Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea Reveals His Top Five Authors

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea is a man of many talents and interests, including acting, writing and even humorously TMI social media posts. It’s no wonder, then, why his recently revealed list of his top five authors (based on how many books by each he owns) is so diverse and revered.

This past Friday (May 12), a Twitter user posted the following prompt: “Omitting collected works, who are the top 5 authors in your library by no. of books on your shelves?” About an hour later, Flea retweeted it, responding that his picks (in order from lowest to highest ranked) are James Baldwin, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., L. Frank Baum, Toni Morrison and Cormac McCarthy.

Again, those choices are commendably varied.

For example, both James Baldwin and Toni Morrison are acclaimed essayists and creative writers who’ve penned seminal works on race, sexuality, class and other aspects of sociopolitical intersectionality (such as Notes of a Native Son, If Beale Street Could Talk, Beloved and The Bluest Eye). Both authors also influenced Rage Against the Machine’s second LP, 1996’s Evil Empire.

In contrast, Vonnegut Jr.’s mostly known as a sci-fi writer and cultural satirist (Breakfast of Champions, “Harrison Bergeron,” Slaughterhouse-Five); L. Frank Baum wrote children’s texts (namely, the Wizard of Oz books); and McCarthy frequently taps into Southern gothic and post-apocalyptic fiction (The Road, No Country for Old Men, Blood Meridian).

READ MORE: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea Names His Three Favorite Bass Lines

Flea’s love of McCarthy is particularly unsurprising given that (earlier this month) he defended the Coen brothers’ 2007 adaptation of No Country for Old Men after celebrated author Joyce Carol Oates criticized it.

Expectedly, his Twitter followers championed his selections. Specifically, one person cheered: “McCarthy, Vonnegut, and Baldwin are in my top ten as well!” Another fan asked, “Favorite Toni Morrison? She's a beautiful writer.”

As of this writing, Flea’s not commented on any of those responses.

You can see his post below.

So, what do you think of Flea’s picks? Are you a fan of any (or all) of those authors, and if not, who are some of your favorite writers? Let us know!

Also, be sure to catch Red Hot Chili Peppers on tour this summer, as they’ll no doubt be playing a great mix of material from their whole catalog (including last year’s dynamic duo of Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen).

You can see their upcoming tour dates here – as well as below – and get tickets here.

Red Hot Chili Peppers 2023 Tour Dates

May 17 – San Antonio, Texas @ Alamodome
May 19 – Gulf Shores, Ala. @ Hangout Fest
May 25 – Houston, Texas @ Minute Maid Park
May 28 – Napa Valley, Calif. @ BottleRock
June 18 – Landgraaf, Netherlands @ Pinkpop
June 21 – Warsaw, Poland @ Narodowy
June 24 – Odense, Denmark @ Tinderbox
June 26 – Mannheim, Germany @ Maimarktgelande
June 30 – Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter
July 2 – Milan, Italy @ I-Days
July 6 – Lison, Portugal @ NOS Live
July 8 – Madrid, Spain @ Mad Cool
July 11 – Lyon, France @ Groupama Stadium
July 14 – Vienna, Austria @ Happel Stadium
July 17 – Carhaix, France @ Lex Vielles Charrues
July 21 – London, England @ Hotspur Stadium
July 23 – Glasgow, Scotland @ Hampden Park
Aug. 6 – Chicago, Ill. @ Lollapalooza
Sept. 30 – Bridgeport, Ct. @ Sound on Sound
Oct. 31 – San José, Costa Rica @ Estadio Nacional
Nov. 4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Estádio Engenhão Nilton Santos
Nov. 7 – Brasilia, Brazil @ Arena BSB Mané Garrincha
Nov. 10 – São Paulo, Brazil @ Estádio do Morumbi
Nov. 13 – Curitiba, Brazil @ Estádio Couto Pereira
Nov. 16 – Porto Alegre, Brazil @ Arena do Grêmio
Nov. 19 – Santiago, Chile @ Movistar Arena
Nov. 21 – Santiago, Chile @ Movistar Arena
Nov. 24 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Estadio River Plate
Nov. 26 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Estadio River Plate