If you’re not a big Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, there are a few things about their gap-toothed, frenetic bassist Flea that might come as a surprise:
- He was born in Australia. I’d always assumed he was a born-and-bred Californian, but it wasn’t until he was four that his family moved to New York, and a few more years still before he settled in Los Angeles.
- He studied jazz as a kid. He had no interest in rock music at first, but instead idolized Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong.
- “Flea” is a childhood nickname that stuck. Apparently from his reluctance to sit still as a kid.
- He’s an accomplished actor. His list of voice and acting credits is ridiculously varied, and stretches back to long before the Chili Peppers got famous: The Outsiders, Back to the Future II and III, The Big Lebowski, Inside Out, Toy Story 4.
- Remember “Bust a Move” by Young MC? That’s Flea playing bass.
- He’s got 200,000 bees in his backyard. He added an apiary at his house in 2015, primarily because he felt strongly about the ecological importance of honeybees. No word on whether he plans to change his nickname in accordance with his favourite insect.
- He’s got a solo album coming out this month. As of this writing, not all the tracks are available. But several are covers, and this one is gorgeous.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The way the strings establish a soft, cushioned background.
2. The way the original vocal line is shared between the bass and the trumpet.
3. The bass, obviously, is played by Flea. The trumpet is played by (surprise!) also Flea.
Recommended listening activity:
Getting to know an acquaintance a bit better.