And Finally Artist News

RHCP’s Flea disses modern rock music, and modern rock industry

By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 23 May 2016

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist and tedious old man Flea has been dissing modern rock music while guesting on Sirius XM’s Pearl Jam Radio, hosted by Pearl Jam guitarist and tedious old man Mike McCready.

Alternative Nation notes that Flea says of those pesky 1990s: “I just remember being so excited that we were playing with [Pearl Jam] and with Smashing Pumpkins, because it was just an exciting time for rock music. A lot of times, especially recently, I look at rock music as kind of a dead form in a lot of ways. Nothing to take away from us and [Pearl Jam], because obviously I believe we’re relevant bands that come with a real energy”.

Well of course, totally relevant, who’d ever say otherwise? Though wanna know why rock music is dead now? It’s the bloody industry, innit? Everyone’s too business savvy.

“When we were kids”, he Fleas on, “when I said I want to be in a rock band and that’s what I’m doing for my life, that’s what I was going to do, no question. You’d get: ‘You are a fucking lunatic, you are crazy. You’re never going to get a decent job in your life. What are you doing? You’re ruining your life’. I was like fuck it, I don’t care, this is what I want to do, this means everything to me, I found a home. I’ve been a weird, neurotic, loner kid all my life, I was always the kid you called fag in high school, punk rock gave me a home”.

“But nowadays, you decide you want to be in a rock band it’s like, ‘Oh great, let’s get you an image consultant, and a lawyer, and a manager, and let’s see what we can do here”, he adds. “It’s a great money making opportunity for you, junior'”.

Not sure which careers officer he’s referring to there, but anyway, aspiring rock stars, stop being savvy about the business of music and you too could make music like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam. And how joyous would that be?