POST-1980 ROCK

01 FLEA

The Australia-born, Hollywood-raised Michael ‘Flea’ Balzary, so nicknamed for his diminutive stature and on-stage leaps, is, many bassists feel, one of the finest funk players ever to stalk the earth. Bred on a diet of cool jazz and trumpet lessons, with his most treasured childhood memory a meeting with Dizzy Gillespie, Flea took up the bass after the prompting of his high-school classmate Hillel Slovak, who—along with singer Anthony Kiedis and drummer Jack Irons—formed the first line-up of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, then a cheeky funk-punk act. From these humble beginnings, Flea evolved a frighteningly fast slap-and-pop style, influenced by Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins, but spiced up with the energy of his beloved hardcore punk scene. After applying album. The rest is history, but Flea hasn’t given up the hunt for the perfect bass style yet, experimenting with a variety of basses and approaches. More power to him.