FLEA STUDYING MUSIC AT USC
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea is furthering his education while his band is on its two-year hiatus. The 45-year-old musician is taking classes as an “undergraduate visitor” at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. The Los Angeles Times reports that Flea is enrolled under his real name, Michael Balzary, and comes to campus several times a week for courses in theory, composition, and jazz trumpet.
Flea played trumpet growing up, and his current jazz trumpet assignment is transcribing jazz musicianLee Morgan’s trumpet solo on the song “Party Time.”
As for going to school as an already successful musician, Flea says it “makes perfect sense.” He told the Times, “My whole musical life has been an educational process and I’m just furthering my education and filling in the blanks. There’s stuff that I want to know that I don’t know.”
Flea also says he’s nearly done with a solo album he describes as “mostly instrumental.” The few vocals on the project were recorded by Patti Smith and the choir from Flea’s Silverlake Conservatory of Music.
Rapper Romeo is also an undergrad at USC and attends the school on a basketball scholarship.