Scar Tissue-Anthony Kiedis

[afc9798]

Reading this now and it's a very good read, even for someone who's not a fan of the Chilli Peppers. It's an amazingly frank and brutal account of his life from starting drugs at 9 years old, becoming a child actor whilst living with his drug dealing father, being an accomplished student yet behaving like a delinquent, hard core heroin and cocaine addictions, starting to be sexually active at 11 etc.

It's a fascinating look at the changes as someone goes from relative anonymity to celebrity and the excesses and temptations that are afforded to him. I'm not too sure any of his ex-girlfriends will be too thrilled to read it, nor would the families of his friends, but it's a refreshing change from the usual ghost written stories that only tell you the sanitised versions of their lives. keidis has used a ghostwriter, but it is quite clear that he has had considerable input to the process and has held nothing back.

Highly recommend this to anyone either a Chilli Peppers fan or just as a study in human behaviour.

 

[portentous]

Haven't read it myself but have heard really good feedback about it esp around xmas. Was going to get it for my 14yr old son, but was warned that it was pretty graphic.

 

[mad-saint-guy]

Thoroughly enjoyed it! The only real negative was that I thought he dragged on about the drugs and relapses a bit too much, a bit more about the band's more recent work would've been nice.

 

[afc9798]

Haven't read it myself but have heard really good feedback about it esp around xmas. Was going to get it for my 14yr old son, but was warned that it was pretty graphic.

It's actually quite educational in that he sends a very clear message about the effects of drug addiction and the futility of casual sex. Yes it can be a bit graphic, but it probably would speak to a 14 year old the way they would want to hear it, rather than from parents who haven't experienced the debauchery and depravity that he endured.

 

[afc9798]

Thoroughly enjoyed it! The only real negative was that I thought he dragged on about the drugs and relapses a bit too much, a bit more about the band's more recent work would've been nice.

Agree to an extent, but when you look at it, the drugs were such a major part of everything he did. How it affected the band, the death of friends, the endless cycle of creative blocks, breakdown of relationships, flashes of brilliance and clarity. All these revolved around the cycle of drug use, cold turkey, drug use, cold turkey ad finitum......

 

[portentous]

than from parents who haven't experienced the debauchery and depravity that he endured.

How do you know that I haven't??

 

[NSWCROW]

" Futility of casual sex "

 

[afc9798]

" Futility of casual sex "

I said futility, I didn't say it wasn't fun....

 

[afc9798]

How do you know that I haven't??

I don't, but I just assumed that the fact you are still alive, would suggest that you hadn't!! All Port supporters have a fair level of depravity and debauchery, it's written in the club's constitution.

 

[The_Eagles]

he gets to meet some celebrities at a young age...hanging out with sonny bono and cher when you're a kid??!?

wonder if he ever bumped into a young motley crue on the sunset strip

 

[NSWCROW]

I said futility, I didn't say it wasn't fun....

 

[cats2rise]

A very very good read.

I agree that it did drag on in parts, and I hated a few parts when he said "So I told myself I would never do drugs again. The next day I went to my dealer and got..." but that was his life, and he is very honest with it.

I read it over about 2 or 3 nights and enjoyed it.

I wonder if he is still off the drugs?

 

[The_Eagles]

I started to get annoyed how many times he used the word beautiful

 

[doppo]

I wonder if he is still off the drugs?

I was wondering the same thing.

Just from going from what the trend in the book suggests, you'd be very brave to guess that that he hasn't relapsed since.

 

[jerry springer]

fantastic book

 

[Tigerdrive]

I finished reading this book last night, it was good. I was suprised that he was using during the californication era as before I read this I thought the drug use stopped after One Hot Minute.

My favorite part of the book was probably when John came back to the band.

 

[soupaman]

Loved it. What a crazy life. Rightfull he should be dead, the amount of drugs hes taken and idiotic crap hes done.

 

[Jean Claude Vas Deferens]

Some amazing stuff in there... hocking a custom made white FenderStrat signed by the Rolling Stones for two hundred bucks so he could score heroin from those Mexican dealers. OK then.

 

[Gasometer]

Got it in Aug 08 and finally got some time over Xmas to finish it off.

WOW, what a life led or whatever you call it. Doesnt matter if you have $40 or $4 million the life of a hardcore drug abuser is a shocker. It was interesting how he handled the drugs when he was famous avoiding those that would recognise him, and then when he did he still talked himself out of it.

What stood out was the childhood-teen years. I read on wikipedia that he is working with HBO on a mini series on these years...I would do the whole life whilst there.

The celeb mix ups were interesting- Cobain-Sinead O'Connor.

But in the end the bit that got me was when he was in his car and the young dudes thought it was him...only to say it wasn't because he was so dishevelled from the drugs..

Anyway went out and bough the GHits CD from 2003 and it is amazing they were able to make the music they did.

Gaso

 

[quickstraw]

he gets to meet some celebrities at a young age...hanging out with sonny bono and cher when you're a kid??!?

wonder if he ever bumped into a young motley crue on the sunset strip

Unlikely. He and Flea were into the punk scene. For anyone with a smidgeon of coolness, Motley Crue and all those faggy LA hair bands lack talent and have a lame sound.

On one of the songs on Mother's Milk, Frusciante plays G'N'R's Sweet Child O Mone riff at the end - a blatant piss take of the fake LA hair bands.

Interesting to note that GNR came out of that scene, and early on had some shocking hair, but they didn't have the hair band sound. And they had some talent. But this is what people asscociated them with. Slash love metallica and when Nirvana hit big wanted to meet Cobain. Cobain remarked that he wouldn't be caught dead talking to anyone from GNR.

But it has now turned full circle. RHCP were once frsh and cool and were able to take the piss out of GNR who were fake. 10 years later RHCP couldn't make a film clip without their shirts off. A parody of themselves.

The G'N'R biography is a pretty good read too.

 

[cammo84]

This is probably the best music related autobiography I've read. The honesty of the book is amazing, and he has lived one damn crazy life. I kinda felt like I actually knew the guy after reading the book, and it definately made me appreciate RHCP a lot more. I was pretty sad to hear about his medical problems recently, I guess the hepatitis is getting the better of him.

His dad sounds like a character, imagine your own dad taking you out to clubs and getting messed up, and letting you screw his girlfriend at 11/12 years of age. Really, he is probably the root of Anthony's drug addictions, but Blackie is one cool cat.

---------

Sorry if this is hijacking the thread, but on the topic of music autobios, has anyone read Tommyland (Tommy Lee)? Some interesting stories, but he is such a ****. Every page has at least one "dude" or "bro", and it has these little breaks in the text where it's meant to be his dick butting in with little comments, such as "Hell yeah, she did! I love her. The blood rushed to my head so fast that I blew chunks! What's her name again?", and "Word! Ahh, sex, my favourite subject. Let's take a break and go have some". These are complete with a watermark of a jizz stain. I liked reading about his life and his music, but c'mon Tommy, grow up a little. We already know you screw a lot of chicks, your dick doesn't need to back up your claims.

 

[quickstraw]

. Really, he is probably the root of Anthony's drug addictions, but Blackie is one cool cat.

Not really. The problem is inside Anthony as it is Ben Cousins. Blackie just made it accessible, but had he not, the chances are Anthony would have been introduced somewhere else and the same thing would have happened.

Sorry if this is hijacking the thread, but on the topic of music autobios, has anyone read Tommyland (Tommy Lee)? Some interesting stories, but he is such a ****. Every page has at least one "dude" or "bro", and it has these little breaks in the text where it's meant to be his dick butting in with little comments, such as "Hell yeah, she did! I love her. The blood rushed to my head so fast that I blew chunks! What's her name again?", and "Word! Ahh, sex, my favourite subject. Let's take a break and go have some". These are complete with a watermark of a jizz stain. I liked reading about his life and his music, but c'mon Tommy, grow up a little. We already know you screw a lot of chicks, your dick doesn't need to back up your claims.

I love rock biographies, and I've read many about people/bands that I'm not into. but I refuse to read anything about any hair band. Lame, lame, lame.

 

[cammo84]

I love rock biographies, and I've read many about people/bands that I'm not into. but I refuse to read anything about any hair band. Lame, lame, lame.

I don't mind Motley Crue though, so I wasn't gonna refuse to read it just cos they're a hair band.

Got any recommendations for some other good rock bios?

 

[Gasometer]

What has Kiedie's health probs of late been?

Picked up MCrue 'Dirt' for $14 at Big W yday as was 'Slash'. I remember seeing Dirt at Angus and R for $40 when released so I figure that was a bargain book find.

Gaso

 

[crownie]

thought it was a really boring read.

go to rehab tour go back to rehab tour and so on.