Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea reveals stepfather inspiring him to play bass guitar. He also thought about rock music for dumb people at first listen.

Flea is the third member of the RHCP band. He was born Michael Balzary in Australia in 1962. After four years later, his father, Mick Balzary, who worked in customs for the Australian government. Then he accepted a post at the Australian consulate in Manhattan and moved his family to New York City. Then his stepfather Walter as he is also a jazz musician who played the upright bass instrument.

Red Hot Chili Peppers member Flea answered some question interview with Guitar World:

He just started about his stepfather plays the upright bass:

“When I saw that really hard, swinging, fast bebop from him and his friends, who were just set up in a lounge, it opened up something in me that I didn’t know existed. It was so thrilling and exciting and it engaged me intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, physically… all these things all at once. It was so great for my life… but also he was a difficult guy.”

Then added:

“Yeah. Very difficult!. But it really taught me about the duality of things – the difficult things and the happy things. It taught me how pain and turmoil and angst and anxiety are very difficult, but if you can face them and deal with them in a conscious way, they can be the fuel for a motor to create beautiful things, as well as for personal growth, you know.

When you can look at those things honestly, that’s really where all the growth is in the world. I learned those things instinctually as a kid, even though I wasn’t able to process them or intellectualize them or understand them in any way until I was much, much older.”

His stepfather also supports the when Flea to decide to the bass guitar:

“He was happy that I played, but also he had that jazz musician’s thing where you look down at rock music, you know, and I think he would have much preferred it if I’d been playing trumpet in a jazz group or the LA Philharmonic or something.”

Flea also releases a book titled ‘Acid for the Children: A Memoir‘ in November 2019.