Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16, 1962), known professionally as Flea, is an 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, one of the only two members to appear on every one of the band's albums.
Flea
Michael Peter Balzary
- Mikey B the Flea
October 16, 1962
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Musician
- actor
- Bass guitar
- trumpet
- keyboards
- vocals
1982–present
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 1982. 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. In 1990, Flea was arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida and charged with battery, disorderly conduct, and solicitation to commit an unnatural and lascivious act.
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]
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]