By Kreig Marks, February 2024

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Kreig:  Hi Flea!  Welcome to Tru Rock Revival Magazine.  This is our Roulette section.  I'm going to ask you about 10 to 15 questions and don't hold back.  What we do here is how it's going to appear in our February publish.  No edits, no censorship.  

 

Flea:  Wow, no censorship.  Shit, Fuck, Crap....can I say that?

 

Kreig:  LOL! You just did!

 

Flea:  Cool.  Let's do this!  Roll those dice!

 

Kreig:  You rolled snake eyes.  Wanna roll again?

 

Flea:  Nope!  Snake eyes are good luck!

 

Kreig:  All right.  Let's get going.  I've been a huge fan of yours and the Red Hot Chili Peppers for many years.  So, for me, this is not only an interview but a real treat.  

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Flea:  Aww, thanks, Kreig.  This is pretty cool for me, too.  

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Kreig:  You're a very well-rounded guy.  I don't know if a lot of your fans are aware of this.  You're a very accomplished bass player, but, you're also quite a talented trumpet player.  You co-write most of the songs for the Chili Peppers.  You're a beekeeper.  We'll have to talk more about that!  You're a part-time actor.  You've been in several movies. You're an environmentalist.  And, you're a dad.  What haven't you done that you'd like to do?

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Flea:  I'd like to interview you, Kreig!  That's what I'd like to do.  

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Kreig:  LMAO!! All right.  Ask away!

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Flea:  So Kreig, ever performed in front of a live audience while only wearing a sock?

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Kreig:  LOL.  Man, Abbe interviewed Anthony a few months back and he gave her full instructions about how to apply the sock and how to make sure it stays in place.

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Flea:  LOL. That's funny because he never gave me those instructions, so there are a lot of people around the country who've been to our shows who could probably pick my penis out in a lineup!  

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Kreig:   Ha! A few sock fails?

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Flea:  Well, a couple.  

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Kreig:  What do you do when that happens?

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Flea:  Either fix the sock, don't fix the sock, or hold the bass lower.  

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Kreig:  Seems like a lot of work. 

 

Flea:  Well, we retired the socks several years back.  Maybe it's time to break them out again, maybe on our Medicare tour!

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Kreig:  This is fun! Beekeeper?  I never would have imagined this. Tell me about that.  

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Flea:  Yeah man.  It was something I became interested in several years ago, probably 10 years ago.  I've always loved bees, very fascinated by them.  There's been a steady decline in the honey bee population for many years.  It's called Colony Collapse Disorder, and that threatens the food chain.  I wanted to do something to help, to do my part.  So, I began keeping my own bees and now I have several hives and several hundred thousand bees.  Nothing like fresh, organic honey.  I love it.  

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Kreig:  That's pretty cool.  Most people are terrified of bees.

 

Flea:  There's really no reason to be afraid of them.  When they're away from their colony, the hives, they just go about their work.  As long as you don't try to disturb the colony they're safe to be around. 

 

Kreig:  I've seen a video of you working with the hives.  That's pretty cool.  Not sure if I'd do it but I definitely respect what you're doing and your reasons behind it too. 

 

Flea:  Thanks, Kreig.

 

Kreig:  Now, let's go back many years when you were a kid.  I know you met Anthony when you were both kids.  How did that happen?

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Flea:  Yeah, we met when we were 15.  I had moved to the United States from Australia.  My parents got divorced when I was very little and Anthony's parents divorced when he was a kid, too.  My stepfather was very abusive toward me and I never wanted to be around my house. I just wanted to listen to music. I loved jazz, love it.  I still do.  When Anthony and I met, we didn't like each other at first.  I was into jazz and he was into the punk scene.  I didn't really like rock or that style of music. 

 

Kreig:  What changed your mind about the music? 

 

Flea:  Hillel [Hillel Slovak, the original guitarist and founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers] got me interested in rock and I wasn't that interested until I began to listen to it and appreciate it.  He got me started on the bass.  Anthony was into punk and he got me listening to that style of music.  I began to listen to more and more of the punk bands and was really drawn to it.  And, it opened the door to what I was doing with the bass.  And pretty soon, Anthony and I became inseparable and the best of friends which we've been for close to 50 years.  

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Kreig:  Hillel died at a very young age.

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Flea:  Yeah, he was only 26.  I felt very guilty that I didn't spend much time around him for a while.  His addiction was so intense I just couldn't be around it.  I still feel I could have done, or at least tried something to possibly prevent his death.  

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Kreig:  You can only do what you can do.  He made his choice and unfortunately, it ended badly.  If he wasn't ready to get off the drugs there's nothing you or anyone else could have done to help.

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Flea:  I realize that more now but, looking back, I still feel I could have tried harder.

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Kreig:  Do you still think about him a lot?

 

Flea:  Yeah, I do.  I think about the good times we all had, the music, the friendship. I try not to think about the addiction.  

 

Kreig:  Let's get to happier times. 

 

Flea:  Thank you! 

 

Kreig:  You guys, the band, have been around now for over 40 years, have won a bunch of Grammys, and are in the Rock Hall of Fame.  Do you find that to be an amazing accomplishment?

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Flea:  It's definitely an accomplishment that I'm very proud of.  But, I never got into music to win awards.  I got into music for the love of it.  

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Kreig:  Who is your favorite bass player these days?  You're often recognized as one of the best bass players in the past 40 years.  Who do you like to listen to?

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Flea:  Easy.  Thundercat.  Serious bass player.  Great funk style.  And, he's a great guy. 

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Kreig:  He is pretty damn good.  Off-topic here.  What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment musically?  

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Flea:  Honestly, I can't choose one.  I think my greatest accomplishment musically is when I've helped teach kids to play the bass, and watch them succeed and love it.  

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Kreig:  Fair enough.  What about your greatest accomplishment as a man?

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Flea:  Becoming a dad and loving and respecting my daughters.  Being there for them and being the best dad I can be to them and for them.  I missed out on that as a kid.  

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Kreig:  I hear you. What's on the schedule for this year for you and the band?  Tour?  New music?

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Flea:  We've got a lot of tour dates on the calendar.  Right now I think it goes through July.  New music?  We'll see.  We released 2 albums in 2022. 

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Kreig:  Yeah, that is a pretty hefty accomplishment.  Most bands go a few years between albums. 

 

Flea:  This was a first for us.  We usually go a few years, too. 

 

Kreig:  Both were pretty solid albums.  Flea, thank you for giving me this time with you.  This was pretty cool.

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Flea:  Thank you, Kreig.  Definitely a different style of interview, like having a nice conversation.  I really enjoyed this.  Nice to not talk endlessly about the same ol' things and my gear for once.  

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