I started playing bass guitar in the late 1980’s, around the same time as the funk punk / funk metal craze was beginning to gain popularity.

I wasn’t deliberately trying to imitate anybody in particular, although I did get compared to Les Claypool and Flea quite a bit.

I don’t slap nearly as much as they do, just a little bit… as an accent.

But, admittedly, funk music is part of my repertoire.

I grew up on bass players in the 1970’s like Rick James, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham.

Hell, even the Bee Gees had some good songs.

Add to that funky punks like Mike Watt (Minutemen / Firehose), Rob Wright (NoMeansNo), Larry Boothroyd (Victims Family), and Jah Wobble (Public Image Ltd.), then it is no surprise that I sometimes got lumped in with guys like Flea & Claypool.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are okay, I guess.

They have always had a great rhythm section.

Without Flea, their band is nothing.

The RHCP’s songwriting, though, has always been kinda…. mehhhh.

Most of it kinda sucks.

A weird thing about them is that their best albums are usually released just after they have replaced yet another guitarist.

They use them up like batteries, sorta, and have to keep changing them to be any good.

Honestly, Anthony Keidis and Flea are the Beavis & Butthead of the group.

Keidis is an annoying asshole and Flea is an idiot, like his retarded friend.

Maybe their personalities suck the life out of guitar players.

I dunno.

I gotta respect Flea as a musician, though.

He did evolve over time, grew as a player, and was never half bad to begin with.

The dynamics of their guitars, created by original guitarist Hillel Slovak, has always been impressive too, no matter which replacement has copped his style.