Customer Reviews
About a rock star - By: I LOVE BOOKS, 17 Jun 2008 
Anthony Kiedis. Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was interesting to read Anthony's autobiography & understand the meaning beyond some of the lyrics he has written so far. I do need to separate book from "facts" however.
The book: 465 pagesin tiny print describing a life of excessesin every sense became at times a tedious read, mainly because Anthony's life is self-described & delivered by what I define a rather flat narrative. A repetition of events -and most often, a vicious circle, literally- that failed to engage mein fullin a few parts. That does not mean that I did not "appreciate" the content. If anything, his is an often brutal testimony of what a serious drug addiction can do to a human being (I felt that this book was more about his drug addiction than about his life or the RHCP).
The "facts": oh, I would have a thing or two to say about his upbringing, I am itching to do it. But. Anthony comes out to be so non-judgemental, so not-critical, so loving towards his family, which he clearly loves to bits to this day, that I am discouraged to say anything more about it. And I respect him for not pointing any accusing finger, about back then or later on. He is not blaming anyone, or at least, that's the way I have perceived the core of this book. In his words, it was mostly all about "the shortcut", which brought him to jump fences instead of walking on a proper path, figuratively & literally. The drugs, his love stories, his songs, the band, the friends he has lost to drugs, the rehabs, & drugs again... An indefinable sense of hopelessness, sometimes peppered with sober, more productive moments, where the love towards life shinesin full. I think that it is at this point that he chose to write the book, after a few years of sobriety. And I hope the process of retracing his past has added to the self-healing & helped to stay clean & sober, appreciating life to the full.
Would Anthony have become what he is without experiencing what he went through? I do not know. We are what we do, or so they say. But as much as this book conveys the dispiritedness, desolation & utter despair connected to drug addiction, it is uplifting to see that it is POSSIBLE to get out of it. Tough, difficult, hard, but possible. An inspiration for those ones who are still struggling.
I read somewhere that Anthony recently had a baby (last year). Not an epilogue to his story, but another, wonderful, beginning.
amazing - By: Speedway Girl, 28 Mar 2008 
One word amazing...this book is so good i could not put it down.
Anthony is an amazing man & its a top read even if you are not a fan of the chillis.
This is a must read for music fans everywhere.
WORTH READING - By: A. Girvan, 24 Jan 2008 INTRESTING BOOK FROM A FUNNY GUY.
GET THIS AND RONNIE WOOOD - CLAPTON-SLASH-NIKKI SIXX----THERE HAVE BEEN SOME VERY GOOD BOOKS OUT FROM ROCK STARS RECENTLY.
Best read since Jonathan Lvingstone Seagul - By: Bathbiggles, 25 Nov 2007 I've been a moderate 'Chilis' fan since 'By the Way' & this book has made me listen to much more of their earleir stuff now.
I bought this book at an airport as all my usual escapism authors have been a bit quiet.
Some books take you by surprise & this one certainly did. It gripped me from the first sentence & never let go. Despite the fact that Keidis has lived a life that the vast majority will hardly be able to comprehend, the themes that he has to deal with are still those that we all have to face - albeit to a lesser intensity.
This is a superb, honest & totally absorbing read for anyone old enough to grasp the issues. Ironically Keidis himself had to face these from 10 years old. How is this guy still with us??
If only RHCP albums were this good! - By: theone&only, 16 Oct 2007 Most people who bought this book are Chili Peppers fans looking for some insight but I have come to this book from the angle of them being a band I'd like to like, but sadly they're music just doesn't do it for me. This though is a fantastic read -in parts harrowing, uplifting, amusing but always honest & only rarely drags. The man has led such an action packed life you'll find this book hard to put down, even through the hard times. The anecdotes are always entertaining & never once does the guy patronise or put down a soul - even the ones who wronged him. There a few niggles with this - the man is obviously a very selfish guy. He cheats on girlfriends, lies through his teeth & only glosses over these parts, instead focussing merely on what happens, not the repurcussions of his questionable behaviour. (Death of a band mate aside). Typical old school rock star then. There's a few bits missing such as his conviction for assaulting a female fan during their early(ish) days (which was well publicised at the time). Here he could have set the record straight but instead ignores the whole thing. Then there was his hissy fit over Faith No More's Mike Patton - MIA. This book recalls everything honestly - well, the bits he chooses to tell us anyway & only gets dull towards the very end where he talks of every minor incident with his (then) girlfriend which isin day to day detail compared to the rest of the book. This is only a minor niggle though - generally the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve is a good thing. I totally recommend this book allin all - you will want to start a band by the time you are through with it & move to Hollywood!
