lossless

[cinemagirl]

As far as Chili Peppers go (and around these parts, they don't go very far), I always thought that Flea was the coolest. Kick-ass movie roles, bassist for L.A. punk band Fear, cameo in the video for Young M.C.'s "Bust A Move"--he always struck me as an alright kind of dude. Now, recent evidence shows that I was probably wrong on that. Now, thanks

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[xinit]

I've seen a number of interviews with Flea, and he never struck me as very bright... I'm a bit surprised to know that he can write, to be honest.

Maybe the RHCP are stepping in to fill the DOWNLOADING BAD! shoes left vacant since Metallica shut the hell up.

[cinemagirl]

Yeah, but Flea's a Red Hot Chili Pepper--none of them seem too bright.

You'd actually think bands would have learned something from Metallica Vs. Downloading. Didn't anybody pay attention? Coming down against music fans isn't good publicity, people! Sigh...

[cheesegimp]

Flea is one hell of a bass player. And not because of his crazy slap shit. There are a million retards that hang out at Guitar Center all day who can do that. No, his strength lies in the fact that he knows how to "dial it back" a bit when necessary. His playing on the Chili Peppers' mellower tracks shows some incredible subtlety and a real understanding of music theory (as well as a slight jazz influence).

Having said that, great bass players are not necessarily Rhodes Scholars (believe me, I know my bass players). If you're ever in the mood for some shadenfreud, go check out the song "Pea" (from the album One Hot Minute*). It's the only song in their entire catalog that Flea wrote and sang all by himself. It's fairly awful.

Personally, I outgrew the Chili Peppers years ago. Remember that time I sold a bunch of my old CDs? All of my RHCP stuff was in there.

*One Hot Minute was the album they recorded with Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction on guitar. It's mostly a collection of navel gazings and and failed experiments.

[cinemagirl]

Joke I just made up:

Why are there no good jokes about bass guitarists?

Because drummers are too stupid to come up with them, and the bassists are too stupid to be offended by them anyways, so it's pointless.

Bad joke aside, you're right: Flea is a good bassist. And he was good as Needles in Back to the Future parts II and III.

Oh, and everybody outgrew the Chili Peppers years ago.

[cheesegimp]

How many bass players does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

None. The keyboardist can do it with his left hand.

[cinemagirl]

Hee hee!

[xinit]

I knew about Jane Siberry's donation scheme a while ago, and if I could even remotely stand her music, I'd have kicked in...

I like Freakonomics' evaluation...