“I always remain hopeful, I am a person with a lot of faith and a lot of belief in love. I’m lucky to be able to translate into what I do, into my rock and I give everything I’ve got and try to lift up people’s hearts, but we all have that. Look man, you’re a lawyer, you’re a plumber, you’re a garbage man, you’re a mailman, whatever you’re doing you can smile at people in the street and help them feel connected. I feel like all of the evil in the world stems from us not realizing that we are all one and that we’re all connected. And when I say all one, I mean ALL one.”
Flea’s given name is Michael Peter Balzary and he is a noted musician and actor, best known as the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Besides the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he has collaborated with The Mars Volta, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Alanis Morissette, and has performed live with Nirvana in 1993 playing the trumpet.
Flea has acted in over 20 films, including Suburbia (1984), Back To The Future Part II (1989) and Part III (1990), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998), The Big Lebowski (1998), Baby Driver (2017) and the gay-themed Boy Erased (2018)
Flea is co-founder of Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit music education organization founded in 2001 for underprivileged children.
He is very outspoken towards guns and gun violence, sometimes speaking about it during shows. He tweeted:
“Why anyone would ever want to own an automatic weapon I will never ever understand. It’s a pathetic useless concept for sick people. Automatic, semi automatic, I don’t care. I’m against ’em. Melt ’em all down. Turn ’em into sculptures there is no need for them on earth. In many countries, the cops have no guns and they do perfectly fine. No civilians should be allowed to have guns. None. And I don’t think the cops should have guns either. Change the constitution.“
Following the racist Charleston church shooting in June 2015, Flea voiced his anger towards gun violence, writing:
“You are kidding me. This is too much. Humans are an overrated species. Sick. God help us. The USA land where any sick madman can easily get a gun. Disgusting, deplorable, unbelievable.”
He is also outspoken about climate change. A few months ago, Flea wrote:
“The destructive effects of climate change are ongoing and will be difficult for us human beings to deal with. Love is the only thing that can help us. Love each other, love the earth, let’s be there for each other.”
This fall, Flea will publish his memoir Acid For The Children, plus a new album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and a new film, Queen & Slim directed by Melina Matsoukas (in her film directorial debut) with a screenplay by gay Emmy-winner Lena Waithe.
