Flea (musician)

Flea
Flea performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2016
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

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, one of the only two members to appear on every one of the band's albums.

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.

  1. ^ "Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Top Ten Bassists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "2012 Hall of Fame Inductee Flea". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved November 30, 2015.