhood home as violent his stepfather was an aggressive alcoholic who eventually became involved in shootouts with police Flea 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 He was first called Flea as a teenager for his seeming inability to sit still and the nickname stuck 9 Nicknamed Mike B the Flea he attended Fairfax High School and was something 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 10 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 11 Flea was introduced to rock music by Hillel Slovak and particularly punk rock by Kiedis Flea learned to play bass from Slovak who shortly after asked him to be a bassist in his band Anthym Flea soon developed his own style and joined the group but quit several months later 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 Kiedis and Jack Irons all of them at the time inspired by the free funk band Defunkt and the hip hop act Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five 12 Career editEarly Red Hot Chili Peppers albums 1984 1987 edit The band changed its name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing several shows at L A venues 13 Their repertoire grew to nine songs as a result of months of playing at local nightclubs and bars 14 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 15 Irons and Slovak however decided to leave the Red Hot Chili Peppers in order to pursue a more serious future with the rock band What Is This 16 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 Irons and Slovak s place respectively 16 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 17 Flea himself felt that the album was stiff and a big mistake but also admitted we he and Kiedis were just disrespectful and obnoxious 18 The band s debut album The Red Hot Chili Peppers was released on August 10 1984 to largely poor critical and commercial review 19 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 20 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 21 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 18 Flea was somewhat indifferent to the poor album sales as he had recently proposed to girlfriend Loesha Zeviar who was pregnant with their child 22 The band hired Michael Beinhorn their last resort among potential producers to work on their next album 23 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 23 Kiedis became dependent on heroin leaving Flea and Slovak to work on much of the album s material by themselves Kiedis was briefly kicked out of the band and given a month to rehabilitate Kiedis completed the rehab and returned with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles to record their third album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan 1987 23 Flea has referred to the album as the rockingest record the band has ever made 23 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 24 Following the Uplift tour Slovak s drug use dramatically increased Flea s relationship with Slovak faded and Slovak became isolated and depressed 18 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 18 Irons who was taking Slovak s death particularly hard left the group 15 Flea and Kiedis took some time to collect themselves but they kept 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 25 Peligro the former drummer of the punk rock band Dead Kennedys was a friend of John Frusciante an 18 year old guitarist and avid Red Hot Chili Peppers fan 26 Peligro introduced Frusciante to Flea and the trio jammed together on several occasions 27 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 28 McKnight was fired and Frusciante accepted an invitation to join the band 25 Peligro was fired shortly thereafter the Chili Peppers brought in drummer Chad Smith as his replacement 29 Mainstream success and side projects 1989 1998 edit 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 27 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 52 on the Billboard 200 24 After this Flea made appearances playing the trumpet on Jane s Addiction s 1988 album Nothing s Shocking 30 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 31 nbsp Flea right and Anthony Kiedis in Amsterdam 1989The Mother s Milk Tour put further strain on Flea s marriage In order to make money he needed to tour and therefore spent time away from his family 32 Furthermore he and Smith were arrested on charges of battery and sexual harassment after a performance on MTV s coverage of spring break 18 charges were eventually dropped 32 The band was however attracting over three thousand people per show Mother s Milk had been certified as a gold record in early 1990 33 34 By the time Red Hot Chili Peppers returned to Los Angeles Flea and Loesha agreed to a separation 32 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 32 When the successful Mother s Milk tour was over the Red Hot Chili Peppers severed ties with EMI and signed instead with Warner Bros Records 35 Rick Rubin who had rejected an opportunity to produce The Uplift Mofo Party Plan agreed to produce their next album 36 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 37 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 36 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 36 The emotions Flea felt during the album s recording were like nothing he had ever experienced 18 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 extremely positive critical response The album peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 200 and went on to sell over 7 000 000 copies in the U S alone 20 24 The album s ensuing tour was critically acclaimed the Chili Peppers commonly performed shows with over 20 000 in attendance 38 Seattle based grunge band Nirvana also toured with them during the West Coast leg of their United States tour 38 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 39 replaced temporarily by Arik Marshall Following the tour in 1993 Flea was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and was ordered to rest for a year 40 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 and outro to Deep Kick Flea also wrote the entire lyric to a song Pea in which he both played bass and sang 41 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 20 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 he discussed quitting the band 42 Flea began to practice Transcendental Meditation 43 44 and yoga and slowly decreased his marijuana consumption 42 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 42 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 42 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 with Navarro 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 45 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 46 Frusciante had completed drug rehabilitation in 1997 after a severe addiction to heroin and crack cocaine left him on the brink of death 47 Flea visited Frusciante in early 1998 inviting him back to the Chili Peppers an emotional Frusciante readily accepted 48 Californication By the Way and Stadium Arcadium 1998 2007 edit With Frusciante back on guitar the band began writing new songs during the summer of 1998 in Flea s garage 18 He and Kiedis were less confident in writing the album after the disappointing results of One Hot Minute 18 Flea had also recently broken up with his girlfriend of two years Marissa Pouw causing him to enter a state of depression 49 which was only lifted when his daughter Clara who was 10 years old comforted him after several weeks of crying 18 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 49 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 18 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 49 Red Hot Chili Peppers spent most of 2001 writing their eighth studio album By the Way 2002 The band began listening to more melodic textured music that would reflect heavily on the album 18 Frusciante became the driving force behind By the Way causing initial strife between him and Flea 49 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 49 By the Way was released on July 9 2002 to positive reviews and went on to sell over nine million copies worldwide 50 The ensuing tour 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 US 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 Return to school Atoms for Peace and Rocket Juice amp the Moon 2008 2011 edit nbsp Flea performing with Atoms for Peace in 2013After the Chili Peppers announced a long hiatus due to exhaustion Flea enrolled in music classes at the University of Southern California where he studied music theory composition and jazz trumpet Flea attributed his interest 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 said he planned to release a mainly instrumental solo record recorded in his home guest musicians would include Patti Smith and a choir from the Silverlake Conservatory 57 In 2009 Flea joined Atoms for Peace a supergroup formed by the Radiohead singer Thom Yorke to perform songs from Yorke s debut solo album The Eraser 2006 58 Flea and the band recreated Yorke s electronic music with live instrumentation 59 They toured the United States in 2010 60 61 and released an album Amok in 2013 59 Amok was followed that year by a tour of Europe the US and Japan 62 The Chili Peppers ended their hiatus in October 2009 without Frusciante who quit the band to pursue other musical interests He was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer 63 64 The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their tenth studio album I m with You on August 29 2011 Also that year Flea played bass on two songs on Tom Waits album Bad as Me released on October 21 65 On October 27 2011 it was announced that Flea s project with Damon Albarn and afrobeat drummer Tony Allen would be called Rocket Juice amp the Moon 66 The band made their live debut on October 29 2011 in London 66 and released an album on March 12 2012 67 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction Helen Burns and The Getaway 2012 2017 edit The Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2012 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 68 nbsp Flea performing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012On July 19 2012 Flea released a solo EP 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 It is Flea s first solo release 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 download of the EP is available at a name your own price on the Silverlake Conservatory website and was made available through all major digital outlets on August 9 2012 69 On October 16 2012 his 50th birthday Flea gave an interview with CNN discussing the Chili Peppers and was asked if he plans to continue with them 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 70 On April 9 2014 it was revealed that Flea was working on a new musical project the band Antemasque with former Mars Volta members Cedric Bixler Zavala Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Dave Elitch Two songs were released in early April though Flea has confirmed that he is not a member of the band and just recorded a few songs with them 71 72 Antemasque released their self titled debut album on July 15 2014 Flea occasionally performs a bass rendition of The Star Spangled Banner before games of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Crypto com Arena formerly called Staples Center in a similar manner as Jimi Hendrix His most famous rendition was before NBA superstar Kobe Bryant s final game against the Utah Jazz on April 13 2016 73 The Chili Peppers released their eleventh studio album The Getaway on June 17 2016 The band embarked on a 151 date world tour which concluded in October 2017 Gang of Four tribute Unlimited Love Return of the Dream Canteen and Bonfire of Teenagers 2019 present edit nbsp Flea performing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2022In December 2019 the Red Hot Chili Peppers announced that guitarist John Frusciante would be returning to replace Josh Klinghoffer The band will focus on making a new album which they hope to have released in 2020 along with performing on a few festival dates 74 Since the summer of 2020 the Chili Peppers have been working on their twelfth studio album however due to the COVID 19 pandemic there have been delays in the writing and recording along with their 2020 tour dates being postponed until 2021 In January 2021 it was announced that Flea and John Frusciante contributed a cover of Not Great Men to the upcoming tribute album to Gang of Four titled The Problem of Leisure A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four The double album was released on June 4 2021 75 In October 2021 the Chili Peppers announced the dates for their 2022 world tour that began in June 2022 and will conclude in July 2023 The tour includes the band s first ever headlining stadium shows in the United States 76 in support of their twelfth and thirteenth studio albums Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen which were respectively released on April 1 and October 14 2022 Flea along with Josh Klinghoffer and Chad Smith collaborated with Morrissey on his upcoming album Bonfire of Teenagers which was supposed to be released in February 2023 but in December 2022 it was announced that its future is in limbo as Capitol Records has decided not to release it 77 78 Film and television edit 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 Douglas J 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 saying that he was happy neither with the film nor his performance in it 79 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 1998 as a Hippie in The Big Lebowski 1998 as a German nihilist 80 and the 1998 remake of Psycho He has also lent his voice to the Nickelodeon animated series The Wild Thornberrys as the character Donnie 81 In 1992 Flea and the other Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared as themselves in the animated comedy The Simpsons on the episode Krusty Gets Kancelled citation needed In 2011 Flea appeared in the documentary Bob and the Monster The film details the life of musician and drug counselor Bob Forrest 82 Flea appears 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 83 Flea made his return to acting and co starred in the 2014 film Low Down which is based on the life of jazz pianist Joe Albany Flea along with Anthony Kiedis executive produced the film which stars John Hawkes Elle Fanning Glenn Close and Peter Dinklage The film had a successful debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014 and opened in limited release in October 2014 It was released in March 2015 on DVD 84 This marked his first acting role in 14 years The film was directed by Jeff Preiss who previously worked with Flea on the 1988 documentary Let s Get Lost 85 In 2015 he provided the voice of the mind cop Jake in the Pixar film Inside Out In 2015 Flea appeared as himself in the Amazon Prime series Highston 86 It was announced in 2017 that Amazon Prime had cancelled plans for a full series of the show 87 Flea plays Eddie No Nose in Edgar Wright s action feature film Baby Driver 2017 88 That same year he had a cameo appearance during the fifteenth season of the FOX animated television series Family Guy in an episode titled Peter s Def Jam In a scene where Stewie Griffin said to his dog Brian Griffin that thanks to him there s a recurring flea problem in Stewie s room Flea enters and plays a bass line He asks Brian if he wants to hang out but Stewie kicks Flea out of the room 89 Flea co stars with Lucas Hedges Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe in the 2018 film Boy Erased 90 On February 16 2018 Flea took part in the 2018 NBA All Star Celebrity Game on a team led by Canadian musician Justin Bieber 91 In August 2020 Flea was featured playing bass on multiple tracks on the new Bright Eyes studio album Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was 92 On June 2 2021 it was announced that Flea will star alongside Brad Pitt Margot Robbie and Samara Weaving in the 2022 film Babylon which was directed by Damien Chazelle This film is set in the late 1920s during the movie industry s transition from silent films to talkies and explores the rise and fall of multiple characters The movie has been described as The Great Gatsby on steroids The movie was released on December 23 2022 93 Flea appears in the Disney Obi Wan Kenobi series aired on May 27 2022 The series is directed by Deborah Chow who directed the 2022 music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers single Black Summer 94 Personal life editFlea has been married two times and has three children From 1988 to 1990 Flea was married to Canadian Loesha Zeviar Loesha s name remains tattooed on Flea s chest Their daughter Clara Louise Zeviar Balzary was born in 1988 Clara was featured in the band s Funky Monks documentary She also has appeared at many shows and as a child provided artwork for the band s T shirts and promotional material 95 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 96 and is also an aspiring artist and photographer taking the promotional photographs for The Getaway 97 98 In 2005 Flea was engaged to model Frankie Rayder who was once named GQ magazine s sexiest woman in the world The couple never married however they had a child together Sunny Bebop Balzary who was born on October 26 2005 99 100 The song Hard to Concentrate on the Chili Peppers 2006 album Stadium Arcadium was written by Kiedis as a wedding proposal to Flea and Rayder 101 102 Flea and Rayder since split up In 2019 Flea got married for a second time when he married fashion designer Melody Ehsani Flea said of Ehsani My life has changed forever and I am eternally humble and grateful The person who sees all of me and knows who I am My wife melodyehsani 103 On July 31 2022 Ehsani announced on her Instagram page that she was pregnant 104 On December 12 2022 Ehsani gave birth to their first child together a son Darius Booker Balzary 105 On October 30 1993 Flea was playing at The Viper Room with the band P when his close friend River Phoenix was outside the venue having seizures as the result of an overdose When this news filtered through the club Flea rushed outside and accompanied Phoenix in the ambulance that took him to Cedars Sinai Hospital 106 In August 2020 Flea appeared on two unreleased songs from Phoenix s band Aleka s Attic to mark what would have been his 50th birthday 107 As an adult Flea became a U S citizen In a 2000 interview he stated his intention to eventually retire to his native Australia 108 Flea appeared in the 2011 documentary The Other F Word where he discussed the joys of being a father 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 109 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 wanted to take two years away to 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 he 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 110 In February 2015 Flea posted photos to his Instagram page showing that he had broken his arm during a skiing trip His injury delayed the recording of the Chili Peppers eleventh studio album for six months with production expected to resume in mid August according to Flea who said on August 3 that he was healed enough to play bass again and continue recording 111 In February 2018 Flea released an op ed through Time magazine about the opioid crisis as well as his own personal history of drug addiction about which for most of his career he had been very private Flea hoped that by exposing his past issues with substance abuse that his stories could possibly help others battling their own addictions and raise more awareness on the need for those in the medical community and the government to help those in need I ve been around substance abuse since the day I was born All the adults in my life regularly numbed themselves to ease their troubles and alcohol or drugs were everywhere always I started smoking weed when I was eleven and then proceeded to snort shoot pop smoke drop and dragon chase my way through my teens and twenties Flea said Flea finally kicked his addictions in 1993 however he revealed that in 2014 when he broke his arm in a snowboard accident he nearly had setbacks due to oxycontin that his doctor prescribed for him My doctor put me back together perfectly and thanks to him I can still play bass with all my heart But he also gave me two month supply of Oxycontin The bottle said to take four each day I was high as hell when I took those things It not only quelled my physical pain but all my emotions as well I only took one a day but I was not present for my kids my creative spirit went into decline and I became depressed I stopped taking them after a month but I could have easily gotten another refill Addiction is a cruel disease and the medical community together with the government should offer help to all of those who need it 112 In a June 2023 interview with the Los Angeles Times Flea discussed his views on religion saying Yeah I m a praying guy I pray in the morning when I get up when I go to bed when I eat And when I do an interview I ll just stop for a second like let me get out of the way and let go of everything When asked who he was praying to Flea replied that he was praying To God I m not religious in any way but I kind of believe in God And I try to live a life that honors my idea of what God is like a divine energy Flea said when he turned 30 he was living a crazy life and got really sick with chronic fatigue due to non stop partying and drugs and it was through the discovery of a self help book by Jon Kabat Zinn that led him down this path 113 Sports edit Flea is a devout fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Rams and most notably the Los Angeles Lakers Flea has held Lakers season tickets since 1988 and can often be spotted sitting courtside at Lakers games with some of his bandmates 114 Two songs recorded for the 1989 album Mother s Milk were tribute songs to Hall of Fame Lakers players Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar 115 Flea performed the national anthem on April 13 2016 in honor of Kobe Bryant s final game with the team before his retirement 116 117 Following the Rams return to Los Angeles in 2016 Flea and the Chili Peppers performed an impromptu pregame show for fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 118 119 120 Upon the team s return to Los Angeles Flea and Chad Smith have both owned season tickets since 2016 121 He is also known to be a fan of English football team Sheffield United 122 Sexual assault editIn 1990 Flea was arrested in Daytona Beach Florida and charged with battery disorderly conduct and solicitation to commit an unnatural and lascivious act and Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith was charged with battery after the two were accused of attacking a woman in the audience of one of their performances needs update 123 as reported by a ranger from Volusia County Balzary and Smith jumped into the crowd Balzary picked up the woman and began to spin her around on his shoulders while Smith pulled her bathing suit to one side and began to slap her bottom Unnamed officials also said Balzary got on top of the woman asked her to perform a sex act then began to simulate the act 123 The woman apparently was picked from the audience at random and a fter she cried for help the band was escorted away 123 According to the same ranger the victim signed a complaint against the band members which resulted in the charges filed 123 needs update Activism and philanthropy edit Flea and the Chili Peppers appeared in 1992 PSA ads for Rock the Vote a non profit organization created to encourage 18 to 24 year olds in the United States to vote in the upcoming presidential election The Chili Peppers were invited by the Beastie Boys and the Milarepa Fund to perform at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in June 1996 in San Francisco They also performed at the June 1998 Washington D C concert The concerts which were held worldwide were to support the cause of Tibetan independence 124 In 2001 Flea co founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music with his childhood friend Tree 125 The school is dedicated to help youth progress in music 126 Flea said he wanted to fill the void created by the lack of public funding for school music departments 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 126 In September 2005 the Chili Peppers performed Under the Bridge at the ReAct Now Music amp Relief benefit which was held to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina 30 million was raised during the live event which was broadcast across the world on various television networks and online In October 2008 Flea along with his daughter Sunny Bebop appeared in a Vote for Change ad voicing his support for Barack Obama for president of the United States in the upcoming election 127 On March 20 2011 Flea ran the Los Angeles Marathon to raise money for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music through Crowdrise 128 Flea was also featured in Runner s World magazine discussing his preparation for the race 129 The Chili Peppers performed a free concert in downtown Cleveland on April 15 2012 in support of President Barack Obama s re election campaign On May 11 2013 the Chili Peppers performed a special concert in Portland Oregon for the Dalai Lama as part of the Dalai Lama Environmental Summit According to the press release The musical element of this event is intended to be a display of joyful celebration and an inspiration to future generations to care for our planet The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been great supporters of the Tibetan cause of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and of the need to work to protect and preserve our environment On August 19 2014 Flea took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge 130 In May 2015 Flea reached out to fans to help donate to the Special Olympics Two fans will be selected to be flown out to meet Flea for private bass lessons Other prizes such an exclusive T shirts personalized video from Flea tickets to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert and various autographed items by Flea are available 131 Flea took to his Facebook page in anger speaking out about the May 19 2015 Santa Barbara oil spill that pumped 100 000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean Flea was at the beach with his young daughter when she stepped in a tar ball Flea wrote Dear plains all American pipeline my daughter just dared step on the beach for a few minutes where we live about 75 miles from the Santa Barbara oil spill you caused She got your oil shit product all over her feet Flea stated he can no longer surf there or take his daughter to the beach further saying Some kid in the hood who made a mistake selling drugs will go to jail and have his life ruined but you you evil lying scumbags will get away with a paltry fine that means nothing to you You could have had a shut off valve but you saved cash there too You are the worst kind of human beings I am infuriated you disgust me 132 Flea has been outspoken towards guns and gun violence sometimes speaking about it during Chili Peppers shows He often expresses his anger on Twitter In 2013 he said Why anyone would ever want to own an automatic weapon I will never ever understand It s a pathetic useless concept for sick people Automatic semi automatic I don t care I m against em Melt em all down turn em into sculptures there is no need for them on earth In many countries the cops have no guns and they do perfectly fine No civilians should be allowed to have guns none And I don t think the cops should have guns either Change the constitution 133 Following the racially motivated Charleston church shooting in June 2015 Flea again voiced his anger towards gun violence saying You are kidding me This is too much Humans are an over rated species Sick God help us and The USA land where any sick madman can easily get a gun disgusting deplorable unbelievable 134 In August 2015 Flea added an apiary in his backyard which includes three beehives with approximately 60 000 bees each over 200 000 bees total in his backyard in efforts to restore the honeybee population 135 Flea commented on his new obsession with beekeeping by saying Deep to the hive super organism I love my bees Flea s bees 136 On September 18 2015 Flea and his Chili Peppers bandmates were among over 120 entertainers and celebrities to announce that they would be voting for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 election for President of the United States 137 The Chili Peppers performed at a fundraiser on behalf the non profit organisation San Diego Foundation on September 27 2015 All money was donated to ARTS A Reason To Survive Heartbeat Music Academy San Diego Young Artists Music Academy and Flea s Silverlake Conservatory of Music Flea and bandmate Anthony Kiedis host an annual benefit for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music In October 2015 the event was limited to 300 tickets at 2 500 each The Chili Peppers performed an acoustic set and John Legend headlined Flea performed in the Pathway to Paris concert in December 2015 The all star event aimed to raise awareness about the urgency of climate action and coincided with the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris 138 In February 2016 the Chili Peppers performed at a Feel the Bern fundraiser in support of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders Flea said Bernie Sanders is the only remotely reasonable candidate for President of the United States 139 In August 2016 Flea paid a visit to see Koko the gorilla and to also raise awareness for The Gorilla Foundation The foundation said of Flea s visit One of Koko s favorite musicians Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers came to visit Koko was thrilled by the mellow sounds and a jamming session followed with Koko strumming on Flea s bass 140 141 Flea has been vocal about climate change He stated in January 2019 the destructive effects of climate change are ongoing and will be difficult for us human beings to deal with Days later the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at a benefit concert for victims of recent deadly Woolsey Fire in California which killed four people and destroyed over 1 500 homes The fires even halted the recording for the Chili Peppers twelfth album 142 On April 26 2020 Flea performed during The Pathway to Paris Earth Day 50 A Virtual Festival a livestream event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day The festival streamed on an Instagram page 143 Flea joined Brad Pitt during the COVID 19 pandemic to help contribute to a community food giveaway for the people of Watts Los Angeles on July 31 2020 The community gives back to me I like being a part of it I like building bridges I like making friends When corona hit and I was sitting around and going to the beach and stuff I did a lot of thinking about people who really might be struggling because they re not getting enough to eat and not making money during COVID times Flea said 144 Acid for the Children edit In April 2014 Flea began writing his memoir The original scope of the book was to chronicle Flea s unconventional childhood including his move from a normal life in the New York suburbs to a bohemian lifestyle in Los Angeles with his jazz playing stepfather his adventures in the L A streets his sometimes complex friendship and collaboration with Chili Peppers co founder Anthony Kiedis and the overall tumultuous creative journey of the band which formed in 1983 145 In February 2018 it was announced that Flea s long awaited memoir Acid for the Children would be released on September 25 2018 however a few months later the release date was pushed back to November 27 2018 146 On September 27 2018 Flea announced on Twitter that his book has been postponed until 2019 saying Dear everybody Due to some scheduling conflicts the release of my memoir has been delayed until next year Will have a date as soon as possible Sorry about any inconveniences sincerely flea 147 Flea also confirmed that unlike previously mentioned four years earlier the book would focus exclusively on his life before the Red Hot Chili Peppers It s my great hope that it could be a book that could live beyond being a celebrity book or a rock star book and just stand on its own as a piece of literature Flea says of Acid for the Children which he describes not as a memoir but as an origin story It ends where the Red Hot Chili Peppers begins 148 Instruments and sound editThis section possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed January 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Basses edit nbsp 1961 Jazz nbsp Precision nbsp Spector NS 2 Flea has employed a wide variety of basses over his career with some varying exclusivity such as Music Man Modulus his own brand Fleabass and Fender Jazz and Precisions 149 Currently his main stage bass is a Custom Shop Fender Jazz Bass modified with a Modulus Lane Poor pickup and Aguilar OBP 1 preamp identical to the Modulus basses he previously used 150 Fender has released this bass for sale as the Flea Signature Active Jazz Bass no longer in production as of 2020 151 in addition to a signature instrument modeled after his 1961 Fender Jazz Bass which has been his primary studio bass since 2006 152 Flea treasures his 1961 Jazz Bass for its old wood sound 153 According to the Flea Bass Rig Part 1 154 video he used the following over the years in order of appearance Music Man Cutlass 1 No longer in production Fender Precision Bass In black seen live in 1989 Spector NS 2 with 2 jazz pickups Seen in Fight Like A Brave Spector NS 2 Seen in Taste The Pain Teisco Del Ray NB 4 Used in the video for Higher Ground not used to record Wal Mk 2 Seen in Suck My Kiss Music Man Stingray 4 Seen in Aeroplane Music Man Stingray 5 string Seen in Under The Bridge Alembic Epic 4 Seen in My Friends Modulus signature basses see below 1961 Fender Jazz Bass Pre CBS Fleabass Flea s own brand of bass from his business that was active from 2009 to 2011 Signature Modulus Flea Bass edit nbsp Red White and Blue nbsp Sunburst nbsp Black nbsp Aboriginal pattern Flea toured the Californication 2001 By The Way Roll on the Red Stadium Arcadium I m With You and 2013 2014 tours with his signature Modulus Flea basses later renamed Modulus Funk Unlimited after the endorsement Available in 4 and 5 string versions Flea was seen with several designs over this time Blue Sparkle seen in Off the Map Silver Sparkle seen in Live at Slane Castle Red White and Blue with punk band stickers overlayed on the body seen in Live at Slane Castle a Aboriginal pattern in Drop D tuning for By the Way 156 Australian Aboriginal Flag in E tuning for Breaking the Girl 156 Black originally in Sunburst b 156 150 Fleabass Multi Coloured Deluxe Spin Basses edit nbsp Black and White nbsp Orange and Yellow In 2009 Flea founded the Fleabass company with the goal to create quality budget basses for beginners Whilst Flea did not perform with his own Fleabass production model he did however use a custom model created by UK artist Damien Hirst Damien actually made me a bass a butterfly bass it s a beautiful thing It s not just a piece of art to hang on a wall The whole new album I play on it This bass is kind of heavy for live I don t play Fenders that much live but it s beautiful 157 The custom Fleabass was built with Lane Poor active pickups Graphite neck and 18 volt Aguliar OBP 1 preamp It can be seen in the music videos for The Getaway album Fifty of these basses were created They were auctioned for Flea s Silverlake Conservatory of Music with a list price of 50 000 Fender Custom Shop edit nbsp Silver nbsp Road worn Pink nbsp Purple nbsp Brown In The Getaway and 2022 2023 Global Stadium tours Flea uses four Custom Shop Fender Jazz basses Silver Sticker of the Helmets on the body Road worn Pink in E tuning for Black Summer 158 Purple with Lakers decal on the body in Drop D tuning for By the Way 159 Brown with a SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FREAK sticker on the body 160 These basses have a Jazz Bass style body Lane Poor Legacy pickup 18 volt Aguilar OBP 1 preamp and a 22 fret graphite reinforced neck created by Fender Custom Shop master builder Jason Smith The Silver Jazz is Fleas current main tour bass replacing his Modulus basses in the process Atoms for Peace Basses edit According to thekingofgear com Flea uses the following basses in the Atoms for Peace concerts aside from his 1961 Jazz 161 Fender Precision Sunburst Hofner 500 1Effects edit Throughout his career Flea uses these effects units BOSS ODB 3 Bass Overdrive 162 MXR Micro Amp M133 162 156 150 Electro Harmonix Q Tron 162 156 150 Dunlop 105Q Cry Baby Bass Wah 163 Malekko B assmaster 156 150 Moog Moogerfooger MF 103 12 Stage Phaser 156 Electro Harmonix Big Muff p 162 DOD FX25 Envelope Filter 164 Boss GEB 7 Bass Equalizer 150 Wilson Effects Freaker Wah 150 Radial Engineering SGI 44 150 Radial Engineering JX44 150 Amplifiers and cabinets edit nbsp 2019 nbsp 2023 According to the Flea Bass Rig Part 2 165 video he used the following amps and cabs over the years in order of appearance 1983 1989 edit Trace Elliot AH500X Trace Elliot 4x10 Ampeg VB4 Ampeg SVT 810E Peavey 8x10 unconfirmed 1989 1995 edit Mesa Boogie Buster Bass 200 Mesa Boogie D210 Mesa Boogie D215 Gallien Krueger 800RB1995 2011 2012 2021 edit Gallien Krueger 2001RB Gallien Krueger 410 RBH Gallien Krueger 115 RBH2011 I m with You World Tour edit Acoustic USA 360 Acoustic USA 3612021 present edit In the recording of Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen both released in 2022 he used the following amps 166 Ampeg Portaflex Roland JC 120In the 2022 2023 Global Stadium Tour he used Ampeg SVTs 167 Musical style editFlea 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 wrote 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 168 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 15 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 153 Technique edit nbsp Flea performing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the 2012 Rock in Rio festival in MadridAny 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 153 Flea s bass playing has changed considerably throughout the years When he joined Fear his technique centered largely on punk rock bass lines 169 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 16 However this technique caused Flea to receive attention from the music world and was often copied and he therefore felt it necessary to almost 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 less of his signature technique and more styles that focused on traditional and melodic roots 170 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 170 During the writing and recording of One Hot Minute 1995 Flea integrated some use of slap bass progressions but continued to apply the philosophy of less is more to his technique rather than courting 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 170 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 170 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 49 He ultimately decided against this acknowledging that aside from Frusciante the band was not moving in the same direction 49 In By the Way 2002 many 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 171 Influences edit Flea s stepfather was in a bebop jazz band that frequently jammed in his presence so he soon became fascinated with the trumpet 6 15 18 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 David Bowie and Defunkt 11 18 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 153 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 124 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 172 Recognition and legacy editRegarded as one of the best rock bass players of all time in 2009 Rolling Stone s readers ranked Flea the second best bassist in their top ten poll ranked behind only John Entwistle of the Who and ahead of Paul McCartney of the Beatles 1 In a 2010 poll conducted on the BBC Two series I m in a Rock n Roll Band Flea was named the bassist in the ultimate fantasy band alongside Freddie Mercury on vocals Jimi Hendrix on guitar and John Bonham on drums 173 In April 2011 Flea finished second in an online poll conducted by Contact Music to name the best bass guitarist in rock music He came second to the late John Entwistle Rounding out the top five were Paul McCartney Geddy Lee of Rush and Les Claypool of Primus 174 Filmography editFilm edit Year Title Role Notes1983 The Outsiders Soc 3 Uncredited1983 Suburbia Razzle Credited as Mike B The Flea1983 Nightmares Singer Credited as The Flea1986 Thrashin Flea Uncredited1986 Tough Guys Red Hot Chili Peppers Member1987 Dudes Milo1987 Less than Zero Musician 11987 Stranded Jester The Alien1988 Let s Get Lost Self Documentary1988 The Blue Iguana Floyd1989 Back to the Future Part II Douglas J Needles1990 Back to the Future Part III Douglas J Needles1991 My Own Private Idaho Budd1991 Motorama Busboy1992 Roadside Prophets Too Free Stooges1993 Son in Law Tattoo Artist Uncredited1994 The Chase Dale1995 Woodstock 94 Self Documentary credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers1998 The Big Lebowski Nihilist 21998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Musician1998 Psycho Bob Summerfield1998 The Decline of Western Civilization III Self Documentary1998 Free Tibet Self Documentary credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers1999 Liar s Poker Freddie1999 Three Days Self Documentary2000 Goodbye Casanova Silent2002 The Wild Thornberrys Movie Donnie Thornberry voice 2002 Rising Low Self Documentary2003 Rugrats Go Wild Donnie Thornberry voice 2005 We Jam Econo The Story of the Minutemen Self Documentary2006 American Hardcore Self Documentary credited as Richard Flea Balzari2006 Too Tough to Die A Tribute to Johnny Ramone Self Documentary2007 Joe Strummer The Future Is Unwritten Self Documentary2008 Patti Smith Dream of Life Self Documentary2009 Life on the Road with Mr and Mrs Brown Self Documentary2010 Everyday Sunshine The Story of Fishbone Self Documentary2010 The Making of Olympia Self Documentary2011 The Other F Word Self Documentary2011 Bob and the Monster Self Red Hot Chili Peppers Documentary2012 Lexicon Devil Self Documentary2014 Low Down Hobbs2014 Roman Holiday Chadney and Sunny Holiday Short Film2014 Timebomb Anti Propaganda of the Artists at Elysian Self Short Documentary2014 Boardwalk Hempire The Rise and Fall of the Medical Kush Beach Club Self voice Documentary2015 Inside Out Mind Worker Cop Jake voice 2015 Riley s First Date Jordan s Fear voice Short Film2015 Jaco Self Documentary2017 Song to Song Flea Credited as Michael Peter Balzary2017 Baby Driver Eddie2017 The Public Image is Rotten Self Documentary2018 Boy Erased Brandon2018 Queen amp Slim Mr Shepherd2018 Horses Patti Smith and Her Band Self Documentary2019 Toy Story 4 Caboom TV Announcer voice 2021 Arlo the Alligator Boy Ruff voice Netflix Original Movie2021 The Sparks Brothers Self Documentary2021 What Drives Us Self Documentary2022 Babylon Bob LevineTelevision edit Year Title Role Notes1991 The Idiot Box Mugger Episode Episode 1 2 1992 The Ben Stiller Show Self Episode With Flea 1993 The Simpsons Self voice Episode Krusty Gets Kancelled 1993 Rhythm amp Jam Self Television Mini Series1994 24 Hours in Rock and Roll Self Direct to TV documentary1994 Hi Octane Self Episode Episode 1 3 1994 Freaks Nerds amp Weirdos Self Direct to TV documentary1995 The Big Breakfast Self Episode October 2 1995 credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers1996 Just Your Luck Johnny Direct to TV film1997 Duckman Self voice Episode A Star Is Abhorred 1998 Gen Grunge Edward Chang voice Direct to TV film1998 Late Night with Conan O Brien Self Guest Episode Scott Wolf Flea Kevin Brennan 1998 The Lionhearts voice Episode Singin in the Mane 1998 South Park Chef Behind the Menu Self Direct to TV movie1998 2004 The Wild Thornberrys Donnie Thornberry Tom Additional Voices voice Main cast 89 episodes1999 Behind the Music Self 2 episodes1999 Making the Video Self Direct to TV documentary2000 MADtv Self 2 episodes2001 The Wild Thornberrys The Origin of Donnie Donnie Thornberry voice Direct to TV film2002 Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Self Red Hot Chili Peppers Episode Episode 2 11 2002 The Saturday Show Self Episode Episode 1 57 credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live Self Episode Episode 2 69 2005 Independent Lens Self Episode Parliament Funkadelic One Nation Under a Groove 2005 All We Are Saying Self Direct to TV documentary2006 Dancing with the Stars Self Red Hot Chili Peppers Episode Episode 4 2 2006 Popworld Self Episode April 22 2006 2006 House Band Self Episode Red Hot Chili Peppers 2006 Saturday Night Live Self Episode Tom Hanks Red Hot Chili Peppers credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers2006 My Shot With Self Episode The Virgin Music Festival 2006 Musikprogrammet programmet om musik Self Red Hot Chili Peppers Direct to TV documentary2007 4Real Self Episode 4Real Haiti 2009 P O V Self Episode Patti Smith Dream of Life 2011 The Jonathan Ross Show Self Episode Benedict Cumberbatch The Saturdays Alan Carr and Red Hot Chili Peppers credited as Red Hot Chili Peppers2013 The Gorburger Show Self Episode Flea 2013 The Art of Punk Self Episode Black Flag 2013 The Daily Show Self Episode Atoms for Peace 2014 Stan Lee s Mighty 7 Roller Man voice Direct to TV film2014 Access Sportsnet Los Angeles Self Episode April 13 2014 2014 Larry King Now Self Guest Episode Flea 2014 2016 Sheriff Callie s Wild West The Milk Bandit voice 4 episodes2015 Highston Self Episode Pilot 2015 American Dad Orderly voice Episode Stan Dan Deliver 2015 Feedback Kitchen with Mario Batali Self Episode Flea 2015 Le grand journal de Canal Self Episode December 3 2015 2016 La Viola Self Episode July 2 2016 2016 Kulturjournal Self Episode November 14 2016 2016 The Late Late Show with James Corden Self Carpool Karaoke 2 episodes2017 All or Nothing A Season with the Los Angeles Rams Self Amazon Prime Original Documentary2017 Family Guy Self voice Episode Peter s Def Jam 2019 Punk Self 3 episodes2019 Shangri La Self 2 episodes2019 CBS Saturday Morning Self Guest Episode November 2 2019 2021 I Heart Arlo Ruff voice 3 episodes2022 Obi Wan Kenobi Vect Nokru Miniseries 2 episodes2023 Painting with John Self TBD 175 Video games edit Year Title Role Notes2000 The Wild Thornberrys Animal Adventures Donnie Thornberry2000 The Wild Thornberrys Rambler Donnie Thornberry2002 The Wild Thornberrys Movie Donnie Thornberry Based on the film of the same nameNon Red Hot Chili Peppers music videos edit Year Title Role Artist Notes1985 Sex Machine Self James Brown1986 You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party Self Beastie Boys1989 Bust a Move Self Young MC Uncredited1991 Give Peace A Chance Self The Peace Choir1993 Who Was in My Room Last Night Bartender Butthole Surfers1997 Jane Says Self Jane s Addiction2000 Break Stuff Self Limp Bizkit2006 God s Gonna Cut You Down Self Johnny Cash Uncredited2014 Ugly Boy Self Die AntwoordDiscography editRed Hot Chili Peppers edit Further information Red Hot Chili Peppers discography Atoms for Peace edit Amok 2013 album Solo edit I ve Been Down released in the soundtrack for the movie The Basketball Diaries Media Blitz released on the compilation Germs Tribute Helen Burns 2012 EP Collaborations edit 1 da Woman by Tricky Baby Can t Drive by Slash with Alice Cooper Nicole Scherzinger and Steven Adler Barcelona by Jewel Bleed for Something Beautiful by Mina Caputo Bust a Move by Young MC De Loused in the Comatorium by the Mars Volta selected tracks The Empyrean by John Frusciante Note to a Friend by Aleka s Attic Concert Series Volume 1 by Axis of Justice selected tracks Freeway by Porno for Pyros with Dave Navarro Gimme Shelter by Patti Smith Hardcharger by Porno for Pyros with Dave Navarro Hard Life Easy by Satellite Party Wednesday Modern Folk and Blues by Bob Forrest 2006 Heart of Gold by Johnny Cash with John Frusciante and Chad Smith Hell Broke Luce by Tom Waits I Come Off by Young MC I Make My Own Rules by LL Cool J with Dave Navarro Idiots Rule by Jane s Addiction with Angelo Moore and Christopher Dowd Ill Wind by Michael Brook with James Pinker Pinkerelly Jimmy Scott and Michael Stipe It s A Rockin World by Joe Strummer with Tom Morello Benmont Tench DJ Bonebrake and Nick Hexum Leave My Monkey Alone by Warren Zevon Kettle Whistle by Jane s Addiction Miranda that Ghost Just Isn t Holy Anymore by the Mars Volta Momentum by Joshua Redman Narcissus by Alanis Morissette The Odyssey by Incubus Raised Right Men by Tom Waits Rocketjuice and the Moon by Rocket Juice amp the Moon Sleepin wit My Fonk by Sir Mix A Lot So What by Jane s Addiction Spiritual by Johnny Cash with Curt Bisquera War by Bone Thugs n Harmony with Henry Rollins and Tom Morello The Widow by the Mars Volta What ll I Do Remix by Janet Jackson remixed by Flea Chad Smith amp Dave Navarro White Rabbit by Patti Smith with Tom Verlaine You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette with Dave Navarro Grease the System by Banyan with John Frusciante Antemasque by Antemasque Was Never There by Pluralone Nowhere I Am by Pluralone Not Great Men with John Frusciante Bonfire of Teenagers MorrisseyProducer edit The Boldness Of Style EP by Thelonious Monster produced the song Walk On Water Notes edit It is called the Punk Bass 155 It has FLEA in a Lakers style font on the fingerboard a b Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Top Ten Bassists of All Time Rolling Stone Retrieved November 16 2013 2012 Hall of Fame Inductee Flea The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Retrieved November 30 2015 Red Hot Chili Peppers Fan Club Interview 1989 YouTube Archived from the original on December 20 2021 Retrieved December 30 2007 Apter 2004 p 19 a b c Apter 2004 p 20 a b c d Prato Greg Biography of Flea AllMusic Retrieved December 15 2007 Apter 2004 p 21 a b Apter 2004 pp 22 23 Flea On Larry King Now Interviewed by Larry King Archived from the original on December 20 2021 Retrieved March 31 2015 via YouTube Apter 2004 p 34 a b Apter 2004 p 35 Kiedis Sloman 2004 pp 84 85 Kiedis amp Sloman 2004 p 115 Apter 2004 p 62 a b c d Red Hot Chili Peppers Behind the Music May 30 1999 VH1 Archived from the original on August 9 2002 a b c Apter 2004 pp 70 74 Apter 2004 pp 78 88 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Page Scarlet July 2004 Red Hot Chili Peppers The LA Punks Who Defied Death Grunge And A Burning Crack Den Mojo Kiedis Sloman 2004 pp 234 235 a b c Prato Greg Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography AllMusic Retrieved December 15 2007 Apter 2004 p 110 Apter 2004 p 127 a b c d Apter 2004 pp 130 141 a b c Red Hot Chili Peppers Chart History Billboard Retrieved September 12 2007 a b Kiedis Sloman 2004 p 234 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 Archived from the original on October 1 2007 Retrieved October 2 2007 a b Apter 2004 pp 178 190 Mother s Milk 2003 reissue liner notes Kiedis Sloman 2004 p 242 Nothing s Shocking liner notes Stone Cold Rhymin credits Allmusic Retrieved May 29 2008 a b c d Apter 2004 pp 205 212 RIAA Searchable Database RIAA Retrieved December 15 2007 Red Hot Chili Peppers Artist Chart History Singles Billboard Retrieved June 18 2011 Kiedis Sloman 2004 pp 261 262 a b c Apter 2004 pp 220 236 Funky Monks 1991 Warner Bros Entertainment Inc a b Kiedis Sloman 2004 p 282 Fricke David The Naked Truth Rolling Stone Archived from the original on October 2 2007 Retrieved August 10 2007 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 Kiedis Sloman 2004 pp 341 344 a b c d Apter 2004 pp 290 302 SONS OF THE CITY by John Albert December 6 2002 LA Weekly California To Live and Die in LA April 1996 Spin Magazine Apter 2004 p 281 Kiedis Sloman 2004 pp 390 395 Wilonsky Robert December 12 1996 Blood on the Tracks Phoenix New Times Music Archived from the original on October 8 2014 Retrieved June 22 2007 Kiedis Sloman 2004 p 408 a b c d e f g Apter 2004 pp 304 311 Red Hot Chili Peppers First Single Preview Total Guitar Retrieved October 9 2007 a b Waddell Ray June 2007 Chili Peppers Hot in London s Hyde Park Yahoo Music Archived from the original on August 12 2011 Retrieved January 20 2008 Red Hot Chili Peppers iTunes Originals iTunes September 8 2006 Gallori Paolo 2006 Intervista a John Frusciante TV interview YouTube Archived from the original on December 20 2021 Retrieved December 16 2007 Red Hot Chili Peppers Live Earth BBC June 2007 Retrieved October 11 2007 a b Fire wrecks Chili Pepper s home BBC News November 26 2007 Retrieved January 27 2008 Orzeck Kurt 27 November 2007 Avril Lavigne producer Butch Walker was renting Flea s Malibu house he lost everything MTV ca news Archived from the original on 21 July 2011 Retrieved 27 November 2007 a b Wells Annie September 23 2008 Flea USC freshman talks about his upcoming solo record Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on September 27 2008 Retrieved September 29 2008 Lea Tom January 28 2013 A new career in a new town Radiohead s Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich open Pandora s box and run Amok as Atoms for Peace Fact Retrieved May 2 2015 a b Fricke David November 5 2012 Q amp A Thom Yorke on Atoms for Peace s mechanistic new album Rolling Stone Archived from the original on June 27 2014 Retrieved February 18 2013 Singh Amrit February 25 2010 Thom Yorke names his band Atoms For Peace announces tour dates Stereogum Retrieved April 12 2016 Dombal Ryan February 25 2010 Thom Yorke names solo band lines up American spring tour Pitchfork Archived from the original on February 27 2010 Retrieved March 2 2010 Snapes Laura March 18 2013 Atoms for Peace announce US and Japanese dates Pitchfork Retrieved November 13 2015 Montgomery James August 31 2011 Red Hot Chili Peppers Say Josh Klinghoffer Was The Only Choice MTV com Retrieved November 20 2011 Erlewine Stephen Thomas I m with You Red Hot Chili Peppers AllMusic Retrieved November 20 2011 Spin Cycle Tom Waits Bad As Me Popblerd com October 26 2011 Retrieved December 19 2012 a b Damon Albarn Flea to release album as Rocketjuice and the Moon Music News Digital Spy Digitalspy com October 27 2011 Retrieved December 19 2012 Chili Peppers Flea and Blur s Damon Albarn Talk New Group Rocket Juice and the Moon Gibson com Archived from the original on March 11 2012 Retrieved December 19 2012 Pop amp Hiss Los Angeles Times December 7 2011 Helen Burns Flea RHCP News Redhotchilipeppers com Archived from the original on August 18 2012 Retrieved December 19 2012 A Chili Pepper turns 50 CNN com October 17 2012 Retrieved December 19 2012 Former Mars Volta members form a new group with Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea NME April 9 2014 Retrieved April 9 2014 Grow Kory April 10 2014 Flea s New Supergroup With Mars Volta Members Antemasque Share Another Prog Punk Rager rollingstone com Retrieved July 15 2014 Blistein Jon April 5 2022 Flea Shreds National Anthem on Bass With Some Special Charlie Parker Riffs for Kareem Abdul Jabbar Rolling Stone Retrieved November 5 2022 Chad Smith Talks New Art Exhibit Confirms Chili Peppers Record With John Frusciante Rollingstone com January 8 2020 Retrieved January 8 2020 Grow Kory January 14 2021 Flea John Frusciante IDLES Join Tom Morello and Serj Tankian on Gang of Four Tribute Album spin com Retrieved January 16 2021 Kaufman Gil October 7 2021 Red Hot Chili Peppers Reveal Dates Openers For 2022 Global Stadium Tour Billboard Retrieved October 7 2021 Kreps Daniel December 24 2022 Morrissey Album Likely Delayed Again as Miley Cyrus Wants Guest Spot Taken Off Rolling Stone Retrieved December 26 2022 Willman Chris December 25 2022 Morrissey Says Miley Cyrus Wants Off His Next Album and He s Split With Label and Management Too Variety Retrieved December 26 2022 Red Hot Chili Peppers Nozems A GoGo YouTube Archived from the original on December 20 2021 Retrieved January 17 2008 Red Hot Chili Peppers Bassist Flea Is Coming to Phoenix Phoenix New Times Retrieved November 14 2019 Flea at IMDb Trailer for SXSW s Bob and the Monster Screencrave com February 18 2011 Archived from the original on July 16 2011 Retrieved May 28 2011 Fernandez Jay A May 15 2011 Oscilloscope Showtime Acquire Rights to The Other F Word Documentary Hollywood Reporter Retrieved May 28 2011 Akande Zainab September 18 2014 Watch John Hawkes is Elle Fanning s Heroin Addicted Father In Low Down IndieWire com Retrieved April 8 2017 Low Down 2014 at IMDb nbsp Retrieved July 15 2014 Nicholson Max November 9 2015 Highston Pilot TV Review Shaq and Flea play imaginary friends in Amazon s new comedy pilot In ign com IGN India Retrieved June 19 2018 Highston Comedy Series Plans Cancelled by Amazon Tvseriesfinale com January 24 2017 Kermode Mark Baby Driver review boy racer hits all the right notes The Guardian Retrieved November 9 2019 Red Hot Chili Pepper s Flea Slaps Bass on Family Guy Guitar World February 15 2017 Retrieved November 14 2019 Cherry Jones Michael Flea Balzary Join Joel Edgerton s Boy Erased Deadline com August 30 2017 Retrieved November 9 2019 Watch Win Butler Justin Bieber amp Quavo Play In The NBA All Star Celebrity Game Sports yahoo com February 17 2018 Retrieved June 19 2018 Bright Eyes Down In The Weeds Credits thisisbrighteyes com Retrieved August 20 2020 Max Minghella Flea Samara Weaving Join Brad Pitt Margot Robbie in Babylon hollywoodreporter com June 2 2021 Retrieved June 5 2021 Star Wars Obi Wan Kenobi to Feature Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers comicbook com Retrieved May 4 2022 Biography for Clara Balzary at IMDb The Tints Ca on Purevolume com Archived from the original on April 28 2014 Retrieved May 28 2011 Clara Balzary Clara Balzary Retrieved May 28 2011 Urban Outfitters Features Clara Balzary Blog urbanoutfitters com Archived from the original on October 5 2011 Retrieved May 28 2011 Frankie Rayder Biography Movies Photos Videos News Starglimpse com Archived from the original on September 24 2015 Retrieved May 28 2011 Biography for Flea at IMDb Retrieved July 15 2014 Red Hot Chili Peppers release official Look Around music video Axs com January 25 2012 Retrieved January 28 2019 Rockstar Flea Shows His Jazz Side Sea Coast Online October 18 2014 Retrieved January 28 2019 Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea designer Melody Ehsani celebrate wedding with Instagram posts USA Today October 25 2019 Retrieved October 22 2019 melodyehsani I ve put on a couple pounds instagram com Flea and Melody Ehsani Welcome Their First Baby Together I Love Being a Dad MSN December 16 2022 Retrieved December 17 2022 The passing of River Phoenix at the scene EW com Retrieved June 7 2020 Rain Phoenix s LaunchLeft to Honor River Phoenix s 50th Birthday with Digital Singles Series FLOOD Retrieved June 7 2020 Gavin Edwards April 27 2000 The Red Hot Chili Peppers Rise Again Rolling Stone Retrieved January 26 2018 Flea amp His Girls Strollin In NYC Celebrity Baby Scoop May 10 2011 Archived from the original on July 28 2013 Retrieved July 15 2014 Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea Admits Band Nearly Split During Dysfunctional Period Spinner com Archived from the original on September 18 2012 Retrieved June 24 2011 Flea Breaks Arm in Apparent Skiing Accident Exclaim February 17 2015 Flea The Temptation of Drugs Is a Bitch Time February 28 2018 Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea on the meaning of God the band s worst album and the vice he misses most Los Angeles Times June 26 2023 Red Hot Chili Peppers Europe By Storm 1988 YouTube RHCP Archive Magic Johnson Flea National Anthem Kobe Bryant Farewell LA Lakers April 13 2016 ThankYouKobe Full HD YouTube Top 10 Celebrity Lakers Fans NBA Archived from the original on December 12 2013 Retrieved February 7 2013 Red Hot Chili Peppers x Los Angeles Rams September 18 2016 YouTube Watch Red Hot Chili Peppers perform at LA Rams first NFL game in the city since 1994 NME September 19 2016 Red Hot Chili Peppers Performing for Return of LA Rams September 14 2016 Red Hot Chili Peppers Bassist Flea Talks New Music and Makes His Super Bowl Prediction February 12 2022 Ashdown John November 23 2011 Which bands have performed versions of football club songs The Guardian London a b c d UPI Staff March 17 1990 Two Members of Red Hot Chili Peppers Arrested UPI com Retrieved August 20 2022 Two members of the rock n roll band Red Hot Chili Peppers have been arrested on charges they leaped from the stage during a spring break performance and attacked a woman in the audience a b Apter 2004 pp 327 338 Our History Silverlake Conservatory Retrieved February 22 2020 a b Flea s Circus Silverlake Music Conservatory Throws Hullabaloo Fundraiser LAist March 2007 Archived from the original on October 8 2007 Retrieved January 26 2008 Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Vote for Change YouTube October 26 2008 Archived from the original on December 20 2021 Retrieved June 19 2018 Flea s Charitable Life on Crowdrise Crowdrise com August 4 2010 Archived from the original on June 27 2012 Retrieved May 28 2011 Savin Monique March 15 2011 Flea Rocks LA Marathon Runner s World Archived from the original on August 26 2011 Retrieved November 20 2011 YouTube YouTube Retrieved June 19 2018 dead YouTube link Win a Bass lesson with Flea and Support Special Olympics Prizeo com May 20 2015 Flea Plains All American s Oil S t Product Spoiled Beach Trip Rolling Stone June 9 2015 Jennifer Cruz July 25 2013 Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea not a fan of guns Change the Constitution and Melt them down he says Guns com Retrieved June 19 2018 Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea reacts to Charleston shootings KSHE 95 Archived from the original on November 18 2015 Retrieved October 17 2015 Flea I ve Got Bees 200 000 of Them Tmz com Flea s Bees Chili Peppers Bassist Starts Apiary Rolling Stone August 16 2015 Will Ferrell And The Red Hot Chili Peppers Endorse Bernie Sanders For President Politics USA September 18 2015 Retrieved September 18 2015 Pathway to Paris Pathwaytoparis com July 8 2015 Retrieved February 23 2020 Reed Ryan January 27 2016 Red Hot Chili Peppers Headlining Bernie Sanders Fundraiser Concert Rolling Stone Retrieved June 19 2018 Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist Flea Plays Guitar with Koko the Gorilla People com Koko ROCKS a Flea Bass Koko org March 12 2010 Retrieved June 19 2018 RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Writing Sessions For New Album Were Halted By Woolsey Fire Blabbermouth net January 16 2019 Retrieved January 16 2019 Michael Stipe Patti Smith Cat Power to Play Pathway to Paris s 50th Anniversary Earth Day Festival Consequence net April 22 2020 Retrieved April 23 2020 Brad Pitt Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers contribute to community food giveaway in Watts foxla com July 31 2020 Retrieved August 15 2020 Chili Peppers Flea Writing His Memoirs The Hollywood Reporter April 2 2018 Retrieved September 29 2018 Your name here November 5 2019 Acid for the Children A Memoir Flea 9781455530533 Amazon com Books Grand Central ISBN 978 1455530533 Flea flea333 September 27 2018 Dear everybody Due to some scheduling conflicts the release of my memoir has been delayed until next year Will have a date as soon as possible Sorry about any inconveniences sincerely flea Tweet via Twitter Read an exclusive excerpt from Flea s upcoming book Acid for the Children Entertainment Weekly September 11 2018 Retrieved September 11 2018 Flea s Bass Guitar Gear Pedalboard amp Amps Retrieved April 19 2016 a b c d e f g h i Rig Rundown Red Hot Chili Peppers Premierguitar com February 2017 Retrieved February 4 2017 Flea Signature Active Jazz Bass Electric Basses Shop fender com Flea Jazz Bass Electric Basses Shop fender com a b c d Leigh Bill June 2006 A Rock Star amp A Jazz Legend Find Common Ground in Music s Beauty and Depth Bass Player Archived from the original on January 29 2008 Retrieved January 16 2008 Flea s Bass Rig Know Your Bass Player 1 2 Which Bass Which Bass June 1 2017 Archived from the original on February 12 2018 Retrieved February 11 2018 Punk Bass 2 Custom FB4 serial no 000307 The Met Retrieved January 24 2023 a b c d e f g Rig Rundown Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea Premierguitar com June 3 2012 Retrieved April 21 2016 Damien Hirst Designs Spin Guitar For Music Charity Artlyst Retrieved February 11 2018 Red Hot Chili Peppers Black Summer The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon YouTube April 2 2022 Retrieved January 27 2023 Under the Bridge amp By the Way Red Hot Chili Peppers East Rutherford NJ 8 17 22 YouTube August 18 2022 Retrieved January 27 2023 VMAs 2022 Red Hot Chili Peppers Rock Out For Global Icon Honor August 28 2022 Retrieved February 1 2023 Flea s Atoms for Peace Rig the King of Gear Retrieved January 24 2023 a b c d Dave Rat January 30 2007 Day 251 Jan 29 Orlando Day Off Dave Rat Roadies in the Midst Retrieved February 24 2023 Category Who Plays What Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea s Bass Gear Rig and Equipment Uberproaudio com Retrieved December 19 2012 Flea Chad Smith River Phoenix 1993 Flea Adventures in Spontaneous Jamming and Techniques Instructional DVD Burbank California United States Star Licks FLEA S AMPLIFIER RIG AND EFFECTS PEDALS KNOW YOUR BASS PLAYER 2 3 Which Bass June 15 2017 Retrieved January 24 2023 Recording the Red Hot Chili Peppers Unlimited Love Part 3 Mix May 4 2022 Retrieved January 24 2023 Flea reveals he changed his long serving bass amp setup for Red Hot Chili Peppers latest album GuitarWorld March 30 2022 Retrieved January 24 2023 Tate Greg June 1999 Californication review Rolling Stone Retrieved January 16 2008 Interview with Flea in 1988 VPRO Archived from the original on December 20 2021 Retrieved January 16 2008 a b c d Malandrone Scott October 1995 Flea Interview Bass Player 2002 Interview with Flea YouTube Archived from the original on December 20 2021 Retrieved January 16 2008 100 Greatest Artists Neil Young Rolling Stone Retrieved July 15 2014 Radio 2 Rock And Roll Band BBC Retrieved April 26 2015 The Who John Entwistle Named Best Bassist Contactmusic April 1 2011 Retrieved May 28 2011 Media Release Season Three Of The HBO Original PAINTING WITH JOHN Debuts June 2 Warner Bros Discovery May 15 2023 Retrieved May 15 2023 References editApter 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 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Flea musician nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flea musician Flea on Facebook Michael Balzary at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Flea musician amp oldid 1198587080, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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