It's hard to think of a time when the Red Hot Chili Peppers weren't one of the biggest bands in the world, but like most rock groups they come from humble beginnings. When they released their self-titled debut album in 1984, the band was still relatively unknown; however, they caught the attention of famed artist Andy Warhol, who requested to take their photos. On Thursday (May 2), Flea shared the stunning portrait Warhol shot of him all those years ago and shared the story behind it on Instagram.
"When the first rhcp record came out, and very few people knew who we were; we were touring clubs, sleeping on floors, in the van, and bottom rung hotels; we were contacted by Andy Warhol," Flea recalled. "He had heard of us and wanted to meet and take our photos. Anthony and I went and spent the afternoon with him. He was super kind, gave us lunch and showed us around the factory. We were pretty mind blown by the whole thing, I didn't know that kind of success existed in the arts, at least I had never seen anything like it. He said 'you boys really have something special and I believe you will go far with it.' This is one of the photos he took that day."
RHCP plan to hit the road later this month. Take a look at the full list of tour dates here and see Flea's post below.