Flea has delivered a passionate and rousing speech about American diner chain Denny’s – see what the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist had to say below.
Flea recently made a guest appearance on John Mulaney’s six-episode show Everybody’s In LA. The bassist’s appearance came on the sixth and final episode, during which Mulaney joked that Flea could be found anywhere in Los Angeles, turning it into a running joke and game throughout the episode.
After finally finding Flea, Mulaney gave the bassist the floor after saying he had prepared a speech. Flea began: “I just want everybody to know I was never lost. I was at Denny’s.”
We found Flea and he's got some shit to say! #EverybodysInLA pic.twitter.com/a4Yj6lBeAh
— Netflix Is A Joke (@NetflixIsAJoke) May 11, 2024
Flea continued: “Is the name of this show What Is LA? Well, whether it is or not, I’ll tell you what LA is, LA is Denny’s, motherfucker! Denny’s is a magical place and is a sanctuary in this town. It’s a microcosm of LA. It transcends all cultural and ethnics and economic boundaries. It’s a beautiful place. You can find everybody in Denny’s. I was just there.”
“There are all these beautiful Latino kids just coming from their prom, coming from their quinceañera. It’s a great place. Well, you could go there at midnight. People bring their babies there at midnight and you might go, ‘Well, they better take that baby home.’ You don’t know what they’re doing! You don’t know why that baby’s there. They might be locked out of their apartment. I know I’m locked out of mine.”
He concluded: “But what I really want to say is God bless Denny’s. God bless all those street musicians out there, put some money in their hat. And God bless this beautiful, filthy, glorious, sprawling city of Los Angeles.”
Denny’s took to social media to react to Flea’s passionate speech, writing: “No one is ever lost when they’re at Denny’s.”
No one is ever lost when they're at a Denny's
— Denny’s (@DennysDiner) May 11, 2024
Flea’s speech comes as Denny’s continues to play a rather special role in the music ecosystem. In 2013, Texan hardcore band Live Without went viral after hosting a gig in a Denny’s outlet that was due to shut its doors for good, complete with moshing, slam dancing and more. The viral clip also sees frontman Kris scream the now-iconic line “What the fuck is up, Denny’s?!”
Since then, Denny’s has begun hosting more gigs, though sporadically, and has captured the attention of major bands such as Green Day – who helped a local booker pay for damages caused during a punk show at an outlet – and Blink-182, who performed at a Denny’s last year.
Flea and Red Hot Chili Peppers last released two albums in 2022, both featuring a returning John Frusciante. ‘Unlimited Love’ scored a four-star review from NME, while its follow-up, ‘Return of the Dream Canteen’, earned a three-star rating.
Bassist Flea spoke to NME in 2022 about the replacement of Josh Klinghoffer, who they ousted to make room for Frusciante. “It was a big shift for us, parting ways with Josh. He’s been with us for 10 years, and it was an emotionally difficult thing to do. Not only was he a great musician, he was also a thoughtful, supportive team-player – a communally-minded, kind and intelligent person.
“But artistically, in terms of being able to speak the same [musical] language, it was easier working with John. Getting back into a room and starting to play and letting the thing unfold… was really exciting.”
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