Flea, bassist for the Hot Chili Peppers, at Rock in Rio 2019.
Photo: Getty Images, Wagner Meier. All rights reserved.
“We were definitely against the hair metal scene,” admitted Flea, bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In retrospect, however, he regrets this “arrogance” that the Californian band brought to their competition at the time.
Some Red Hot Chili Peppers comments were ‘inconsequential bullshit’
The attitude of the four musicians around frontman Anthony Kiedis has changed since then. While in their early years in the 1980s they were critical of other bands also trying to find their way to the top, Flea now refers to the outburst as “inconsequential bullshit”. He further admits: “A lot of these bands were extremely good. Guns N’ Roses were a great band.”
The Peppers weren’t the only ones with an aversion to the hair metal scene. The term hair metal is generally considered a derogatory term for the glam rock of the 80s, which was accompanied by teased hair and rock musicians with elaborate make-up. The devaluation follows from the view that the bands were not authentic. Her definition as an artist would not have come about through the music, but solely through her hair styling.
“We were a party band”
Flea recalls the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ negative attitude towards the hair metal scene: “We were like, ‘Fuck them. We’re the underground, art-rock, get-weird-east-side guys; These guys just rehearse Aerosmith and KISS.’” He goes on to tell Classic Rock how the musicians perceived themselves: “There was a certain arrogance there. A ‘fuck the world, fuck the system, fuck the authority and fuck those up there, we’re us and we’re doing our thing, we’re street kids’ thing.”
In addition, music played the biggest role in the band’s life: “It never occurred to us that there could be anything other than selling out clubs, making people happy and being authentic,” says Kiedis. “We were a party band, but you also have to bring something meaningful with you.” The singer reports that Flea was the driving force and always emphasized: “We have to be good; we have to write something new, we need something that moves people.”
Two tracks from the upcoming Red Hot Chili Peppers album have already been released. “Unlimited Love” – the band’s first work with the participation of John Frusciante since 2006 – will be released in April. In summer the guys also play some shows in Germany.