Flea (musician) - Early Life

Early Life

Flea was born in the Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverley. He is of Hungarian and Irish descent. His father, Mick Balzary, an avid fisherman, often took him fishing. When Flea was five, his family moved to Larchmont, New York for his father's career. In 1971, his parents divorced and his father returned to Australia. Flea and his siblings stayed with their mother Patricia, who soon remarried to a jazz musician. Flea's stepfather, Walter Abdul Urban (1941–2011), frequently invited musicians to his house, where jam sessions would often take place. The family moved again to Los Angeles, California, where Flea became fascinated with the trumpet. He had no interest in rock music at the time; he idolized jazz musicians like Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie.

His stepfather was an "aggressive alcoholic", who eventually became involved in shoot-outs with police. "I was raised in a very violent, alcoholic household", Flea later said, "I grew up being terrified of my parents, particularly my father figures. It caused a lot of trouble later in life." To cope, Flea began smoking cannabis at 13, and became a daily user.

Flea, who was then nicknamed Mike B the Flea, attended Fairfax High School, and was somewhat of an outcast due to his taste in music. However, he soon met Anthony Kiedis, and after a brief confrontation, the two became best friends. Kiedis recalled: "We were drawn to each other by the forces of mischief and love and we became virtually inseparable. We were both social outcasts. We found each other and it turned out to be the longest-lasting friendship of my life." Flea was turned on to rock music, particularly punk rock by a friend in high school named Hillel Slovak. Slovak asked him to be a bassist in a punk band he was starting. He met Anthony Kiedis; they became roommates and after a time, they were offered a gig and played under a preliminary name. However, every show after that, they were referred to as the Red Hot Chili Peppers.