Michael Balzary AKA Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers was in the "Green Room" ninemsn on Thursday 11 April 5pm - 6pm AEDT

Chat Transcript:

ninemsnLive says: ninemsn in association with National Youth Week presents a Live Interview with Michael Balzary AKA Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Welcome Michael and sorry about waking you up!!

Flea says: It's ok, when I’m delirious I think better.

ninemsnLive says: cool, should be a great online interview then lets get stuck into the questions:

jess_from_bris asks: Hi Michael! It’s great to see you involved in National Youth Week! My question is what issues do you think are affecting young people today? Are there any you remember from your own experience as a young person?

Flea says: I think there’s been issues affecting young people since the beginning of time. It's the most important thing any young person can do is to learn how to relax and learn how to love themselves.

°°JC°° asks: How did you first get started in the music Industry?

Flea says: I always loved music since I was a teeny little boy. And now that I’m a teeny little man I still love it. It's always been a natural thing for me, it's never been a business for me. It's always been a natural and spontaneous thing for me.

jess_from_bris asks: HI Micheal!! My question is how did you get the nickname 'flea'?

Flea says: I picked it off the name tree.

anthonyrocksmyworld asks: Flea, at the fanclub board we were horsing around with names for the new album and I came up with "No name yet" heh wouldnt that be something? ~Pascalle from the Netherlands

Flea says: If you're decisive about that title thats positive. We haven't fixed on a title yet but we are thinking of calling it ‘Kain Balzary is the Centre of the Universe’.

Donna_maree1 asks: Hi Flea, when will you and the band be next coming out to Australia?

Flea says: We're coming in December. We're actually swimming there as part of our fitness program.

«»SiCk¤ZøMBie¤420«» asks: what kind of brand for bass do you play?

Flea says: I play a Modulus bass though it's never really mattered to me what type of instrument I play. It's much more of a spiritual, emotional experience and much less a matter what type of instrument I play.

rhcpgirl2 asks: How do you feel about getting the music artist contribution award this weekend at the ESPn sports & Music awards ?? I will see you there… Michelle

Flea says: I feel like a gorilla's toenail in mid July after mating season.

ninemsnLive says: sounds like a secret code!

«»SiCk¤ZøMBie¤420«» asks: what will your new album be sounding like?

Flea says: It's a natural growth from Californication. The best way I can describe it is it's more lush. It's more dynamic and has more depth of feeling.

InfinityLTD asks: Flea what do you think looking back to the days when you where Tony Flow and the Miraculous Masters of Mahem ?

Flea says: We were only that for about a week and I look upon those days with great fondess it was a time of explosive creativity and brotherhood .. and whoever asked that question should get some kind of an award for detail.

«»SiCk¤ZøMBie¤420«» asks: what can we expect on your new music clip?

Flea says: The videos going to be directed by Valerie Datun and John Farris They directed the Other Side Video and the Californication video and have a lot of faith in their ideas, but haven't picked the first song yet so don't know about the video yet.

jess_from_bris asks: HI micheal! What advice would you give for young artists wanting to get their music out into the public?

Flea says: My advice to any young artist is to do what they love with complete commitment and pay no heed to what other people think. To not be concerned with anything except the connection they feel with their art and to practice all the time.

AdoptedPoet asks: With so many member changes and bad luck with the band do you feel you are still getting to the point of have reach what you are aiming for in your music?

Flea says: Yeah, feel like every note that we've ever played has been an honest one .. and I don't feel like we've had bad luck really. Many things have happened but I really feel every event in the bands history has been one to lead us to where we are now and the band is in a really beautiful place.

hillelismyidol asks: Flea, will you be doing any future work with Perry Farrel, or any member of Jane's Addiction for that matter?

Flea says: I have no idea! Great friends with those guys and its within the realms of possibility. I'll probably be doing something with them. I can see myself going surfing with Perry in the near future (although I am the worst surfer alive.)

IM_GONNA_BE_BAD asks: what would of you been if u weren't in the red hot chilly peppers

Flea says: I would've definitely been a brain surgeon and I would have only worked on politicians removing and rearranging DNA structures.

«»SiCk¤ZøMBie¤420«» asks: do you have the guts to kiss Dave Navarro again?!?!?!

Flea says: Yeah, I certainly have the guts to do it! I just don't know if I have the desire to do it.. ..cause...I don't think he'd be too impressed with the great big cold sore I’ve got on my lip at the moment.

Donna_maree1 asks: Hi Flea, how's it going? When you've been in Australia what did you think of Australian and the Australian crowds at your concerts?

Flea says: I love all crowds whether they're Yugoslavian or Chinese or African. Human beings all like to have a good time and dance spastically to wild music, but Australia always holds a very special place in my heart.

Falling_Down_the_Stairs asks: What's your favourite album/group of all time?

Flea says: Favourite album of all time is called Double Nickels on the Dime by the group the Minute Men.

most_gourgez_chick_eva asks: Is there anything you would like to see dramatically change concerning youth? For example, schooling, legal sex age, alcohol, drugs? anything?

Flea says: Some things important to me is having a good music education in the public school system. In the US it's lacking, don't know about Australia. Funding has been cut to the point the programs are nearly non existent. I think a good music education should be fundamental to any school child’s existence. I think kids brains will work better in all aspects of their life including the academic subjects if they're given a good basic grounding in music. Plus they'll have more fun and feel good about themselves.

Wazmanthefrufan asks: Are you still going to do your solo album? If so, what or who are your biggest influences?

Flea says: Thats something I planned on doing 4 or 5 years ago but put it on hold when John joined the band. I devoted all my time to the RHCP but I might do it in the future. I would write new songs because I would want them to be representative to how I feel at the time and I feel differently now to how I did back then.

QüêÉÑ_©ÝÞ®å_ asks: ummmmm wen do u hav ur latest album out?

Flea says: It'll be coming out at the end of June and I speak for my whole band when I say we're over the top excited about it! We feel we've made the best music we've ever made and we're absolutely thrilled to get it ‘out there’.

red_hotz1 asks: hi, my brother is one of your greatest fans and plays the electric do you have any advice on which guitar is best?

Flea says: Like I said before, I don’t really think it's a matter of what guitar is played, more the intent of which it's played; the ritual of the practice and playing. I really can't stress all that matters is emotion and intuition and discipline to practice and to pour your entire heart and spirit into it whether it be punk rock or jazz, classical. Just be true to yourself and be free enough to be free of worrying about what other people think.
Be as great as you can be and fly!

ninemsnLive says: last question..but its been worth the wait:

«»SiCk¤ZøMBie¤420«» asks: will your band ever come back with their socks on their genetalia?

Flea says: You never know. The problem is that our genatalia has grown to an incredible size. We've been speaking to tailors about getting socks made that can deal with it..maybe cutting up the legs of our pants and closing up the ends.

ninemsnLive says: Thanks Michael, its been fun, stay cool...and go back to sleep.

Flea says: See ya, thanks.

ninemsnLive says: This concludes our live chat with Michael Balzary , 11 April 2002

Produced by ninemsn.com.au in Sydney, Australia
ninemsn.com.au ©2002

Thanks to Mel from down under for supplying the transcript!