http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Fri, 2 Jan 2009 22:47:38 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-796856 To sam: where did you get this idea that drug addiction can only be cured with counseling? That's utterly untrue. Sometimes counseling amounts to nothing more than an expensive band-aid. I've kicked a serious drug habit much the same as AK's simply because it had played itself out and I tired of it. I still have urges and might even 'chip' once in a great while, but it's no longer a threat of becoming a priority. And I imagine it's the same for Keidis who recently had his first child (that we know about). No counseling in the world would have helped me and after reading his book I'm convinced it did little for him either. When you've developed a taste for something, there are no words that are going to make you stop liking it. You quit when you grow tired of it, usually after hitting rock bottom. Hitting rock bottom is actually more powerful than counseling. Sometimes hitting rock bottom is the most necessary part of the process. It opens your eyes and humbles you, but in Keidis' case hitting rock bottom to become humble is near impossible considering who he is. There's no real reason for him to quit. Drug addiction is definitely not something that hurts his reputation or record sales at this point. But it gets old and that's the truth. 796856@blogcritics.org Fri, 2 Jan 2009 22:47:38 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-794596 I got this book for Christmas this year and finally have read it. I could not put it down and finished it in 2 days. Yes, AK is a drug addict and that explains his self-absorbed, selfish personality traits but you can tell even early on in the book that he is a victim of his environment and that is what causes him to become the sick, drug-addicted person he is. I was surprised that he does not seem to harbour any resentment towards his father...who gives their 11 year old kid a joint to smoke and splits qualudes with them and takes them to clubs and bars and surrounds them with drug-addicted, disfunctional people? At one point in the book he says that his dad never commented on his sobriety until the sixth anniversary which ironically was just after he relapsed the first time. I was surpised there was not more anger towards his father or at least a verbal realization through recovery that his father may have been the cause of his drug addiction and certainly encouraged those tendencies in a teenage (and pre-teenage)boy. Having said that, I loved the book, it was Anthony's story more or less than the story of the RHCP and even though I was a fan of their music before picking up the book, after reading it I was even more enthralled with their songs. I loved how he explained how he wrote a lot of the songs, what inspired him to write what he did and now when I listen to the music I think about the lyrics and what he was going through at the time of writing. I loved the Yertle the Turtle story! 794596@blogcritics.org Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:13:11 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-791372 In the book he can seem self-absorbed, but I absolutely adore him. I want to have his children!! GOD! Long live RHCP. 791372@blogcritics.org Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:03:12 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-782218 people anthony kiedis is awesome you all have to realize that not everyones a good writer RESPECT THE FOOL WHO MAKES THE TUNES YOU LOVE! 782218@blogcritics.org Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:33:47 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-777912 The writer of this review is an idiot and his commentary serves as a poor, unappreciative piece of crap. Scar Tissue is a must read. 777912@blogcritics.org Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:47:34 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-767910 I thought this book was amazing. I wasn't much of a chilli's fan when I started reading it, and now that I've finished, they are my favourite band. Wish it had more about Dave in it!! :P 767910@blogcritics.org Mon, 3 Nov 2008 20:10:47 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-758999 ok so this book is amazing and this story is very intense and has too depth to even be concieved as made up. much love to the chili peppers! 758999@blogcritics.org Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:49:58 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-752492 I LOVE Anthony Kiedis I LOVE Red Hot Chili Peppers. I wanted to see if this book was worth reading or not, and you said this: (For Chili Peppers fanatics) B (For everyone else) D I'm a chili pepper fanatic so i'd enjoy it. though i'm kinda mad about chad not being mentioned enough. next to anthony, he's the best chili pepper. but yeah. i heard it was good, so i'm gonna read it!... and i don't read often! 752492@blogcritics.org Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:05:10 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-743287 A kid brought this book to camp with him. We would read from it aloud. I didn't even really know who the Red Hot CHili Peppers were before i read this book. and i thought it was fantastic. i finished 300 pages of it in a day. it is just a different perspective and what makes it uniuqe in part is how he tells it. 743287@blogcritics.org Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:52:52 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-738938 Hey Im not even a big chili peppers fan . but a friend came over and left this book on the table so i picked it up, read some and could'nt put it down. if you like to read about drugs, tripping, drug induced insanity, sexual encounters, etc... this is an amazing book. trust me! (and by the way it's also very moving, and deep) AND AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR A RHCP FAN! 738938@blogcritics.org Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:53:54 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-738642 uhh hello it IS an autobiography if you wanted to know about the red hot chili peppers THE BAND then go on youtube and watch documentaries on them READ THIS BOOK! ITS AMAZING! 738642@blogcritics.org Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:04:37 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-728064 i have read the book through about 3 times. i have been a chili pepper fan since i was about 11, i love the book. as do all the other chili pepper fans i have talked to about it. fair enough if thats your oppinion.. But i do think that there isnt much of a point in reading it if you arent truly interested in the Chili's. to me, its one of the most interesting books ive read. 728064@blogcritics.org Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:31:19 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-714072 i love this book and anthony is amazing but you havent read the motley crue "the dirt" or Nikki Sixx "the heroin diaries" if you think no one can trump him in e sex drugs n rockn roll department- 714072@blogcritics.org Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:14:42 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-709455 One of the best books ive ever read... and believe me ive read a lot of books. Good review but for some reason when i read this book i felt as if i were on a rollercoaster ride through hollywood in the life of a rockstar through good times and bad, not *this happened then this happened blah blah blah. To each his own opinion thou. Also anthony says clearly in his book that chad and him were not very close til the later years. One more thing, most of the things in the book are hard to believe but then again i really did see these guys walk on stage with just socks over their stuff, something i know most people wouldnt do;) these guys are crazy cool and im glad keidis shared his experiences with the world. READ THIS BOOK IF U HAVENT! PEACE 709455@blogcritics.org Wed, 9 Apr 2008 23:31:15 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-705523 Well I completely disagree. I found scar tissue to be an incredible and honest autobiography! I could not put it down. Personally I think Anthony comes across as a lovely person. He gives a real understanding to his drug use and how he eventually fought his demons. 705523@blogcritics.org Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:18:01 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-688497 I agree strongly with Bob saying that this book is written for lack of better words not professionally, but it really is a work written by the heart by what Kiedis knows best, and I belive that it has good messages spoken by the voice of expierience, and it can really restore hope to someone living a life of desperation and cheap thrills as Kiedis did. 688497@blogcritics.org Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:10:20 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-686727 I thought the book was an interesting read of a very interesting guy! Would totally recommend it. 686727@blogcritics.org Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:01:40 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-686527 Anthony is amazing, and his book is awesome!! 686527@blogcritics.org Wed, 9 Jan 2008 15:44:28 EST /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-639507 I've been a fan of the Chili Peppers since I was 11 years old and my camp counsellor let me hear "True men" on her walkman... I was aware of the band's, Anothony's in particular, story ( in a roundabout way, as every fan knew he was an addict) I have always adored this band and adored it's members... I have come away from this book annoyed as hell... The word "monotony" does not do it justice... I found him to be full of himself, I found that there were quite a few parts of the book that he seemd to be trying to "speak to" whomever he was speaking about by using the book... and although he tried to take part of the blame for his failed relationships with women, in the end it was always, ulimately, the woman's fault and he had to end it... I think lots of the things he said could have been left unsaid... like I don't really think he needed to throw Jack Nicholson's name in there and the fact that he had his girlfriend sitting in his lap, smoking a joint with her... There was alot of naming names, some necessary, mostly not, and I wouldn't be suprised if he has pissed a hell of a lot of people off with this book... By the end of the book I was so freggen annoyed with the "getting high, getting clean, getting high, getting clean stories..." it was the same thing over and over again... and even though he has been clean now a few years, who's to say he will stay that way..? he stayed clean for 5 years once and relapsed... and again and again and again... I was really hoping it would have more "band moments", and alot more humour.. the only time I laughed out loud was near the end when he spoke about the flame helmets and how on occaison they would malfunction and there would be 3 of them with these crazy flames shooting out and one of them would have this gay bic lighter flame coming from his...I wanted more of the funny stupid shit like that... His writing left so much to be desired... and even though he does seem like a genuinely nice human being, and one who wants to be happy and do good and be clean etc... he seems like a lost little boy.. I was so sick of the immaturity by the end... it was like he had learned alot, but really hasn't grown up much... he seems like a lost soul that may never truly get it and may never stop hurting those around him... I hope I'm wrong... 639507@blogcritics.org Tue, 9 Oct 2007 11:46:44 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-633629 Hey Bob do you really think someone who has done more drugs then Ozzie Osborn is going to be a William Shakesphere? You are completely wrong about this moving and inspirational autobiography. I would suggest getting a new job, one that your actually at least decent at...you need to save for retirement. Best Book ever written you dumb piece of shit. 633629@blogcritics.org Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:10:38 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-620123 I just feel kind of bad that the kickass, freewheeling nice guy I had idealized Keidis as is actually a kickass, freewheeling asshole. I keep feeling bad for Flea whenever I watch the interviews, Tony always seems to put him down somehow. I mean, I like assholes, but it would've been nice to defy that "most cool people are arrogant jerkoffs" rule that tends to be true. Fuck. Oh well. Maybe I'm just being naive. 620123@blogcritics.org Thu, 9 Aug 2007 00:36:41 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-618224 their music is excellent, but this book now needs to end soon, i've had enough of the drug abuse and screwing chicks. 618224@blogcritics.org Fri, 3 Aug 2007 23:59:47 EDT /archives/2004/12/08/112313.php#comment-618169 It took some getting into but once past the early days I found I couldn't put the book down. Now I've got a couple of chapters left to go & im struggling. His story tends to slow down a bit when he's clean, so I was just gagging for him to hit the drugs again. Now its just on the drugs, off the drugs, on, off, on, off- etc etc. how does he remember such details of his life when he's spent most of it wasted? Despite sounding like I'm moaning, I think its great & will finish the book in the next week or so. Since reading it I've dug all my chili peppers albums out & its all I'm listening to in the car at the minute. Also I don't know if its just me but it really makes me wanna go out & get stoned;-) 618169@blogcritics.org Fri, 3 Aug 2007 18:06:41 EDT