You will know him primarily as the bare-chested, perma-flexing bassist who brought the funk to LA’s alternative rock scene of the ’80s and ’90s, as the Red Hot Chili Peppers evolved from unruly party-starters to surefire stadium-fillers. But Flea has always had a healthy extra-curricular career, playing with Damon Albarn and Tony Allen in Rocket Juice & The Moon, with Thom Yorke in Atoms For Peace, collaborating with Patti Smith, Tom Waits and countless others… and not to mention his memorable cameo as a nihilist in The Big Lebowski.
This year he revealed another string to his bow, returning to first instrument – the trumpet – for Honora, an album of lithe alternative jazz in the company of Jeff Parker and his EVA IVtet crew. There were also guests of the calibre of Nick Cave, on an inspired cover of “Wichita Lineman”:
To round off a triumphant year, Flea has kindly submitted to a gentle grilling from you, the Uncut readers. So what do you want to ask a funk-rock figurehead? Send your questions to [emailprotected] by Monday (September 21) and Flea will answer the best ones in a future issue of Uncut.