Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has shared a tribute to the band’s early guitarist, Jack Sherman, who died in August.
Sherman played on RHCP’s 1984 self-titled debut album and performed with the band during their first U.S. tour. He’s also a credited songwriter on the Peppers’ sophomore effort, 1985’s Freaky Styley.
In a statement posted to his Instagram, Flea acknowledges that he needed “a couple of weeks to process” Sherman’s passing.
“Our relationship was complicated,” Flea writes. “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 a**hole with him sometimes.”
However, Flea adds, “This morning, in pondering him, a wave of appreciation washed over me, which is really the only truth of the matter.”
Flea shares how he and Sherman would listen to funk music together, and how the guitarist’s part on the Peppers song “Mommy, Where’s Daddy?” “influenced the way I heard rhythm forever.”
“More than anything, he was my friend,” Flea writes. “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,” Flea concludes.
By Josh Johnson
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