At this point, the only thing that could make Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea more legendary is if he’d replace each of his callused digits with an actual red hot chili pepper. It’s not like you can’t play with one. Davide Biale just proved it.
The wunderkind bassist, who regularly posts his musical experiments on YouTube, was challenged by a fan to perform some of Flea’s bass lines using the band’s namesake vegetable. The resulting medley, which incorporates the pepper as more than just a pick, is hilarious in just how on point it is.
He begins with “Can’t Stop” before seguing into “Higher Ground,” ”Californication,” “Scar Tissue” and more. Once he hits “Around The World,” though, the pepper is relegated only to a supporting role. Hey, it’s a tough riff.
What we’ve learned: Chili pepper as instrument? Good. Chili pepper as pre-performance snack? Bad.