Michael Peter Balzary was born October 16, 1962, in Melbourne Australia. Eventually he moved to Los Angeles, California with his mother and his step father. During this time, Flea became very interested in the trumpet. As he attended Fairfax High School, his teachers considered him to be a prodigy. He was compared with some of the greatest trumpet players of all time and was expected to reach that mark someday. Later on, Flea’s friend Hillel Slovak introduced Flea to rock music. At this time, Hillel started teaching Flea to play the bass guitar. Flea found a liking to it, and the rest was history.
Flea’s work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers incorporates several musical styles; he will play an aggressive slap bass as well as a calmer and more melodic technique of bass. Besides the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea has played with many other artists. Such examples are the hard rock band Jane’s Addiction and the singer Alanis Morsette. Flea draws most f his influences from funk and punk rock, but still likes to keep it simple. He states that complex playing might show off, but in the end it needs to be used in moderation. Flea has also appeared in a few movies such as The Big Lebowski, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Thrashin’.  To this day, many believe Flea to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest and most influential bass guitarist of all time.