Flea
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Ring, ring. Oh, is that the sound of freedom calling? Damn, that was good. Well done. That is freedom from big wireless, Nick. Freedom from their confusing long-term contracts, their poor customer service, and their hidden fees for things you didn't even know were things. Freedom is closer than you think when you switch to consumer cellular.

You know, we're reading a commercial, but this is all true. You get the same coverage, you get better consumer service, and it costs you up to 50% less. That's the real deal. Unbelievable. I don't believe it. And by the way, that's why I switched. And with a flexible data plan, you only pay for the data you use.

not the data you don't. Can you explain that to me? Because I'm not sure data, what do you mean the data you use? The data, like when you're using the internet on your phone, it takes up a certain amount of megabytes, gigabytes. Someone out there is really angry about this because I'm not explaining this well. But break it down. You only get charged for the amount of energy you're using. Or internet usage. Like if you like streaming music, streaming videos, and you're not paying for the stuff you're not using, which is...

theft, that's highway robbery, and that's how big wireless gets you. Wow, that was very good, Nick. It's pretty well known, I guess, that I do consumer cellular commercials than I have for the last two or three years.

They're like little Wes Anderson films. They are willing to be funny and whimsical. I think you can only do that when you're confident that you have something that's really good. You know, otherwise you're too busy hyping it and selling it. They're not. They're not hiding anything. No, they're not hiding anything. And they're willing to be funny and make fun of people.

You know, the spokesperson. Yeah. Like that. So you're saying there's a freedom in that. They are free to be themselves. They're free to give you great service. I don't know. I'm reaching here. No, you're really good at this.

For a limited time, you can sign up for Consumer Cellular and save $50 with promo code TED50. Visit ConsumerCellular.com slash TED50 or call 1-888-FREEDOM and mention promo code TED50. That's ConsumerCellular.com slash TED50, promo code TED50. Terms and conditions apply.

I love this guy. I love you too, Rick. You fucking asshole. You fucking dickwad. I want to be a fucking asshole. I'm learning. I swear to God, I'm learning. Welcome back to Where Everybody Knows Your Name with me, Ted Danson, and Woody Harrelson. Sometimes.

And this is one of those sometimes, because I have Woody here with me, and today he's introducing me to his good friend Flea, a.k.a. Michael Balzari, the founding member and bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He's a music educator and an author and, frankly, one of the most interesting musicians alive. We spoke to Flea outside from the rooftop of the Team Coco offices, which was Woody's short-lived idea. ♪

So here we go. I cannot wait to share with you the great flea. Please welcome my good, good buddy.

Michael Balsery, also known as Flea. That's Michael Peter Balsery to you. Oh, Michael Peter. Yeah, if you're going to go outside of Flea, you might as well say it right. Dude, I didn't know your middle name was Peter until just this moment. See, you learn something new every day. What'd you grow up with? What name? Michael. I became Flea in like 82. But Michael, yeah. Michael Peter, come up here.

It was like, why are you on meth? No. I'm not. I'm not. I'm just energized. I just haven't slept in a few days. Shut up my mind. Hey, can I go back just for a second? Because I was very nervous to meet you because we live in such different, excited, nervous, but live in such different worlds. Why do you say that?

Because music is something that has always been distant in my... I love hearing it. Yeah. I couldn't tell you a Beatle lyric to save my life, even though I've listened to many songs. As soon as I hear music, I start to fantasize. So my knowledge of music is so limited.

And for whatever reason, I haven't gone to tons of concerts. So I felt like a bit of an imposter sitting here. And then I looked at an interview you had and you talked about what you say to yourself

right before you do interviews. And let me, I think I'm quoting this. Let me get out of the way and let go of everything. And I swear to God, I've been saying that to myself all morning, thinking about sitting down and talking with you. That's so funny. That's exactly what I just did. And I didn't even know that I had ever announced that I did that or said it. Probably someone asked me before, because I always do before I do anything, because I know that like, I've got nothing to do with anything.

And the more that I can get myself out of the way and just kind of let the cosmic energies, God, whatever it is, speak through me, that I have a much better chance in fumbling over my own ego. Like before a concert? Always. Do you have that same? Always. Yeah, on my knees praying before every show.

And do you get nervous before a show? No, I don't get nervous. I get, sometimes I get like if I haven't prepared properly, I get concerned, you know, just of like the physical, the tactile part of playing. Just I haven't greased the wheels enough by practicing a lot. But I've never seen you not practice. Yeah, no, it's rarely the case. I'm pretty diligent about my stuff, but yeah.

I don't get nervous. Yeah, I don't get nervous. But I know ultimately, like I remember George Clinton telling me, it's just, you know, this was also like in between crack hits, but he said, I'm joking. I jest. I jest. But we did party pretty hard when we made that record in 85.

But he was like, it's live. It's all about the vibe. It's all about the energy. Like, you know, people get so caught up in the articulation of the concept where it's just all about the concept and the motivation and the energy of performing. But I, you know, I care very much about the details.

Oh, I know. When we go, we've been boarding together many times. And I'm telling you, he has his base and he is running through it every day. And you're thinking to yourself, well, I mean, you know, you're not doing a concert tomorrow, the next day. But every day, he's diligent. Remember the time we snowboarded naked down that mountain? Yeah.

We were really thinking about in honor of, you know, in honor of Woodstock that we would be naked when you came in. Well, we played, he and I snowboarded naked. I have footage of Woody Harrelson and I snowboarding stark naked down a big snowy mountain.

Where was that? Was that up in... I think it might have been Utah. Yeah, I can't remember. But it's actually great footage. Yeah, I wanted to post it on Instagram, but...

Laura cautioned me against it, that it might not be wise to have a pecker's float on it. It was cold, so in your defense. That would be my only defense. We've had more fun, more laughs. I just got to say, the greatest times I've had with you

But he is, you know, he's also, you know, he's very zen. I know. But he also is competitive. Yeah. You know. Yeah, you know, we like, we play basketball. I enjoy competition. Unlike you, I love the competition. I don't really mind if I win or I lose. I'm the same way. It doesn't matter one way or the other. I've seen you sulking after losing. Yeah.

I remember one of the last times we went, we were racing and we were both reckless because let's face it,

We go very fast, but we're very average snowboarders. We have to admit that we're average. Slightly above average. Maybe, I mean, depending on the curve, slightly below, slightly above. You know. I wanted to get the slightly. It's like when you say you're 5'10 1⁄2". You're just proving the competitive side. I'm 5'7 1⁄2", and I always put in the half. And I probably have shrunk by now and lost it. But anyway, so we're racing.

And I'm like out of control, rocketing down this mountain. And I nearly take a lady out. But I don't. Like I see her and I'm like, whoa, she's swerving out of her way. And I miss her. All's good. We're racing. I can't remember who won. Probably me. Probably me. And we get down there. But then the lady, we're getting ready to get on the left. And we're laughing and yelling at each other.

And this lady comes up and she's infuriated. The skier? The skier. This, you know, middle-aged woman. And she's like, you nearly hit me. And you could have got me, and you're out of control. And I was like, ma'am, you're absolutely right. I was out of control. And I'm so glad that I didn't hit you, but I'll be much more careful next time. Please forgive me. I'm very sorry. As you know, I'm neighborly. I'm polite. I'm considerate. And you meant it. You meant it. Oh, I absolutely meant it. Because she probably got a little fright. You know what I mean? And, um...

But I didn't, you know, I didn't even touch her. And she was like, well, you're an asshole. And I was like, ma'am, I'm very sorry. You know what I mean? I'm retaining my composure. Then she takes her ski pole and sticks it in my face like that. Wow. And then at this point, I'm like, you know, I'm like, well, look, I'm fucking sorry, but get your fucking pole out of my face.

You know, and then Woody comes up and he just sees her pull on her face and he comes to my defense like a good friend. And then she goes, well, my husband's going to come down here and he's going to show you what for. That's when you're like, bring the fucking husband. I want to see you bring the husband. And then he comes and we're like, I'm like, let's just get out of here because I feel the situation escalating. And you and I get on the left.

And then you're just like itching for a brawl. And you start yelling, I'm waiting at the top of the lift. I'll be waiting up top. And then you're telling me, you're like, nothing can make me happier. Nothing can make me happier than that fucking guy come up there.

And I realize there's like a joy that you take in like impending chaos. Yeah, yeah, it used to be true. That's not like me anymore. Have you outgrown that? Yeah, I think I've outgrown it. I don't want to be that guy anymore. I honestly, I'm really, I'm leaning toward the spiritual part of my nature. You know, you were talking about duality, you know, and I understand there's a real yin yang and

And, you know, there's these sides to, there's a side that's always pulling us toward matter and sensual things. And then there's a side that's pulling us towards spirit, right? Right.

I don't know. Like, I'm over that side of things, but... Love you, Woody Harrelson. I love you, buddy. I was raised where I had to be sensitive, had to be kind, gentle, understanding, empathetic, which is a problem because...

If you have to be that and you don't allow the angry, petty, you know, jealous person to have voice as well, then you're never choosing to be kind. You have to be kind. And it's something I would, I'm trying to get to, you know. Was it like a hippie kind of household? No, slightly religious, spiritual household. Right. Yeah. I already think like, like being spiritual is,

And like you talking about going to the spiritual side, it's like, that's the hardest thing, you know? Cause like being spiritually ultimately is like having the faith to be in the moment, not, you know what I mean? To just like be with yourself and whatever your connection to God or universe is. And that means like,

sitting quietly a lot with yourself without distractions, without, with letting go of the material world, right? Like the sensual world, the violent world, whatever it may be. And that's terrifying.

because you're going to come up, you know, you're going to come across and discover parts of yourself as you peel back the layers and you go deeper into yourself that are scary. And dark. And dark. And things that, you know, we all push down. We all have our trauma. We all have our fear. We all have our stuff. And we live in a society and we live in a world and we live in a way that it's kind of

impossible to not do that is all about like pushing that away that putting it down and that our whole we value having fun and being successful and doing things and you know what I mean like all especially like particularly in this country you know what I mean like our whole culture is based on what do you do

You know, there are other cultures. Some cultures are based more on what's your honor. Some cultures are more on like, who are you? And you know what I mean? Our culture is what do you do? And what have you been rewarded for, for doing, you know? And, and sitting like I, for me,

I did for a while. I got really into this Vipassana meditation. And I went to these retreats where you sit in silence. 10 hours a day. Yeah. Yeah. 10 hours a day meditating. And I did it a couple of times. The first time I did it, it was the most blissful fucking thing. You know what I mean? It was like, as soon as they hit the meditation bell, I'm sitting there. I was like floating. Like literally there were times I was like, I'm not in my body. It's just like,

And it was unbelievable. And afterwards, I felt kind of like ill at ease, like coming back to the world, you know, when I went home. Anyways, I went to do it another time and they hit the bell and I was consumed with the most horrific panic attacks and anxiety and like pain that I've ever felt. And I've felt a lot of it in my life. Like I've been through periods of extreme anxiety to the point of like debilitating anxiety I've suffered. And...

And the crazy thing is, it was miserable, right? The whole time I was like, I'm suffering. I'm fucking suffering here. What am I doing? I want to go home. But I stuck it out. And afterwards, I felt like so much stronger and more relaxed and all this stuff. But did you ever move through it? Yeah, I think I did. I did. I mean, I think that was the moving through it. It was just feeling it.

And sometimes you can't even give voice to it or understand it. It's just pain. It's just stuff that we have, you know? And, you know, you can talk through it. You can write about it. You can understand it. But I'm still, my life is about like processing all of that stuff. And I do it more consciously. Just the other night, I was like,

like feeling like shame and guilt about stuff in my life and, and realizing like, Oh, like why, why am I beating myself up right now when I'm, you know what I mean? Like, I like who I am. I like my life. I like what I do. Um, but it's a bit of an addiction. I shame. Yeah. It's an addiction. And it's also, yeah. Or like you're in trouble or like, I've always had this thing and you know, some people like lash out, um,

You know, because of the dysfunction. Some people lash themselves. And I've always been kind of a self. Like, you know, one of those guys. Yeah, me too. Just guys who beat themselves. Right. Yeah, yeah. Catholic adjunct. Yeah. Yeah. It's bullshit, man. It is. Yeah. But in any event, like, I was kind of doing it myself the other night emotionally. And I was like, what am I actually worried about? Like, what is it? And I kind of like, you know, got to it, what the thing was. And I was like, oh, that's what it is. And that's okay. Yeah.

You know what I mean? And then like, you know, it's always like life is a process. But anyways, my point is just that like the spiritual thing is, you know, people think of it as, oh, well, you know. Yeah, yeah. You know, yoga pants and fucking happiness. And you're now a good guy. No. Yeah. It means it's fucking the courage to face your fucking demons and really go to war. You want to really do the Beowulf thing? Yeah. Spiritual. Wow. If you're really going to do it. One of my mentors said, yeah.

Teddy, you're about to go on a holy war and you need to hold it as a war, a holy war. Wow. I love that. I just thought that was like, set you up for, this is going to be bumpy. Yeah. Yeah.

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Can you pinpoint where that first came into your life? I mean, clearly at 14 or 20, you probably weren't there. Yeah, oh, not at all. And I was, I was, I mean, I'm 60 right now. And, you know, I've been off drugs. I mean, I got weed here and there and stuff. I'm not perfectly sober at all. But, you know, I grew up, I started getting high when I was 11. I was on the street. I was like robbing people's houses. I was...

Up to all kinds of, I was a street kid. I was wild. I was feral, you know? And where are you? What city? Right here. Hollywood. I think of you as wild and feral now. But go ahead. But anyways, I started doing drugs when I was 11. And when I was, and I stopped like 30 years ago. But when I turned, and it was when, what happened was I, you know, when I turned around 30, I got really sick.

Oh, I got chronic fatigue. I don't even know. Drugs, do you think? Or just... I think it's funny because it was shortly after I decided because I had a two-year-old kid or however old she was, I think.

maybe three or four and I just decided I'm done with drugs like right um I really need to be present for this child and I don't want to do like what my parents were like and I want to be there and like and not just be there when I'm with her because that was my thing like oh when I'm with her I don't do drugs right but you know when I'm off you know what I mean when she's with her mom for a week you know where's the heroin you know yeah and and um I realized like

I just need to be present whether I'm on the other side of the world or around the block, whatever. I need to be at her beck and call with clarity and presence all the time. And so I quit doing drugs. And then I got sick. It was weird. It was almost like God saying, you don't just get a free pass back from doing all that stuff. There's a toll. And it's like as much time as it took you to go in, it's going to take you to come out.

And that's just the way things work, period. Nothing is for free. There's nothing for free. We all know it. And because I got sick, and it was really traumatic for me because I was a guy who I played basketball every day. I smoked weed all day long. I went out, did drugs all night, Hollywood clubs. I'd been in my band for, we had been going for,

I don't know, God, but that time we had been going for like eight years. We'd had our first big success. Our fifth album was a huge hit. We had become, you know, really big for the first time. We're playing arenas. I bought a nice house in the hills. Everything I ever wanted, I could have dreamed of. You know what I mean? Like, and, um,

And I got sick and all of a sudden like nothing mattered. I was miserable. I was sad. I was no immune system. I had a flu that lasted two years. I was just hurting. And, and I fought it and fought it. I was like, give me a fucking pill to fix it, doctor. You know what I mean? Like, I don't feel good. I was crying. I was alone. I'd been, been divorced. I was just like everything. And, and, um, and I was like, well, you know, first I was like, okay, I can't do drugs. Right. Cause I got to get better.

And so that was part of it. And then, I mean, there were a series of things that happened spiritually to me. Like, you know, I found yoga and stuff. And I remember I was like, this yoga teacher is this real spiritual woman. One day I saw her in the street and I was like trying to yoga, but I still was like, it wasn't feeling better. You know, my brain didn't work right. My body wasn't working. I couldn't play hoop. I was just a fucking mess. And I saw her one day and I was like,

She was like, how you doing, Flea? I said, terrible. I feel like shit. You know, it was like my answer. You know, and she goes, well, she goes, God is going to keep beating you over the head until you say thank you, may I have another, and accept where you are and love where you are. Exactly as it is. God, what a wonderful thing to say to somebody. It was a really cool thing to say. And it was the first time in my life that something like that actually resonated with me.

And I remember like going home and I'm not a religious person. I'm still not. And I pray probably five times a day, every day. I'm, you know, my wife's religious. I'm not religious, but I was like, I got on my knees and I was like, thank you for everything. Exactly how it is. My body, I was like, my body, I love you just how you are. You know, I'm here for you. I thank you all my circumstances, people I love, everything. And it really started to shift. You know, things started to, at that point, shift.

because I was grateful for where I was. And that was such a big lesson for me. And then I, and I was also, I was just, you know, I just, all this stuff in my life that I'd never dealt with, I remember being really sad. And I went down to Australia. When I first made money, I bought this land and built a house down in Australia. I'm from Australia. And I went out to this real remote part of Australia by the beach. It was beautiful. And I was down there with my daughter. It was just the two of us. And I remember one night I put her to bed

God, I'll cry if I say this story. I can't. I'm such a fucking crybaby. It's okay to cry, dude. Believe me, I know, but I cry too much whenever I tell a story. But anyways, I put her to bed and I had like broken up with my girlfriend again, like these dysfunctional patterns and relationships and put her to bed and I went out. It was this beautiful night and I was sitting under the stars and...

I was just like, I was in so much pain all the time, emotional pain. I was like by myself and I just started crying. I was sitting under, and Clara, I mean, you know Clara Wood, such a beautiful kid. She's 34 now. She's amazing. She's fucking amazing. And I was sobbing under the stars and it was so beautiful out. And I was like, why am I so sad all the time? And, um,

And I didn't want my kid to hear me because I was literally alone, out in the field by myself crying. And she got out of bed, came down, found me in the fucking yard.

And she was like, Papa, I don't know why you're so sad, but she was like, you're the best fucking dad in the world, and I love you. Wow. I could never ask for more. Like, all you are is love and light every day, you know? It was like one of those moments, you know? Oh, shit. Yeah, and I was just like, it struck me to my core, you know? And I just like, it was like the first time I was like, not only do I have to have faith, but I have to learn to love myself, you know? And that was like, you know, I was 30 years old.

28 years ago or something. And it was like these moments, like these things that are really watershed moments in your life that send you in a different path. And that was one of them.

Yeah. Thank you, man. Unbelievable. You're amazing. And all of your stories that I've heard so far, there's a determination to move forward. Do you think that's anywhere in your youth or parents or how did? I don't know. It's funny. Like, you know, I wrote a book. I put out a memoir a couple of years ago. It was like four years ago now, I guess. And

I wrote about that a lot. Like, you know, I went through, like, when I started writing about my childhood, I didn't, like, realize how fucked up it was until I really started, like, putting it together. And not only, like, writing the things that happened, like, but really trying to get underneath them and understand, like, why and what it did and how it shaped me and why did things happen and trying to understand, like, in a deeper way. And I... One thing I realized that, like,

that I'm so lucky about is that like, and I think maybe, you know, I don't know you, Ted, but I know you would, and maybe you can relate to this. Like, no matter what happened, there was always this fucking light, like this thing that like was so beautiful also. Like the things that made me happy made me so happy. Like just the,

you know, the concept of maybe loving, you know what I mean? Like, or sex or, you know, the, the, like playing basketball, being in the moment, that freedom, that feeling of like when I was in the moment. And then when I started playing music, like that feeling of being gone or belonging, connecting with other people or whatever it was like, the things that I found beautiful were always so beautiful to me. Like, not just like, Oh fun or whatever, but like fucking providence, you know? And, um,

So I've always been driven, still am, like every day I'm more and more a student of that light that I've been following my whole life. I just want to work and, you know, like a life in the arts is a life well spent. Boy. Yeah. Dude, I love the way you...

You have this vulnerability and this way to share your heart that is so inspiring to me. I never really tell you that. Don't you ever wonder, because circumstances in your life, early life, or whenever, throughout your life, you could have any moment when faced with what you were facing,

turned left and felt like a victim or wanted to quit, but you would turn right and not. You'd fight it, you'd go through it, you'd whatever. You sometimes wonder whether that is some sort of, that willingness or instinct is a divine something that is in you because so many people don't do that, don't react the way you've reacted to hardcore stuff.

And I sometimes wonder, is it a choice on their part not to? Or did they not get that gene, get that determination? You know, that's the part I find sad when you see people give up, you know? Yeah, I...

I really don't know, you know, the answer to that. Like what is a choice and what is just someone's nervous system or brain chemistry or what is like guardian angels? What is just a yearning for love? But the most sense I could make of it is kind of what I said before, that like I've always felt guided by this beautiful thing. And I, every day still like, like,

Like, right. Like when I was a kid, I wanted to be a jazz trumpet player. You know, that was my goal. And then in high school, I met friends that had a rock band and they're like, why don't you learn to play the bass? And, you know, and two weeks later, literally two weeks later, I was on stage, like, you know, on a club on Sunset Boulevard playing as a teenager. But I, I, I lately I've really been focusing on my childhood dream of being a jazz trumpet player. And I play every day, like every day.

and I really want to make a jazz trumpet record, and I'm really trying to get good. I've been studying with this guy. You know, I'm like super focused, and I mean, you know me, Wood. I like to work. And it's not even like the work, like the arduous thing of being on tour or something like that. Like that's...

I'd like to have fun like anyone, but I'm a student. I'm a student of everything but music. Right now with a trumpet, every day it's like I'm not that good. I'm trying really hard to get good. And

It's so exciting to me that there's this vehicle to where I can evolve through this art form. And it's always been like that with me, with everything. But whether it is, it's like getting a better jump shot or becoming a better long distance runner or becoming a better surfer or getting better at yoga or getting better at trumpet or trying to keep up with John on the bass, my guitar player, who's like the most phenomenal musician I've ever known. It's, it's, um,

It's all these things that like life is so humbling, you know, and I'm just humble, man. I just, you know, I want to get good. I care. I always just like this. You look at like things that people have done. And I mean, you know, you guys as actors, like you look at like,

you know, the great, great actors who have time and time again been able to be so present in the moment that they channel the deepest spirits and are able to exercise the deepest stuff inside of them in a scene. And, you know, like I know, like, you know, you're always like when you do an acting scene, you're always, the whole thing is like, get yourself out of the way and be in the moment where you're so feeling everything that anyone could say anything and you'll never, you'll always do exactly what that character who's not you would do because you're so present.

You know what I mean? And you can't be there all the time in that moment. Sometimes you're going to be self-conscious. You can't be there. But in the yearning to be there and the humility of the yearning, you're reaching. And that's what it is. And knowing that it's a 50-50 chance you're going to be there. Yeah, yeah. But you do all the things so that when that wave comes, you're ready to ride it. You know what I mean? And it's like that's the work, you know? That's the work. Yeah.

And it's just so beautiful, like, but it applies to everything. You know, it's like, like, like I look at someone like Bach, you know, like one of the greatest musicians to ever walk the earth. I listened to him so much. And like, I don't think he like basically like built like, you know, the Empire State Building out of toothpicks from what had existed before to what he did. Right. You know what I mean? Like what kind of mind is,

did that, sat down and wrote that music, five different melodies going all at once, mathematically counterpoint all the stuff that they didn't even have the words to understand. We've been analyzing it since he did it in every top university in the world. And he just sat down and did it. And he did it and he wrote for the church every week, these chorales and these fugues and these things. And he was always, he cared and he just, you know what I mean? It was just like this, like, and what did he have? He had a fucking candle.

What do you mean? I mean, like, he didn't have the internet. He didn't have, you know what I mean? He had to sit in a room. Like, he didn't have electricity. You know what I mean? I'm just saying, like...

Like, it was just a man with his... And what was he, like, in the 1500s? I think... 1600s? God, I wish I could answer that question, but I think 16s? Yeah, and... But, like, he wrote his stuff for the church? Yeah, yeah. For his church? If you made a living as a composer, then, or as an artist, it was always for the church. Oh. Painting, music, anything. Anything, yeah. I was just in...

Madrid a few weeks ago and I went to go to the Prado and see the Goya's. I really like Goya, the great Spanish painter. And right before he died, you know, he had been writing for the painting for the church for, I don't know, his whole life. And he was, you know, a master painter, painter,

And then at one point he, I think he was, and I don't want to say this and have this wrong, but I'll say it anyways, I might have this wrong. But I think he was really disillusioned with the hypocrisy of the church and all of that. And he kind of like, he went away from it and he went and he lived in a very secluded way by himself at the end of his life. And he did these paintings, they're called the black paintings, and he just painted them on the wall of his house. There's like seven of them.

And, and after he died, they took them and they got them off the wall through some technique and put them in the, in the Prado. And there's this one room that's just the black paintings in that museum. And I've never, like, you see them and you, you can't even believe the power of these paintings. And they're, they're terrifying.

You know what I mean? One is just like this dog and it's just its head and it's in this like ocean, but it's the ocean is like this kind of yellowy brown color, but it's adrift in the ocean, like drowning by itself. And I think that's kind of like, you know how he felt and there's other than these demons, like eating a person, like he's kind of like biblical and mythological stories, but like so heavy and so powerful.

And I was thinking this guy, like his whole life, then he was all alone. I didn't think anyone would ever see it. He was painting on the walls of his house, this powerful, powerful stuff. And you can't even believe it. Like you see it and it's just like you literally, like you move. I've seen him twice. I cried both times by looking at him. And the people are able to channel this power. It's like, we got to do this. We have to live our lives in a way that,

You know, we're all going to be, you know, in 50 years, we're all three going to be dead. We might be dead. Hopefully we'll make it through next fucking week. You know what I mean? Like if we're lucky. Well, you guys might be gone. I'm going to keep going. He eats very well. He does eat very well. I'm going to miss you guys. Yeah.

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You had your hands into L.A., it sounds like, from the very beginning. What is your relationship to L.A. now? Talk about the changes you've seen. Do you still get the same kick out of L.A.? You know, that's a funny thing. I don't know if I've ever gotten a kick out of it. Got kicked by it. I've kicked it. I've given it a few good kicks myself. You know, I came here when I was 11 in 1972. And...

Like I said, I grew up running around on the street like a bull maniac. That was with your stepfather. My stepdad, yeah. He was a musician. My stepdad was a jazz musician. And we came here for his music career that never really manifested in a professional way. But it's the last...

I've been on a world tour and I go to places all the time and I think, man, I could live here. You know, I get to Copenhagen and I'm like, this is it. Oh, yeah. No, that's it. We're moving to Copenhagen. We're moving. I'm in. I'm in. We're getting a houseboat. Houseboat. I'm in. Get me a cottage. Give me a room. I'm in. I'm in.

All right. Glad to hear it. Yeah, no. So, yeah, no, I always think that. It's so funny because I've been thinking about it and I was watching a show last night and it kind of figured prominently in the show and I was just like, man, it's a sign. But also, but like, I, lots of places. I was in New Orleans. I love New Orleans. I think I could live here, but oh no, I don't want to die in a swamp when the water comes flooding over next time. You know. But I do enjoy the brass bands a lot. And the etouffee. Yeah.

But every time I come back to LA, like the other day I was driving over to my music school, now this music school here in

I can't remember. It's down some Hollywood street. It's dirty and the traffic's bad and the air sucks and there's people homeless living in their own shit in the street and everything. And I'm like, I feel like I'm home now. You know what I mean? There's this degree of comfort for me here. Yeah. You know, that I don't know that if I went and lived in the cleanest, safest place

you know, more contented population. It's really take care of where they have really good socialized healthcare and education and all that. And, and, you know, they're not letting people fall through the crack and they have good mental healthcare and all this stuff. Like maybe I would feel, you know, where's the dirt and the insanity, you know, I don't know, but my, my relationship to LA is, you know, it's pretty good. You know, I guess it's like that duality we're talking about when we first started. Yeah. You know, I mean, I,

I, you know, I love the Lakers, you know, I mean, but it's, you know, I mean, I don't know, man. I love the beach. I like going up to the mountains to snowboard. I like surfing. We can do all that. I like going out in the desert. In a couple of weeks, I'm going to be up in the mountains backpacking through Yosemite,

Do you go to music venues yourself? Yeah, not as much. I mean, I like to go. If there's good music, I go. It's just changed so much. Like, I feel really grateful to, especially as like someone who plays in a rock band. When I was growing up, when I was, I don't know, started going to see bands and clubs and Hollywood, it was like,

Every single night, seven nights of the week, you could go out and there would be 50 clubs with live bands playing in them. And I was really into the underground punk rock scene. Interesting bands, like weird avant-garde electronic bands and African-sounding bands and new wave bands and hardcore punk rock, kill your mother bands. And then like prog rock, everything you could imagine playing

was every night. You know what I mean? And that's what I did. And every night I'd see like things that were terrible and things that were like jaw-droppingly amazing. And

It was so exciting, and it was such a spirit of wanting to be a part of this community, you know? And I don't know that that exists anymore. I know. Like, they roll back the sidewalks around at midnight. You can't find anything to do here. Yeah. Weird. Yeah, yeah. I feel like that's not happening. And also, like, the nature of music now, like, that young people listen to,

And I'm not saying like there's lots of great young music. Like, you know, I love, there's so many rappers that are awesome and there's lots of great music. Don't, you know, but a lot of contemporary youth culture music is made on a computer. Yeah. And, you know, there's going to be great DJs and great things happening, but there's just not, it's just not everywhere. You can't go like tonight. If you want to go find good live music, you can't.

You know what I mean? You're going to have to search. You're going to have to find something. And it used to just be in your face, like everywhere. So, I mean, that I miss. And I don't know, partly I'm just an old fart and disconnected, you know, but I really, like, I love music and I love the revolutionary spirit of music. I want it.

Um, but you mentioned, I'm glad you mentioned it because I wanted to talk to you about it, like your music school. Tell me about like how that all came about. Um, well, you know, when I was a kid, music was really saved me. You know, it gave me like something to work on. It gave me a sense of camaraderie with other musicians. It gave me that light I'm talking about. It was just like, it was so beautiful. And, um,

As much trouble as I got and as self-destructive as I was, it was always, you know, there for me, like a grounding thing. Like, it's a very good chance without it I would have ended up dead or in jail or, you know, or just pathetic, you know. After I graduated high school and I was like, you know, Chili Peppers had had some success and we were playing in New York and I went to a Knicks game. I'm sitting there watching a game and I'm sitting next to this woman and

And I start talking to her and it turns out she's the music teacher at Fairfax High School. I went to Fairfax, you know, high school, like down the street from here. And she's like, man, you should really come and speak to the kids about, you know, a career in music. And that's a viable thing. I was like, great, I'd love to. And I go down there. This is like 1995 or something. I don't know. Like we had already had, you know, hit records and stuff.

And I go in and the room that I used to go into where you could play any instrument you wanted on a big orchestra. And, you know, they gave me a trumpet and I can't play it. You know, they had nothing. You know, Ronald Reagan, Proposition 13. They cut out all the arts programs in L.A. Public, L.A. USD. And I probably all around the country. I just know about L.A.,

And, um, I was, it was heartbreaking because it was really the same room, the same chairs. And it was a place that was always so alive for me in a one place where I felt comfortable. And you know what I mean? I was real, it's like socially weird too. I wasn't real comfortable with people, but there I felt comfortable and happy connected. And, um, there was nothing. And I was so, it was heartbreaking. Like all they have is like a music appreciation class, like a boom box. And she'd play music and the kids would listen. And you know what I mean? And

And I was, it was so kind of, I left like really kind of shaken, you know, by that. And I kind of planted in my head, I should start a music school. And I was, you know, thinking about it, thinking about it. And then I read this great book by a guy called Horace Tapscott. He was a great LA jazz musician. He played with Sun Ra. He did all kinds of great stuff. And at one point in the, I guess it's,

early 60s he started a thing in south la i was like i remember closing that reading that book and it really there was like two books i read and i just like remember closing that book and i was like i get back to la i'm starting music school i don't give a fuck i don't care what it costs what it takes i'm gonna do it and i went back and i did it i got my friend tree i you know i mean my friend pete i was just like let's find a building i'll pay whatever it costs let's do it

And now it's 21 years later since we opened our doors. It took a couple of years to get it going. We teach 800 kids a week. Whoa. Yep. It's a really flourishing school. We operated out of a storefront for the first like 15 years. And now we've had this beautiful building up on Hollywood in Vermont. It's called the Silver Lake Conservatory of Music. We teach all the orchestral instruments, all the band instruments. We have choir. We have group lessons, private lessons, music.

Who teaches there? We have like 20, 25 teachers. That are on staff? Yeah. And then do you have people, visiting people come in and? We never have done that. We talk about it sometimes. I'll talk to famous musicians, like do like master classes or whatever. We haven't really done that. We try to stay away from any celebrity oriented thing at all. Right. Or even any style of music at all. Really, it's not about like rock music or classical jazz or anything. It's just music.

learning an instrument, learning the diligence and focus of practicing, reading music, and then you can take it aesthetically wherever you want. Like, we have all kinds of groups. We have, like, a rock group. We have a jazz group. We have, you know, classical choir. We have all this stuff, but it's really just about music. When you expose people to creativity, you expose them to all possibilities. All of a sudden, your imagination, you know...

Whenever I go see something incredibly creative, I want to come out and do my best in everything I can think of. I want to be creative. I want to pour everything into it. So what you're doing is just fantastic. You know, I think the most important thing that people who have the means to, if you want to help in a low-income neighborhood,

The two things that the big things are one, not just going in and helping what you think to do is right, like building a school or whatever, like it's all awesome, but going down and talking and listening. Yes. You know what I mean? Because you get all these like, save your complex people going to do stuff. It's like, you got to go and listen. What do the people want? What do they, you know what I mean? Like, yes, like first and then try to help facilitate that.

People need to be listened to and understood and respected. I was thinking of another bass player who you consider the greatest bass player.

has a school in Liverpool called LIPA, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Paul McCartney. Oh, awesome. And yeah, I asked him who he thought was his favorite bass player. He thinks Paul is the greatest bass player. I think Paul's the greatest rock bass player. You know, he's just great. I mean, there's so many guys that are great in different ways, right?

But Paul's like, his bass playing is so lyrical and melodic. And I mean, it's just so beautiful. You know, and I think like one of the things is I've heard that he put the bass on after. So as like a band like mine, the bass is often coming, you know, sometimes like the last time start with bass lines.

So coming first or the music comes first. Whereas Paul's like, you know, I think Paul and John and George and, you know, those guys like they wrote songs and Paul would do the bass at one day after, you know, when multitracking came in the beginning of them, they just went and played live and,

but would do it after like Sergeant Peppers the melody is already there so then he's doing like you know like a boxing counter melody yeah you know so the bass is like a melody as opposed to like you know just rhythm and like that and that's amazing he's amazing yeah he's amazing he's amazing

Before we go, I have to thank you for you guys played for an Oceana event last summer at Keith Addis' house. And you raised like over a million dollars for ocean activism. So I really want to say thank you. Oh, yeah, of course. Thank you. Yeah. Ocean, man. I love it.

I love spending time with you. I've loved spending this time with you. This has been incredibly cathartic. It truly has been a gift. And I continue to be inspired by you and how you give back to the world.

And just your big, giant fucking heart. Yeah, thanks, dude. So thanks for being you, buddy. I just like being connected to the world, you know? And there's a lot of beautiful things. It's a sad and beautiful world, Ted. It's a sad and beautiful world. And the more connected to who we are and, like, not live in our bubbles but stay connected, the more we're able to facilitate the beautiful part.

Thank you so much, Woody, for introducing me to Flea. And thank you to our friends at Team Coco. If you like this episode, please tell a friend or better yet, subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. More for you next time where everybody knows your name. Take care.

You've been listening to Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson, sometimes. The show is produced by me, Nick Liao. Executive producers are Adam Sachs, Colin Anderson, Jeff Ross, and myself. Sarah Federovich is our supervising producer. Our senior producer is Matt Apodaca. Engineering and mixing by Joanna Samuel with support from Eduardo Perez. Research by Alyssa Grahl.

Talent booking by Paula Davis and Gina Batista. Our theme music is by Woody Harrelson, Anthony Gann, Mary Steenburgen, and John Osborne. Special thanks to Willie Navarie. We'll have more for you next time, where everybody knows your name. Consumer Cellular offers the same fast, reliable nationwide coverage without the big wireless cost. Freedom Calls.

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