The “spiritual” punk record that changed Flea’s life forever
Best known as the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea rose to prominence in the 1980s, quickly becoming a significant name in the music industry. Over the years, the musician has also played with various popular acts, from Jane’s Addiction to Johnny Cash, and formed supergroups such as Atoms for Peace and Antemasque.
Despite his contributions to rock music, Flea was never brought up with the genre. His stepfather, Walter Urban, was a jazz musician who introduced him to the work of artists such as Miles Davis. Soon enough, he was obsessed with jazz, although his school peers often made him feel like an outcast due to his differing tastes.
However, Flea eventually discovered a love for rock and punk music after befriending Anthony Kiedis and Hillel Slovak, all of whom grouped together to form the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1982. Sadly, Slovak passed away in 1988 following an intense heroin addiction. Talking to Rolling Stone in 2012, Flea explained how Slovak inspired him to learn the bass.
“I never would’ve played bass if not for Hillel. I was a jazz trumpet player, and he said, ‘Dude! You should learn how to play bass and be in my band.’ Two weeks later, we were on stage at the Troubadour,” he explained.
The influence of Slovak and Kiedis led Flea to discover heavier genres, such as punk, which drastically influenced his approach to writing songs. When speaking on his podcast, This Little Light, Flea discussed music with legendary producer Rick Rubin, a frequent RHCP collaborator who worked on albums such as Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication.
After chatting about what was considered cool and uncool when they were teenagers, they began discussing Rubin’s transition from listening to lots of hard rock to punk rock. Discussing the late 1970s and early 1980s wave of American punk bands, Rubin said: “It was a really exciting time in music”. Flea chimed in, explaining how punk was “offensive to people who appreciated good music, even people that were smart, sensitive people, they just thought it was a ridiculous joke, spitting in the face of everything that was good about music”.
From there, Flea revealed that the Germs’ first and only album, (GI), “changed his life completely and my outlook of what music was.”
Detailing further, he continued: “I had a spiritual experience listening to it, like that leaving your body thing; it just changed the way I look at music forever. All of a sudden, music was not notes, and not learning how to play well. It was nothing but – all that matters is your motivation and your feeling and expressing your heart in a way that’s a release.”
The Germs were a shortlived band whose only album was produced by Joan Jett. The punk outfit were coveted by Kurt Cobain, who eventually recruited the Germs’ guitarist Pat Smear to play on tour with Nirvana. He ultimately became a member of the Foo Fighters with Dave Grohl after Cobain’s death.
Although the Germs only released (GI), it is now considered an essential punk recording from the 1970s, and its influence evidently inspired Flea to approach music with emotion rather than strict technicality. In doing so, Flea co-created some of the most well-loved alternative rock albums of the latter end of the 20th century.
Revisit the Germs’ iconic 1979 album below.
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