The Force of Nature That Is flea

THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS BASSIST CELEBRATES A NEW BABY, A NEW MOVIE AND THE MOMENTS THAT MADE HIM THE MAN HE IS TODAY

- MIA McNIECE

Sitting in the sun-filled living room of his L.A. home, surrounded by shelves of records and with a baby stroller by the front door, Red Hot Chili Peppers rocker Flea, 60, was beaming as he chatted about looking forward to becoming a dad again-just three days before he and his wife, fashion designer Melody Ehsani, 42, welcomed their first child together on Dec. 12. "I'm excited for it all," says the celebrated bassist, father to daughters Clara, 34, and Sunny, 17, from previous relationships. "The love and connection, the cuddling, Sesame Street, dipping little toes in frothing ocean waters for the first time."

The Australian-born musician, whose real name is Michael Balzary (he got the nickname Flea as a kid for his energetic, bouncy behavior), has a lot to be grateful for these days. In addition to a new baby, he has a role as a tough 1920s Hollywood executive in the splashy movie Babylon alongside Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. "I jumped at the opportunity," says Flea, who has previously acted in films including Back to the Future Part II, The Big Lebowski and My Own Private Idaho. "It's an epic film, the kind that doesn't get made anymore." And soon he'll head back on tour with the legendary rock band he started with his best friend, singer Anthony Kiedis.