Flea has always been one of the more distinctive looking musicians in rock, but in the band’s early days one of his more iconic looks was rocking an instantly noticeable pair of baggy pants made out of stuffed animals. While many will recall his guest turn rocking a killer bass line along with those stylish pants in Young MC’s “Bust a Move” video, you can also see him donning the pants in Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ “Higher Ground” and “Behind the Sun” videos as well. So what happened to those pants? Sadly, Flea revealed they were stolen upon being asked by a fan about them on Twitter.
“They were stolen from the trunk of my car along with my bad ass leather jacket. i had just moved into a nice house for the first time in my life and got robbed on the first night,” revealed the Chili Peppers’ bassist, which led to many disappointed commenters and one who even started a hashtag #HelpFindFleasPants in hopes of recovering the stolen threads.
While you might think that the hugely successful “Bust a Move” cameo would be a great experience for the bassist, there was even more to bemoan for Flea beyond the loss of his beloved pants. In a 1996 Bass Player interview, Flea recalled that he missed out on a writing credit on “Bust a Move.” “The bass line I wrote ended up being a major melody of the tune,” he explained, “And I felt I deserved song-writing credit and money because it was a No. 1 hit. They sold millions of records, and I got $200! It was ridiculous, but I learned from it.”
The song actually topped out at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but was in heavy rotation on MTV and did hit No. 1 in Australia and on the Canadian Dance/Urban chart upon its release. It went on to become a platinum-certified single in the U.S. and has turned up in a wealth of movies including Uncle Buck, Dude, Where’s My Car? and Up In The Air.
READ MORE: Flea Names Best + Worst Red Hot Chili Peppers Albums
Flea had previously spoken about the missing trousers in a 2008 interview (as shared by Rock the Bells), noting, “Someone stole them. It’s so funny because for years I always lived in crappy little apartments but right when we got the money from signing with Warner Brothers I got to buy a house. I bought a nice house in Los Feliz that I was real excited about. I drove home and the first night at that house, someone broke into my car and stole my bass, my leather jacket and those stuffed animal pants out of my trunk. And I had lived in crappy neighborhoods for so long and never got robbed. As soon as I stepped up, someone took my stuff. I commissioned the girl who made them to make me another pair and I never saw the money or the pants again.”
These days pants are not a problem for Flea. The musician has gone on to a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who are currently traveling through Europe on tour. They’ve got dates in Lyon, France and Vienna, Austria this week.
Young MC, “Bust a Move”
Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Higher Ground”
Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Behind the Sun”
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