Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has opened up on recording a Gang Of Four cover with John Frusciante, hailing it as “an act of love” for the band’s late guitarist Andy Gill.
- READ MORE: Andy Gill – the NME obituary, 1956-2020: The guitar hero who made radical politics danceable
The track, a fresh take on ‘Not Great Men’ with vocals from The Silverlake Conservatory Youth Chorale, features on ‘The Problem Of Leisure: A Celebration Of Andy Gill And Gang Of Four’, which was originally conceived by Gill to mark the 40th anniversary of the band’s 1979 debut album ‘Entertainment!‘
The record subsequently transformed into a tribute album, after Gill – who produced Red Hot Chili Peppers self-titled 1984 debut – died in February 2020.
Hailing the record, Flea wrote on Instagram: “John Frusciante and I, along with the children’s choir from the Silverlake Conservatory Of Music recorded the song Not Great Men by the Gang Of Four for this album.
“It was a beautiful opportunity for me to connect with my friend, the innovative guitarist Andy Gill, before he shockingly passed away shortly after the recording was made. This was an act of love for him. Me, John and the kids, (directed by SJ Hasman) went and knocked it out in a couple of days raw style. John and I hadn’t recorded together in about twelve years. It was fun as fuk. Long live the Gang of Four, long live Andy Gill.”
Meanwhile, Flea was recently cast in Damien Chazelle’s forthcoming film, Babylon.
According to Deadline, Flea’s casting in the film comes alongside the announcement of other new cast members Max Minghella, Samara Weaving and more. They join previously announced cast members Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Diego Calva, Jovan Adepo and more.
Babylon is set to be Chazelle’s first directorial film role in four years, following on from 2018’s First Man. Besides the film’s setting of 1920s Hollywood, details of the plot remain unknown to the public at the time of writing.
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