I finally bought a copy this past Sunday, and can hardly put it down. I'm about 4/5 of the way done with it, and it's well worth the read. Overall it's very good, and the stories and photos are fascinating in a weird way, perhaps because he's not at all a typical "celebrity." He even includes a photo of him smoking a joint at age 12. But that wasn't really very unusual in the 70s, when a great many parents wanted to be sure their kids were "cool" and not one of the "straights." His discussion of the cycles of addiction are particularly insightful, I think. For instance, in one breakup with a girlfriend, he knows he's hurt her really bad, and then "punishes" himself by breaking sobriety, returning to coke and heroin. There's a bit more to it than that, but the book is mostly about sex and drugs, with the music clearly being an afterthought. I may do a more complete review after I've finished it.
I read this a couple years ago and it's probably one of my favorite Musician-Biographies. Kiedis's whole upbringing was really interesting. I also like Bob Dylan Chronicles and stuff on Jim Morrison.
Actor/percussionist John Densmore's book about his life with The Doors is a pretty good read as well. There are some slightly "hokey" spots (is that even a known word anymore, I'm showing my age here I bet?) that were probably necessary to sell the book effectively to a publisher. But overall it's pretty good also.
so it's good? awsome, i was going to buy it for my brother ( a hugh chilli peppers fan) so i'll have to get it
get this for your brother if he likes the chilie peppers, it gives so much more meaning to their music
This was the best book I've ever read And it just made me totally understand the band, and what they're all about
