A lot of drugs but cool to hear about the creation of some awesome music

At nearly 500 pages, this book is something of a slog, especially since much of the narrative concerns Anthony Kiedis seesawing between drug addiction and fleeting sobriety while fronting the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of the world's most popular rock bands. It is well-written throughout, and Larry Sloman is a fine guide through the depths of Kiedis's tortured relationship with heroin and cocaine, but the all-encompassing nature of his addiction is such that huge chunks of the book are devoted to the singer going off on ruinous binges, to the exasperation of everyone around him. "I want to describe both sides of how I felt, but it's important to know that in the end all the romantic glorification of dope fiendery amounts to nothing but a hole of shit," he notes 200 pages in.

I did not think highly of Kiedis's songwriting before I read this book, but now I have come to appreciate that some of the band's best songs are lifted directly from his own experiences. 'Under The Bridge' is the obvious one, but I think 'Otherside' is the best single song that the Red Hot Chili Peppers ever released, and I'd have liked to read more about the situations that led up to its creation. Kiedis does this with quite a few other songs, and quotes extensively from his lyrics dating back to the band's earliest recordings, but for some reason 'Otherside' gets only a cursory mention despite being one of the songs that best describes the feelings of addiction and redemption that he knows so well.

But this is a minor complaint in the scheme of things, as despite the repetitive nature of the book – especially in the second half – I suppose it's hard to argue against this being an accurate way of showing what that lifestyle is like, when you're trapped in a cycle of behaviour that you can't get out of. It's hard to recommend 'Scar Tissue' to anyone but hardcore RHCP fans, as to my eyes, it could have done with being cut by about a third. But the insight into Kiedis's life is mostly compelling, and vividly realised, so kudos to Larry Sloman for capturing that on the page.

First and foremost, this book is very easy to read. Whereas some books I have read I needed to be in a certain mood to enjoy them, I read this book at a variety of different times. The writing isn't very difficult to follow, as this book reads like someone telling you their life story.

At 500 pages, it really does not leave much of Anthony Kiedis' life out. At times it is slow and drags just a bit and others the the plot kind of gets redundant (like when it describes him kicking heroin and cocaine only to relapse again and again). This isn't because of the writing because you do realize that this of course is how his life was at that point. I personally felt bad for the guy and couldn't help but feel horrible for the guy when he struggled to get his life back together.

The book isn't all horrid descriptions of drug addiction, however. At the heart of the story is how music ran strong through this guy's life as he grew as a person. That and the brotherhood between the members of the band he is still a part of. The book is about friendship and how the ups and downs over the years shaped the band and how they inspired the amazing songs they produced.

My only real concern is that Antony Kiedis 'quit' doing drugs 'for the last time' fairly late into the book. While I'm sure he's become a much stronger person over the past couple decades, I of course worry about the man relapsing. The last time he talked about using in the book was only a few years ago. I just hope he stays safe and the Chili Peppers keep making music.

DNF @ 55 pages

I've decided to stop here before I hate all the Peppers' music forever as a result.

***Edited to add for full transparency: I've deleted my original review and the entire comments section as I was tired of fielding comments about a memoir I didn't finish seven plus years ago. People get passionate about their favorite band, and since this is a real person and not a fictional character, I've decided it's not worth the toxicity on all sides.

Para fans de RHCP, tiene todos los detalles y situaciones que quisimos saber sobre el origen de muchas de las canciones y momentos que consideramos invaluables e importantes en la historia de la banda. También ofrece un vistazo mucho más auténtico y real no solo de la personalidad e historia de Kiedis sino de todos los músicos involucrados: Flea, Chad, John, Slovak, Navarro, Irons y demás figuras.

Para quienes no sean fans de RHCP, aquí encontrarán una historia por demás fascinante de un alma en constante búsqueda, espiritual y creativa, que bajó a los niveles más bajos del inframundo para volver a la tierra y contarnos su historia.

No se guarda ni un detalle, no se disculpa ni se deslinda. Sabe que al contar su historia de la manera más honesta posible no sólo conectará con más personas, sino que podría salvarle la vida a más de una.

I was a teenager when Blood Sugar Sex Magik came out and the Chilli Peppers always seemed to me to be a constant in those years along with Pearl Jam and, to some extent Smashing Pumpkins. I had no idea how many ups and downs they had over the years, how many various incarnations there were with different members coming, going, coming back and sometimes dieing. Like who would have thought they would be looking for a manager just before releasing Californication. That's something unsuccessful bands do...and it turns out bands where every single member has a heroin or a coke problem.

For me there was way too much drug use in this book. It is literally every page and whilst it is an interesting journey to follow for someone who has only really smoked weed it is soul destroying to see Anthony go so down far the rabbit hole and drag himself out, only to fall back again and again and again and again and again. By the time I'd finished I felt like I had been on a bender myself so if you do want to read this one maybe considering stretching out a bit so that the novelty of him getting high doesn't completely wear off.

I enjoy reading biographies. I was anxious to read Scar Tissue because I've been a fan since the '80s. Kiedis doesn't disappoint. I knew he was a wild child, but he doesn't hold back on revealing the good, the bad, and even the ugly in his life.

His lack of a relationship with his father is really sad. Seems like he's always searching for his love and approval. His exposure to drugs through his father has haunted him all his life.

Well, he's got a child on the way with some model. Let's hope he finds the peace he needs with his own son/daughter.

I’ve made a decision to read other people’s reviews of biographies and autobiographies in future, even all non-fiction really. It is grating to hear someone get opinionated about something they know nothing about and autobiographies can often be gratuitous attempts to resurrect dying careers.

Yes, yes, I’m still smarting from James “Britney’s Biographer” Blandford's attempts to chronicle a goddess and pretend he even knew what Doc Martens and Chelsea boots were.

Moving on.

The point is, had I actually adopted this credo before picking up Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, I’d have seen all the warnings. Reading comments such as “un-put-downable”, “found myself at 2am still reading it” and “couldn’t stop reading it” may just have given me an idea that this was a book to avoid. At all costs.

Tongue-in-cheek aside, this book is awesome and hopefully I’ll finish it in a day or so. The suspense in racing to the end, which is obviously the present, is almost killing me. I say almost, because I can’t die until I’ve finished this book.

The audiobook quality was pure crap. I was also upset that Kiedis didn't narrate his own autobiography. And I was not a fan of the narrator they used. It seemed every other sexual encounter Kiedis had was "the most amazing, the most profound, etc" he ever had. That shit got old fast. The way this was written was very matter of fact. This is what happened, then this, then this. There was no real feeling of remorse or regret for all the drug use and fucked up behavior and infidelity.

BUT with all that being said, I could not put this book down. I was so engrossed in his story it was ridiculous. Every time he mentioned a specific interview or performance or basically any incident that was caught on camera I was immediately on YouTube watching it. This was a crazy ride and I loved every second of it.

I want to take a shower after reading this book. His viewpoint on women borderlines sexism and he obviously has an addictive personality (not to just drugs). I thought this book would provide a little more music inspiration but it is 100% “meet underage hot girl who loves to have sex, do lots of coke and heroine then rock out and learn she is crazy” … then repeat. Common denominator is you, Anthony. Perhaps YOU are the crazy one. The one redeeming quality of the book was I found Flea to be more stable and a solid friend — something unexpected.

I LOVE Red Hot Chilli Peppers, but man this book was tedious. Kiedis had a crazy upbringing and the continuous references to drugs was a lot at times.

Whew... had to put it down for a bit because I was having nightmares where Anthony Kiedis was chasing me because he thought I had his drugs.