Scar Tissue [Hardcover]

Anthony Kiedis (Author), Larry Sloman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 6, 2004

As lead singer and songwriter for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis has lived life on the razor's edge. So much has been written about him, but until now, we've only had Kiedis's songs as clues to his experience from the inside. In Scar Tissue, Kiedis proves himself to be as compelling a memoirist as he is a lyricist, giving us a searingly honest account of the life from which his music has evolved.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are that rare breed of rock band. Critically lauded and popularly embraced by millions of fans, their albums consistently sell into the stratosphere -- their CD Californication sold over 13 million copies alone.

Now in Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis defies the rock star clichs. In his telling, we can see everything he has done has been part of a passionate journey. Kiedis is a man "in love with everything" -- the darkness, the death, the disease. Even his descent into drug addition was a part of that journey, another element that he has transformed into art.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For a musician who has spent the better half of his life either intoxicated or on a drug high, Kiedis, the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has produced a surprisingly detailed account of his life. Raised in the 1960s and '70s by a drug dealer father who first introduced his preteen son to drugs by mashing them into bananas, the high school delinquent and UCLA dropout seemed destined for a life of rabble-rousing until his high school band—cofounded by close friends Michael "Flea" Balzary and Hillel Slovak—took off and became one of the most popular groups of the 1990s. Though he peppers his book with little known facts (for instance, the author narrowly missed being named Clark Gable Kiedis), the punk-funk rocker dedicates too few pages to his introspective music-writing process and too many to his incessant drug use and revolving door of girlfriends (which included actress Ione Skye, singer Sinéad O'Connor and director Sofia Coppola). But while Kiedis fails to scratch beneath the surface of his fast-lane life, his frankness is moving, especially toward the end of the book, when his mea culpa turns into a full-blown account of recovery and redemption. (Kiedis has been sober for almost four years.) Though not generally as articulate as Marilyn Manson's similar autobiography, Kiedis's story of childhood drug use, adolescent fame and hard-won maturity will strike a chord with fans of Drew Barrymore's Little Girl Lost.
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Review

"Kiedis' narrative of the funky, feckless Peppers' dues-paying years is vivid and inspiring." -- Newsweek

"Most rocker autobiographies are ponderously lame. Anthony Kiedis's Scar Tissue . . . is not. It's thoughtful, candid, and entertaining." -- GQ

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (October 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401301010
• ISBN-13: 978-1401301019
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (363 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 93 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good read June 19, 2005

By Ben Dugan

Format:Hardcover

I have never been the worlds biggest Red Hot Chilli Peppers fan. Sure I think they are a good band with some really good records, but I've never felt the need to drive far distances to see them live, collect all their albums or any of the other stuff usually assosated with fandom. But Anthony Keidis' autobiography "Scar Tissue" interested me for a few different reasons. One, I do enjoy they're later period softer rock music, which for my money is some of the best alterna-pop you're likely to find. Two, I thought he would have some good stories since he was around in both the early eighties hardcore punk scene and the mid-ninties alternative rock boom. And three, in interviews he comes across as a pretty cool guy.

So on those fronts I was not dissapointed by "Scar Tissue". It was a pleasant and good book, full of surprising honesty and compassion even if at times it fails to go too deep below the surface. You learn a lot about his life, but not as much about him as you might like.

Now if you're not into what I call "junkie" books then you should probably stay away from this book. A large portion of the book is devoted to Kiedis' herion addiction which I have to admit was handled about as well as I have ever read. It is a cautionary tale with the typical body count of friends and loss loves, but rather then shaking his finger at himself and those around him, he tells it honestly and doesn't try to make apoligies about his behavior any more so then he needs to. This is refreshing and good. He's saying not to use drugs mind you; he's just going to tell you how it really is.

At times the book is written with a somewhat pedestrian writting style, but for the most part I sensed it came from Kiedis and not his co-author.... It has, at it's best times, a conversational vibe that makes reading it that much enjoyable.

So I really liked the book, so why do I only give it three stars? Well, because there is a drastic rating inflation on this site. To me, a five star anything means the thing is flawless, four means it's in the top of it's league but not perfect, three means it's good but I've read/ seen/ heard better, two means it bathes in it's mediocrity, and one means that it's godawful horse manure. And Kiedis' book fits the three to a T. It's a good book, I enjoyed reading it. It's not one of the best books I've ever read, nor is it one of the worst. It's a good book that I'm pretty sure if you're interested in you'll dig.

And what more can you ask for? Read more ›

63 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The dark side of drugs, dark side of fame, dark side of life in the fastlane January 18, 2006

By Jessica Lux

Format:Paperback

Anyone coming for an autobiography of the Red Hot Chili Peppers might be a little disappointed in this book. Kiedis focuses more on his personal journey through life, and especially on his formative adolescent years. The Chili Peppers are a part of his life, to be sure, but this story is truly Anthony's personal struggles to be a sober, straight-living man.

Anthony spends a significant amount of the book on his teenaged years. He was essentially his father's roommate (not his son, not his "charge) in Los Angeles from the age of 12. He experienced more drugs and debauchery before the age of 18 than most people could live through in their entire life. In describing his experiences, however, Kiedis used an inviting tone; he never bragged about his exploits or tried to paint himself in an excessively rosy light. He simply invited the reader along to explore his personal experiences and emotions.

Scar Tissue is truly a book about drug addiction, about the lifelong slippery slope of trying to obtain (and maintain) sobriety. It is amazing that Kiedis can keep his dozens of periods of abuse and relapse straight in his mind, much less transform them into a compelling narrative journey for the reader. Life on drugs was in no way glamorous--Kiedis spent many years at rock bottom, barely surviving, and scrounging for his existence. He also fooled many people about his drug use, and managed to escape any arrest or scrutiny for possession. Reading about how Kiedis has to consider and seize his sobriety each and every day (he's been clean since 24 December 2000) will surely inspire anyone who is struggling with their own personal demons....

It's amazing that the Chili Peppers have been as successful as they are, considering their poor record management in the early days, the excessive personnel changes, and the rampant drug abuse. I'd love to read a tell-all from Flea next! Read more ›

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Knew??? July 5, 2006

By G. W. Hansen

Format:Paperback

I've read a lot of rock star bios and this one sticks. Why? Kiedis's unflinching honesty, graphic depiction of a life lived without structure and the fact that he has lived to tell the tale. It's all here. The drugs, the booze, the sex, the debauchery. So what, you might ask, is so unusual about that? Don't all rock star bios share these elements? Yeah, most of them do. But the difference here is Anthony Kiedis's story is a bloodletting without being preachy and full of predictable fluff. He never judges, he never steps up to the pulpit and warns the world. He never shoves 12 step sensibilities down anyones' throat. He tells his tale with charm, kid bravado and, surprisingly, humility. He admits his faults. He admits his immaturity. Through every chapter we watch him grow. He takes two steps forward, then ten steps back. Then he takes five steps forward and two steps back.

What I particularly found refreshing was the stories Kiedis tells about his inspirations for many Chili Pepper songs. Here is a man who cared (s) about the finished product. (If you doubt that, check out their latest effort, Stadium Arcadium. It's a masterpiece.)

You want to cry with Kiedis and you want to laugh with him during the entire bumpy ride. And I personally was wondering how his father was able to take a series of pictures of his eight year old son smoking pot without the folks over at the Fotomat running interference when he took them to be developed. Unless, of course, they were Polaroids. Then that point is moot I guess. Nevertheless, I hated his dad for the things he exposed Anthony to at such an early age. We're lucky Kiedis turned out as good as he did in the end.

Nevertheless, this is a rock star bio worth the effort. It's long, it's detailed, yes.... Some details come off as too much information. But still, it's never a boring read. No fluff, no filler. Just a cautionary tale told with the best of intentions. And if he had to name his bio after a Pepper's song, Scar Tissue was the perfect choice. Read more ›