Flea Chokes Fan For Saying Bass is Just a 4 String Guitar

Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player, Flea, lost his cool and choked a fan for insinuating the bass is an inferior instrument.

Flea, aka Michael Peter Balzary has been referred to as one of the greatest bass players of all time. He takes his bass playing seriously and was not going to allow someone to besmirch his life’s work.

Bass Player Jokes

The fan, Brett Bayne, kept annoying Flea during a fundraiser for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. Bayne started off on the wrong foot when he told Flea some bad bass player jokes. “What do you call a guy who hangs around with musicians? A Bass Player!” giggled Bayne. “How does a bass player pick up girls? He says Hi I’m the guitarist!” Bayne was in hysterics at this point and Flea walked away.

Bayne continued to follow and harass Flea. “Hey Flea you are a good bass player but it seems like anyone can play the bass. It seems like bands just take the worst guitar player and make him the bass player. The bass is just a 4 string guitar.”

At this point Flea snapped and got Bayne in a chokehold. He may be small and wiry, but is very strong for his size. Like an Ant, Flea can lift 10x his own body weight. Flea then continued to choke Bayne until he passed out and fell on his head. As Bayne was laying there, butt side up, Flea repeatedly kicked him in the taint.

Flea was restrained and led away by his publicist. Flea later told Madhouse News, “I spent 12 hours a day as a teen practicing the bass. My mama scrubbed toilets so I could take bass lessons. I will be damned if I am going to allow some jerk denigrate the bass. It is a beautiful instrument and it is just as valid as the guitar. How dare he.”