Transcript (please note I’ve just typed out the first couple of paragraphs that are relevant to Flea rather than the whole article; likewise I only scanned the pages mentioning him)

Bass Player November 1993

 Now that the results of the 1993 Readers Poll are in, one thing’s refreshingly clear: Bass Player readers aren’t swayed by media visibility. In the closest-ever contest for the coveted title of Bassist of the Year, Victor Wooten just barely squeaked by Flea at the last minute. Early in the race, it seemed likely Flea would hop away with the reward. The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist was all over MTV this year- his appearances in vids by the Chili Peppers as well as such other bands as the Butthole Surfers have made him a virtual household name (at least in thrash households), and the phrase, ‘Flea is cool!’ has become a standard sound-bite on Beavis and Butt-head. The Chili Peppers latest album, the triple-platinum Blood Sugar Sex Magik [Warner Bros], was a fixture on Billboard’s Top 200 chart for much of this year and last. Yet Bass Player readers were much more inspired by Victor Wooten’s playing, despite the fact that Bela Fleck and the Flecktones – a wacky banjo-centered jazz group- have been practically untouched by the mass media.