60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim is accustomed to reporting on athletes as executive editor of Sports Illustrated. So, when he prepared to profile a group of musicians on this week’s 60 Minutes, he expected a change of pace.
Then he met the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
“I sometimes felt like it was doing a sports story with a better soundtrack,” Wertheim said. “These guys are incredible athletes, not for vanity’s sake, but because they realize that that’s what’s required of the job.”
Wertheim saw the level of physicality up-close when he watched the band members perform, both in concert and individually. Bassist Flea, guitarist John Frusciante, and drummer Chad Smith all improvised on their instruments for the 60 Minutes’ cameras.
“Physically, it is so important to us to be able to do what we do as performers,” lead singer Anthony Kiedis told Wertheim. ‘And I don’t think we want to lose it.”
Flea, one of three bandmembers north of 60 years old, is particularly known for his energetic performances on stage. He told Wertheim that sometimes he feels the pressure of expectation to perform at his most zany. But, he said, he knows that when he steps on stage, it is time to entertain.
“Every time I go on, it’s like, I’m going to play this show like it’s the last show I’ve ever played in my life, like it’s the last notes I’m ever going to have the opportunity to play,” Flea said. “I want to honor my band mates. I want to honor the audience, and I want to honor the universe.”
The video above was produced by Brit McCandless Farmer and Will Croxton. It was edited by Will Croxton.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Athletes on stage
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