Flea Honors Early Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist

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Flea Honors Early Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist

Flea has paid homage to Jack Sherman, who was the second guitarist in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, playing with the band from 1983 to 1985.

The band announced Sherman’s passing on Aug. 18. He was 64.

While tributes poured in last month, Flea admitted that he needed “a couple of weeks to process the death of Jack Sherman” in an Instagram post that he posted yesterday (Sept. 8).

He also revealed that he and Sherman didn’t necessarily have the easiest of relationships, especially since they stopped playing together in 1985.

“I found him to be unreasonable sometimes,” Flea wrote, “and I’m sure I behaved like an obnoxious asshole with him sometimes. This morning, in pondering him, a wave of appreciation washed over me, which is really the only truth of the matter.”

Despite any issues they had, Flea couldn’t deny Sherman’s talent.

“He was beaming with glee when he played it, and we were enrapt in the mythology of the funk like a couple of little kids,” Flea said about their first meeting. “He played the most wicked guitar part on our song ‘Mommy Where’s Daddy,’ a thing that influenced the way I heard rhythm forever.”

He ended the post on a heartwarming note, saying, “We came from very different backgrounds, had different world views, and it was hard for us to relate to one another often. But the excitement we shared over music, and the joy that bubbled up between us will last forever. Rest In Peace Sherm I love you.”

See Flea’s full Instagram post below.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

It has taken me a couple of weeks to process the death of Jack Sherman. Our relationship was complicated, we stopped playing music together in 1985 and things were often fraught in the rare times we communicated since. I found him to be unreasonable sometimes, and I’m sure I behaved like an obnoxious asshole with him sometimes. This morning, in pondering him, a wave of appreciation washed over me, which is really the only truth of the matter. When I first went to his house he had a ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE flag on his bedroom wall, and he played me funk I had never heard, like March To the Witches Castle. He was beaming with glee when he played it, and we were enrapt in the mythology of the funk like a couple of little kids. He played the most wicked guitar part on our song Mommy Where’s Daddy, a thing that influenced the way I heard rhythm forever. He taught me about diet, to eat clean and be conscious of my body. But more than anything, he was my friend. We came from very different backgrounds, had different world views, and it was hard for us to relate to one another often. But the excitement we shared over music, and the joy that bubbled up between us will last forever. Rest In Peace Sherm I love you.

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