Angela M. (rhodapenmark) -
I really enjoyed this book, warts and all. I am a casual fan of Anthony Kiedis and Red Hot Chili Peppers and mostly listened to them in the late 80's and early 90's, so I wasn't sure how interesting this would be for me. The answer? Very. I've picked up a lot of rock & roll biographies and autobiographies that just didn't catch my interest but this one hooked me from the start and kept my interest all of the way through. It does talk about songs, lyrics, band lineup changes, etc, but because Kiedis is primarily a singer and front man there is not a lot of technical music talk...to me that's a huge plus, as I am not a musician! I liked that very few of the people mentioned were veiled or referred to by different names. It felt very authentic. There was a lot of content some might find disturbing but based on anecdotes I'd heard about Kiedis previously none of it surprised me too much. I finished the book feeling like I "know" a little more about Kiedis and the band, and somehow liking their music more even though the story here is not always appealing. It shed some light on a few songs and lyrics I'd been curious about for years. Definitely worth a read.
