This Little Light

Hosted by Flea, founding member and bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, This Little Light is a podcast about falling in love with music. Flea interviews musical guests from all genres to discuss the teachers who guided them, the influences that inspired them, and how the lessons they learned as young musicians have shaped their creativity, resilience, and careers. Guests range from legends to rising stars, and include Rick Rubin, Patti Smith, Thundercat Margo Price, and Cynthia Erivo. The podcast is produced by Cadence13 and Parallel, with proceeds benefiting the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that Flea co-founded in 2001.

Episodes

Anthony Kiedis

June 29, 2023 • 82 mins

Anthony Kiedis’ music education and evolution, from 1. Experimenting with his earliest form of special expression via dance → 2. Meeting Flea in high school and starting his musical journey → 3. Embracing his role as a singer → 4. The RHCP very first show, where they played a single song → 5. Navigating relationships with different producers → 6. Being influenced by Nina Hagen → 7. Meeting John Frusciante and building their creativ...

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John Frusciante

June 22, 2023 • 115 mins

John Frusciante’s music education and evolution, from 1. First picking up an acoustic guitar (that he wished was electric) → 2. His first experiences with teachers, including ones that inspired him and ones that discouraged him → 3. Discovering punk rock in LA → 4. Playing his first show in LA → 5. Joining the RHCP and embracing his own signature style. John Frusciante is the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Follow Silver...

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Earl Sweatshirt

June 15, 2023 • 51 mins

Earl Sweatshirt’s music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up in Chicago, lying on his family’s Persian rug listening to jazz, African horns, and gospel music → 2. Being a dad now, watching his son learn rhythm → 3. Learning saxophone in elementary school → 4. Starting writing rap at 16 and also listening to music like Dr. Dre’s ‘Chronic 2001’ and Lil Wayne’s ‘Money on My Mind’ → 5. Visiting his dad in South Africa and starti...

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Tenacious D

June 8, 2023 • 54 mins

Tenacious D’s music education and evolution, from 1. Kyle learning to play the flute, and Jack learning piano → 2. Jack meeting his creative hero, Bobby McFerrin, and being inspired to think of his voice as his instrument → 3. Tenacious D being encouraged by Harry Shearer at an early concert → 4. Building a creative process based in acting. Jack Black and Kyle Gass make up the Greatest Band in the World: Tenacious D. The band had ...

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Cory Henry

June 1, 2023 • 39 mins

Cory Henry’s music education and evolution, from 1. Watching his mom perform as choir director and lead musician at his church in Brooklyn and eventually playing with the choir by age five → 2. In high school joining the jazz band and going to the Village Underground open mic nights for soul and gospel music → 3. Expanding his taste beyond gospel to include hip hop → 4. Playing with Snarky Puppy and living a scrappy existence; doin...

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Stewart Copeland

May 25, 2023 • 52 mins

Stewart Copeland’s music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up in Cairo and Beirut, and starting to play trombone at age seven, inspired by his dad, who was a trumpet player → 2. Moving on to drums at age 10 → 3. Seeing his crush dance to his band’s music and realizing its power → 4. Crawling around on the floor on his mom’s Persian rug, and realizing that the complex patterns were exactly what music was all about for him, a ...

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Margo Price

May 18, 2023 • 43 mins

Margo Price’s music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up making plays for her sister and friends → 2. Buying herself her first guitar with her eighth grade graduation money → 3. Moving to Nashville and wanting to play a different kind of country music → 4. Pawning her wedding ring and selling her car to pay for recording at Sun Studios in Memphis, making the record, and then pitching it to every label and no interest for a y...

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Rivers Cuomo

May 11, 2023 • 49 mins

Rivers Cuomo’s music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up on an ashram in rural Connecticut, mostly cut off from mainstream popular culture → 2. Making a new friend at age seven who introduced him to Kiss, and recording themselves listening, dancing, and singing along to it → 3. Being encouraged by a friend to join chorus and musical theater in eighth grade → 4. Starting a band in high school and being inspired by Amadeus to...

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Sheila E

May 4, 2023 • 42 mins

Shelia E’s music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up surrounded by music with her dad, the legendary Pete Escoveda, and uncles and siblings → 2. Starting to play the violin at the encouragement of her parents → 3. Performing for Billy Cobham and producing a record together → 4. Training as a competitive runner → 5. Touring and playing with George Duke, being exposed to other musicians and instruments → 6. Her experience be...

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Jewel

April 27, 2023 • 62 mins

Jewel’s music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up on an Alaskan homestead singing with her extended family → 2. Teaching herself to yodel at 5 years old → 3. Performing all over Alaska with her parents, including in bars and Inuit villages → 4. Attending Michigan’s Interlochen music school at 15, and street busking in Mexico during school breaks → 5. Negotiating the record deal for Pieces of You and striving to protect the ...

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Cynthia Erivo

April 20, 2023 • 45 mins

Cynthia Erivo’s music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up listening to Nigerian music at family gatherings → 2. Discovering her voice through singing along to Brandy, Monica, and TLC → 3. Joining the choir in high school and going to university for music psychology → 4. Working as an usher in a local theater and realizing that she had to perform → 5. Honing her skills as a musician and actress, embracing vulnerability → 6. ...

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Thundercat

April 13, 2023 • 65 mins

Thundercat’s music education and evolution, from 1. Messing with his dad’s Billy Cobham records with his brother Ronald → 2. Growing up with two musician parents, and going to gigs with his dad → 3. Befriending Kamasi Washington and their teacher Reggie Andrews taking them under his wing → 4. Forming the Young Jazz Giants and gigging all over town, including at Laker games → 5. Joining a boy band and touring Europe as a teenager → ...

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Patti Smith

April 6, 2023 • 44 mins

Patti Smith’s music education and evolution, from 1. Being transfixed by Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti walking down the street with her mom → 2. Wanting to become an opera singer after hearing Eleanor Steber’s “Un Bel Di” on the radio → 3. Starting to write poetry at the advice of Bobby Neuwirth → 4. Writing songs for Blue Oyster Cult → 5. Embracing the scene at the Chelsea Hotel, hanging with Janis Joplin → 6. Meeting Jimi Hendrix...

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Finneas

March 30, 2023 • 61 mins

Finneas’ music education and evolution, from 1. Realizing music could be a career after seeing Green Day in concert at age 11 → 2. Falling in love with music as a kid in the backseat of his parents’ minivan → 3. Learning his first song on piano to impress a girl → 4. Forming a band with his high school friends and recording one of their first songs with his sister Billie Eilish → 5. Signing their first record deal at age 18 and 13 ...

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Rick Rubin

March 30, 2023 • 39 mins

Rick Rubin’s music education and evolution, from 1. Falling in love with the Beatles’ Rock and Roll Music at three or four years old and chasing that feeling of transcendence the rest of his life → 2. Growing up in “uncool” Long Island and liking all genres without caring what anyone thought → 3. Rick’s taste evolving and recording with his high school noisy punk rock band, Hose → 4. Intro to hip hop at NYU, buying records and goin...

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Introducing This Little Light with Flea

March 21, 2023 • 1 min

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This Little Light

Episodes

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Earl Sweatshirt

Tenacious D

Cory Henry

Stewart Copeland

Margo Price

Rivers Cuomo

Sheila E

Jewel

Cynthia Erivo

Thundercat

Patti Smith

Finneas

Rick Rubin

Introducing This Little Light with Flea

Popular Podcasts

Anthony Kiedis

John Frusciante