Flea’s been serving up some great social media content since Red Hot Chili Peppers kicked off their tour earlier this month. He’s shared everything from book recommendations to footage of John Frusciante shredding on guitar, and now he’s proving why he’s the band’s bassist and not their lead singer.
In his latest Instagram video, a shirtless, bespectacled Flea wails the words to Styx’s “Come Sail Away” in a nasally tone while finishing the last bites of food on his plate. Though the clip is meant to be funny (he captioned it “Thank you, thank you”), a fellow musician called him out for having real talent.
“See, I know your playing around, but the pitch is good!!” Jewel commented on the post. “You can sing!”
See Flea’s post below:
RHCP are currently on their first tour with Frusciante in 15 years. Since reuniting with the band in 2019, Frusciante has discussed both his decision to quit (again) back in 2009 and his decision to come back 10 years later. Flea also recalled the tearful conversation that led to his most recent return.
The former bandmates were having dinner with their significant others, and during a moment alone Flea let his feelings be known. “I was just like, ‘Dude, just from my heart, I f**king miss playing with you,’” he divulged, revealing that tears began to fill his eyes after the words left his mouth. “I hadn’t said that to him, because I wanted to respect what he would want to do. He was very respectful about what we were doing, even though I imagined it wasn’t always easy for him.”
But Frusciante had been feeling the same way, and his eyes began welling up with tears, too. “He responded to me saying, ‘I really miss playing with you too,’” Flea said.
Flea told singer Anthony Kiedis about the interaction and they made the tough decision to replace then-guitarist Josh Klinghoffer with Frusciante.
“Through a little bit of cosmic meditation, we arrived at the place where we really had no choice,” Kiedis explained. “It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to Josh, but it was also heart opening to have John back.”
