I was watching VH1 today, Behind the Music was doing something on The Red Hot Chili Peppers. I had seen this special before, but didn't pay that much attention. It said that becuase the way Flea was playing the bass ( very aggresivly ) he had made a hole in his thumb! He was litterally screaming between songs because it hurt so bad. They had to put super-glue on it so he could play the rest of the show. Wow..

-Jason :o

yeah, i know...he has always been pretty aggressive....he had to do something like that on Psychedelic Sexfunk Live From Heaven, too..

how did he do it? from slapping?

I believe so yes..

-Jason :o

I don't slap, so I have no firsthand knowledge....:)..but couldn't something be worn to prevent this? Perhaps some adhesive tape???

"Flea rules!!!" - Beavis

Crazy glue is great for burst blisters too. It's saved me from much pain more than once.

i think it was from slapping too hard - we've all done it in our teenage years.

puting glue in there, surely that's kinda dangerous on the old poisioning front aint it?

you can that new 'skin stuff' which is meant for putting in 'open wounds' - i rarely get blisters any more, i tend to just use a different finger for a day or two.

Originally posted by arther daily
puting glue in there, surely that's kinda dangerous on the old poisioning front aint it?

you can that new 'skin stuff' which is meant for putting in 'open wounds' - i rarely get blisters any more, i tend to just use a different finger for a day or two.
I have used New Skin in the past with pretty good luck. The guitar player in my band uses glue.. kinda scary. It's the glue girls use to attach fake fingernails. He claims no adverse effects..

Crazy Glue is used in several medical situations to mend superficial skin wounds. It is being used in several emergency rooms and elsewhere in the health care community.

Now...back to Flea and bass.

Glue (regular glue) wont do anything bad to you, because its a milk product. It doesnt have any chemicals that are harmful.

And no, he did it from popping mainly, and slapping, and his fingerstyle playing, which is really heavy.

i once put fingernail glue on my finger by accident (don't ask) and it gave the effect of hard skin, it was a bitch to remove anyway.
I play aggresively but my moto is 'no pain, no gain' so i just take the pain. I once played with a severed finger from popping and it hurt bad but i just decided to play on. I'm not doing it again though. It has benefited me because i don't get a bad finger anymore.

As for the super glue thing....

Yes, it's highly toxic and should not be used in direct contact with exposed flesh.

With that being said, as a disclaimer.....it can be used when all else fails. Believe me, being a competitive speed skater, I've been through my share of blisters.

New skin simply rubs off too quickly.

Also, if you can find it, Tincture of Benzoine is the best stuff to use. It's kinda like super glue and it's the stuff used in the ER rooms. Hard to find it by the bottle, but it's out there and cost big bucks.

My hand can't take playing fast slap and pop stuff, last time I tried to learn a fast slap pop song I ended up with a blister on my index finger and thumb. No hole though, didn't need the crazy glue....

the hole is in flea's thumb from slapping.it isn't an open wound, which is why glue is okay.it's actually a pressure wound in the skin, where constant exposure to being hit causes the skin to "collapse", creating a pinhole sized hole into the skin, that can be sensitive.there's a older conga player (who's name escapes me) that has this same problem in every one of his fingertips from years of whacking the drums.so don't feel too bad for flea, he's only got one thumb to worry about, that poor guy has 8 fingers to deal with!ouch! these are the only two musicians i've ever heard of having this. anyone hear of others?