Flea is an amazing bassist and i ****ing hate RHCP

Amazing is very strong. He’s a very good popular rock bassist, and he certainly helps define RHCP’s sound. If we move out of the popular rock genre and compare him against people that are actually schooled in music rather than failed guitarists, he’s really nothing special. All that being said, he could be the greatest bassist ever and he’d still be incredibly annoying.

My hate for the RHCP burns brighter than 10,000 suns.

I hate RHCP too.

But the slap/pop style is just far too awesome, and he's really ****ing good at it. He's not my favorite, but from a technique standpoint it's far more difficult to get right than just fingering it, or playing with a pick.

I fiddle around with my bass (i have 3) when i get bored. I'm far from a musician by any means, im just a bored guy with a couple of electric basses and some practice amps. I sit in front of YouTube watching Bass Covers w/tabs as i play along to my favorite songs.

And while playing Tool's 46 & 2 sounds great to my ears, it's nowhere near as complicated as trying to (and failing horribly) at replicating some of those Flea tabs.

And while i like Fieldy's sound better, the amount of notes and technique required to replicate a Korn bass cover just isn't as complicated as a Flea RHCP cover.

If i had to pick one bassist i wish i could emulate, it'd be Ryan Martinie.

I know Les Claypool is the default answer for Slap/Pop bass, and im certainly in awe when i watch/listen to him, im just not big into Primus or his sound.

I can't stand Tool and it's really not them or their music.

I had a friend that went through a "tool" phase where that's literally all he listened to for months. I got so sick of it that I can't listen to them even now, 20 years later.

I mean, I don’t think slap bass is really much more difficult than fingerpicking, it’s just different. I don’t think just because one plays a slap style that they are better than someone who doesn’t by default. Great players incorporate all kinds of styles. Look at a guy like John Myung who certainly wouldn’t be known as a slap player and tell me with a straight face that he isn’t a significantly more technically advanced player than Flea.

Further, I don’t think Flea brings anything new or interesting to slap bass playing anyway. It’s just that most people who listen to RHCP don’t listen to a much real funk where slap bass is more popular. Take Victor Wooten, another guy who I wouldn’t pigeonhole as a slap player, but his slap play is leagues ahead of Flea.

I think the problem is that people who are genuinely virtuoso level players on their instruments, aren’t going to be players in popular bands. The kind of music that interests a virtuoso isn’t the kind of music that interest average Joe. Take The Aristocrats for example. Incredible playing that 99% of people will never hear.

It's the Crazy Train principle - amazing riff, amazing song, all time classic.......and makes my skin crawl every time I hear it due to it being played. to. ****ing. death.

In the grand history of all-time great drummers, he doesn't crack the top 5,000 (unless you're a reerun). And I should know, I'm Buddy ****ing Rich.

Damn, I was hoping we'd have LESS in common, not more. ROFL

LMAO

My son grew up riding my old deck. Sims Screamer. I looked it up on eBay. Some of those old boards go for $1,000 now.

This was my favorite board back in the day.

https://external-content.duckduckgo....jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Nice!

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f9/92...a3e48297ca.jpg

Not mine. Mine's beat to Hell and back. It's got a big chunk missing from the nose. My son asked how it happened we he was little. I told him that I came across a huge snapping turtle off of 103rd and Antioch one day. So I naturally poked the ****er with my board. SNAP!!

Damn i aint seen a skateboard like that in decades lol.

Considering I saved up and bought it in 1983, that's hardly a surprise.

LMAO

NSFW:

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That is a really awesome deck for sure.I had the Caballero with the dragon logo deck back in the day,key word had,grrr. It got thrown or given away i think.And it was in good shape too cause i sucked at skating.I was pretty decent at sports,but skating is just a whole different animal,i guess.