An Aussie-born rock star was spotted in Sydney today, dining at Sean’s in North Bondi.
Michael Balzary, better known as Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, was photographed at the popular restaurant, blending in with the crowd if not for his neon green hair.
Now based in California, Flea was born in Melbourne in 1962.
Four years later, his dad, Mick Balzary, was working in customs for the Australian government when he accepted a post at the Australian consulate in Manhattan.
The whole family moved to the suburbs of Rye, New York.
“My father always says to me, still, ‘If I had my druthers, you would’ve been an engineer’,” Flea told the New York Times in 2019.
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“I like to think I would’ve rebelled and ended up in [Nick Cave’s] the Birthday Party or something.”
When he was promoting his memoir, Acid for the Children, Flea told the Times: “Odds are, I might be sitting in Australia, drinking a Foster’s…”.
There was no Foster’s in sight today, but it does appear Flea was, indeed, sitting in Australia.
He hasn’t updated much on Instagram in the last few days, but it’s only a month since he posted celebrating 20 years of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, which he founded with Keith “Tree” Barry.
“20 years of The Silverlake Conservatory Of Music,” he wrote.
“And today we celebrate five years in the beautiful building of our own!!! Lotsa kids getting music lessons!!!!! Nothing could make me happier.”
While we don’t know for sure why Flea is in Australia, it has been widely reported that his dad moved back when his parents split, and lived on the outskirts of Canberra with his second wife.
Sydney and Melbourne’s international airports officially re-opened on November 1st, allowing quarantine-free entry for fully-vaccinated travellers.
This has given many – including, possibly, Flea – the opportunity to visit friends and family for the first time in two years.
